Government

Changes to Watertown’s House Districts Proposed, Residents Can Give Input During Hearing

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Wikimedia Commons / ChensiyuanMassachusetts State House. Every 10 years Massachusetts Legislative districts are adjusted and changes are proposed for both of Watertown’s House Districts. The Senate District may change, but the new boundaries would not impact the town. On Friday, Oct. 15, a virtual public hearing will be held to get testimony from the public and residents can submit written comments.

Business

New STEM Education Fund Will Provide Grants to Watertown Teachers, Funded by Local Companies, WCF & Life Science Cares

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation and Life Science Cares Boston:

Life Science Cares Boston is collaborating with the Watertown Community Foundation and four Watertown-based life science companies to launch the Watertown STEM Education Fund, a special effort to fund science, technology, engineering & math programming in the Watertown Public Schools. Four corporate contributors — Arranta Bio, C4 Therapeutics, Forma Therapeutics & Landmark Bio — and Life Science Cares have committed a total of $15,000 in funding for teacher-driven requests for supplemental materials, books, equipment, special events and speakers, student programs and experimental school or district-wide initiatives. The fund builds on the Watertown Community Foundation’s annual school-based educational grants program and will increase total funding for the foundation’s grants this fall. “This exciting new partnership and funding commitment will expand our ability to support Watertown teachers through our annual education grant program. Each year we receive far more grant requests than we can fund, particularly in the area of science and technology. This STEM Fund will truly transform our grant giving capacity and provide teachers and our schools with more resources to support students in the classroom,” said Jan Singer, Watertown Community Foundation Executive Director.

Around Town

Watertown Girl Scouts’ Project to Protect the Charles River Earns a Bronze Award

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Girl Scout Troop 82131Watertown Girl Scouts from Troop 82131 earned the Bronze Award for their project to protect the Charles River. The following piece was provided by the leaders of Girl Scout Troop 82131:

Earlier this year, Girl Scout Troop 82131, made up of 12 Watertown girls (then fifth graders), teamed up to make a difference in Watertown, learn important leadership skills, and see how their seemingly small actions can make a big difference to their community. All their work together over a period of 18 months helped the girls earn the Girl Scout Bronze Award — the highest award a Junior can achieve. In thinking about what project they wanted to take on to earn their Bronze Award, the girls discovered a shared interest in protection of water resources, and taking care of the Charles River, an important recreation and nature area in our town. The girls started by working with an all-female team of water resources engineers from VHB, a local engineering firm, to learn about water pollution and how difficult it is to “depollute” water. They collected almost 30 pounds of trash along the Charles River, recruiting family and friends to help them in this effort. Next, they worked with the VHB engineers to learn about the science behind water filtration and built their own mini filters at home over zoom using materials provided by VHB. The troop then met with VHB in person to inspect the large-scale water filtration systems in place on the Charles River in Brighton. Finally, they worked with WCA-TV to produce a public service announcement educating the community and their peers about the importance of taking care of our natural water resources in town. 

Girl Scout Troop 82131The local Girl Scouts removed trash from a section of the Charles River.

Arrests

Police Log: Two Face Charges After Melee in Street, Man Seen in Woman’s Apartment Late at Night

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests

Sept. 27, 3:43 p.m.: An altercation in the middle of Lloyd Road involving six people got violent. Police received a report of the incident and when officers arrived they got between the parties. One woman, a 53-year-old from Waltham, had a cut on her face and was bleeding.

Homepage Featured

2021 Boston Marathon: Watertown Runner Among Best Women’s Runners, See How the Local Runners Finished

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Twenty-five Watertown runners entered the 125th Boston Marathon on Monday, including one who finished among the best women’s runners in the 2021 race. The top runner from town was Elaina Tabb, who finished 12th in the women’s race and 88th overall. Matthew Farkas was the fastest male runner from Watertown. He finished 100th overall and was the 87th fastest man. The 2021 Boston Marathon drew 20,000 runners.

Around Town

Trash and Recycling Collection in Watertown Impacted by Columbus Day Holiday

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The Columbus Day holiday, on Monday, Oct. 11, will impact the trash and recycling pickup in Watertown. The Watertown Department of Public Works announced:

Please be aware that due to the Columbus Day holiday on Monday, October 11, 2021, trash and recycling pickup will be delayed one day. The pickup schedule is Tuesday, October 12-Saturday October 16, 2021. See the 2021 Watertown trash and recycling collection calendar by clicking here.

Business

Record Store in Watertown Square Has Drawn a Crowd in Its First Year

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Anaïs MarkwoodA wide range of musical genres are available at Wanna Hear It. New and used albums are available

Calling all vinyl lovers, if you haven’t heard yet, Watertown is now home to a record store! Wanna Hear It Records opened during the COVID-19 pandemic in early December and has been operating a successful business ever since. 

Located right in Watertown Square at 7 Main St., Wanna Hear It sells records for a variety of interests. Many Watertown residents noticed a line around the block to get into the store on a few occasions throughout the summer, sparking curiosity about the new shop. Owner Joey Cahill described the store’s inventory as, “A mix of everything,” saying “our main focus is Indie Rock, Punk, Hardcore, Emo, some Top 40, hip hop [and] metal.” The shop also does record trading and has “about half and half new and used [records]”.

Arts

Transformed Mosesian Center for the Arts to Reopen in November with Several Performances Scheduled in 2021

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Mosesian Center for the ArtsA rendering of the what the new lobby at the Mosesian Center for the Arts will look like after renovations are complete. Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, the Mosesian Center for the Arts will reopen after closing for the Pandemic with a brand new look which will transform the lobby space into a place where patrons can spread their wings. The arts center located in the Arsenal on the Charles is scheduled to reopen at the beginning of November, and more than a dozen events have been scheduled through the end of 2021, said MCA Executive Director Darren Farrington. Visitors will notice that the twin stairway with a platform in between has been removed. “The (old) lobby had a limited amount of space,” Farrington said.