Around Town

Memorial Day Speaker Says it is Critical to Remember the Sacrifices of Veterans & for All Citizens to Participate in Decisions of War & Peace

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Watertown veterans presented the colors during the 2025 Memorial Day Ceremony. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

After a parade featuring youth sports teams, bands, the Watertown Police and Fire Department, and many more, a newish Watertown resident who devoted his career to military service and military intelligence spoke about the importance of Memorial Day and what all citizens can do to preserve the memories of those who died serving their country. This year, the keynote speaker at Watertown’s Memorial Day Ceremony, held Monday at Victory Field, was Ret. Col. J.D. Williams, who served in the Marine Corps from 1978-2004 as an intelligence officer.

Business

A Pair of New Food & Drink Options Open for Memorial Day Weekend

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Watertown has two new places to grab a drink and something to eat, just in time for Memorial Day weekend. One is a pub in the West End, and the other is the newest location for a local brewery and the newest addition to Arsenal Yards. West on Main announced on social media that it was opening on Thursday, May 22. “It’s time!!! The wait is finally over – West on Main is opening its doors!

Around Town

Community Foundation’s Food Drive Delivers Cart Loads of Items to Watertown’s Two Food Pantries

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Tia Tison, Executive Director of the Watertown Community Foundation and WCF Co-President Lauren Coughlin Unsworth push a cart of food into the Watertown Food Pantry. (Courtesy of the Watertown Community Foundation)

The two food pantries in Watertown received a special delivery of supplies courtesy of donations made by the Watertown community during the Watertown Community Foundation’s Food Drive. The collection took place during May, which is the Foundation’s annual month of volunteering called Watertown Helps Out — or WHO. The food was delivered Thursday afternoon to the Watertown Food Pantry, located in the former United Methodist Church, and the Watertown Catholic Collaborative Food Pantry, located the Sacred Heart Church, made Thursday afternoon, said Tia Tilson, Executive Director of the Watertown Community Foundation. “We delivered food to both pantries, unloading roughly six full grocery carts at each pantry,” Tilson said.

Around Town

Watertown Man Supports Group that Helps Children Who Have Lost a Parent Through His Employer’s Charity

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Watertown’s Jay Hughes presented a check to Cara Belvin, founder of Empower. The money was from the charity run by Movement Mortgage, where Hughes works. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

A dozen years ago, Watertown’s Jay Hughes met a woman who started a non-profit organization to help young women who had lost their mothers by giving them a special day on Mother’s Day. Hughes was the emcee of an auction in Scituate for Cara Belvin’s organization, Empower. The event raised more than $30,000 and got Belvin’s effort moving toward what it is now — a group that has an impact internationally.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Shoplifting Suspect Stopped After Driving Away, Home Repair Scams

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. From a prior week:

April 25: A resident of Stoneleigh Road whose back yard abuts Oakley Country Club’s golf course was in the yard when the resident saw a golfer come up to the fence and began relieving himself. Vines and bushes blocked the man but the resident saw a stream coming into the yard. The resident yelled at the golfer and called the police. The golfer was gone before police arrived.

Around Town

Historic Photo Presented to Watertown Veterans Group is a Reminder of a Tradition of Service

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George McMasters, Commandant of the Marine Corps League Shutt Detachment holds the historic photo of the memorial outside the Post. He and Ed Aucoin, right, were presented the photo by Joyce Kelly of the Historical Society of Watertown. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Two of the leaders of Watertown’s veteran groups recently reflected on the sacrifices made by members of the military from town when they were presented a photo of the dedication of a memorial to Watertown servicemen who died in First World War. The memorial still sits outside the Marine Corps League Charles Shutt Detachment on Mt. Auburn Street.

Around Town

Chamber Breakfast: Time to Join “Team Massachusetts,” Despite Sobering Economic Numbers

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Former Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao, right, and Interim Secretary Ashley Stolba spoke at the Charles River Regional Chamber Spring Business Breakfast. (Photo by Leise Jones)

NEEDHAM — Statistics and trends shared by an economist from the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston painted a sobering picture for the Boston Metro region, but the former Mass. Secretary of Economic Development gave a pep talk for the attendees of the Charles River Regional Chamber’s Spring Business Breakfast. Employment has not reached pre-Pandemic levels, some of the regions key areas — life sciences and higher education — have fared poorly or faces challenges, cost of living is high, and opinions about prospects for the future are negative, said Mary Burke, principal Economist and Policy Advisor for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Also at the Business Breakfast at the Needham Sheraton was Interim Secretary of Economic Development Ashley Stolba, as well as her predecessor, Yvonne Hao.

Government

Hearing on Mt. Auburn St. Trees Rescheduled After Legal Determination

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16″ DBH Honeylocust at 489 Mount Auburn Street in Watertown. A public hearing on the fate of nine trees on and near Mt. Auburn Street was held on Wednesday. At the hearing, it appeared that the future of the trees was out of the hands of the City of Watertown, but a legal counsel’s determination has changed that and the hearing has been rescheduled. The City of Watertown sent out the following announcement:

Mount Auburn Street Tree Hearing Statement At the scheduled tree hearing on May 14, 2025, city staff indicated that the trees on Mount Auburn Street that are scheduled to be removed are not under the purview of the city’s Tree Warden.