Police/Fire

Police Log: Driver Pulls Knife in Parking Lot, Argument Over Face Mask Gets Physical

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

Dec. 5, 4:04 p.m.: Police received a report of a man who attacked a worker at the Watertown Towing lot on North Beacon Street. The employee arrived at work and saw a blue Dodge parked in the lot which he did not recognize. A short time later he saw someone coming from nearby Arsenal Wine & Spirits and get into the vehicle.

Around Town

Free COVID-19 Testing for Watertown Residents in December

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The following announcement was provided by the Town of Watertown:

The Town of Watertown will be offering, by appointment only, free COVID-19 Testing for Watertown residents. 

Testing is free, does not require a medical referral, and you do not need to have COVID-19 symptoms to get tested. Pre-registration is required to receive a test (pre-registration details below). Testing will be held inside the Commander’s Mansion, 440 Talcott Avenue, on the following dates and times:

Tuesday, December 15 from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Wednesday, December 16 from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Tuesday, December 22 from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Wednesday, December 23 from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Tuesday, December 29 from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Wednesday, December 30 from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM

In order to obtain an appointment a Watertown resident must pre-register by clicking here.          

This is not a drive up test. Watertown residents who have an appointment will enter into the Commander’s Mansion and with the assistance of Pro Ambulance employees will conduct a self-administering nasal swab (PCR test).  Results will be returned within 24 to 36 hours.

Schools

School Officials Announce Efforts to Stop Racism, Bullying in Schools

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School officials said they heard the parents and community members loud and clear at a recent forum held in response to the report by a Watertown Middle School student the she had been racially harassed at school and online. This week, School administration and the School Committee announced some steps they would be taking to stop this from happening again. On Monday, Superintendent Dede Galdston acknowledged that the Watertown Public Schools have much work to do. “I think we share the same goals which include making the Watertown Schools the safest, most welcoming and most inclusive learning environment for all our students and families,” Galdston said. “They and you deserve nothing less.”

Development

Marijuana Dispensary on Pleasant Street Approved by Planning Board

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A recreational marijuana dispensary received approval from the Planning Board to open at the mixed-use complex at 330-350 Pleasant St. The Town’s third marijuana dispensary, located in a complex on Pleasant Street that will also have apartments, got approval from the Planning Board Wednesday night. Bud’s Goods & Provisions will be going into part of the retail space at the Water Mills at Bridge Point mixed-use development at 330-350 Pleasant St., near the intersection with Rosedale Road. The dispensary will have adult-use sales, also known as recreational. In July, Bud’s entered into a Community Host Agreement with the Town, which includes paying 3 percent of its gross profits to the Town to offset the impact of the dispensary on Watertown, and a $10,000 charitable donation annually.

Around Town

State Announces Plans for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

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The following announcement was sent out by the Governor’s Office:

The Baker-Polito Administration announced allocation and distribution plans for the first round of COVID-19 vaccine shipments to Massachusetts set to begin around December 15. The state’s first shipment of 59,475 doses of the Pfizer vaccine was ordered from the federal government this past Friday and will be delivered directly to 21 hospitals across 8 counties, as well as to the Department of Public Health Immunization lab. Doses will then be redistributed for access to 74 hospitals across all 14 counties for front line medical workers. The next 40,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine will be allocated to the Federal Pharmacy Program to begin vaccinating staff and residents of skilled nursing facilities, rest homes and assisted living residences. Vaccine is being prioritized for these groups to maximize life preservation and to support the health care system.

Government

Council Joins Effort to Prevent Racial Harassment in Watertown Schools & Beyond

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Watertown Town Hall

The Town Council will begin looking at ways to help the Watertown Public Schools address racial harassment and bullying following reports made a middle school student about her experiences at Watertown Middle School. At Tuesday night’s meeting, the Council voted to start discussions about how they could help the Schools with racism issues. Also at the meeting, the Council adopted a proclamation opposing racism and bulling in Watertown. The School Administration and School Committee will take the lead on how to deal with racial harassment, said Town Council President Mark Sideris, who is also a member of the School Committee. Superintendent Dede Galdston announced she will be putting together a a citizens advisory board which will include parents of children who have been harassed, Sideris said.

Around Town

Watertown Boys & Girls Club Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Girls Joining the Club

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A photo of the Watertown Boys & Girls Club founders, including Bernadette Corbett (in white), who pushed the national headquarters of the Boys Club to allow girls. The following piece was provided by the Watertown Boys & Girls Club:

Forty years ago, the Board of Directors of the Watertown Boys Club made the landmark decision to welcome girls into the Club, making Watertown one of the nation’s first communities to offer membership to females. In 1980, Clubs across the country were open only to boys, and the national organization of Boys’ Clubs was still 10 years away from renaming itself Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The Watertown Boys Club, which was founded eight years earlier in 1972, had a woman director who wasn’t about to wait to bring girls into the Club. Bernadette Corbett, one of the Club’s founders and the first woman Board president, was the force behind including female members.

Bullying

Residents Call for Action to Stop Racial Harassment in Watertown Schools During Forum

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The 150-plus people who attended Superintendent Dede Galdston’s forum on racial harassment and bullying last week heard from the girl who brought the issue to the forefront, and other attendees called for action to make sure such incidents do not occur in the future. Galdston scheduled the Dec. 3 forum after a Watertown Middle School student named Lialah spoke to Fox 25 News about her experience of being called the N-word at school and being harassed by classmates on social media and on the phone. Harassment Reports

The 13-year-old spoke during the forum, and said that she does not trust the teachers and administrators at the middle school after she reported her experiences and said no action was taken, and people at the school denied her reports. “Why are people spreading misinformation.