Government

Town Charter to be Discussed at Special Town Council Meeting

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Watertown Town Hall

The Town Council will discuss the Town Charter during a special meeting on Thursday evening. The agenda includes discussing any feedback from the Attorney General’s office on the propose changes to the document that lays out how the Watertown government works. They will also discuss any changes requested by the AG’s office. In addition, the Council will discuss how the proposed charter changes will be communicated to voters, including a mailing to voters. The changes will be on the Nov.

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Timeline for Building New High School; Questions Posed About Ability to Use Moxley Field, Size of WHS Gym

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Ai3 ArchitectsA proposed layout of the temporary Watertown High School at Moxley Field. During the Community Forum on the new Watertown High School, questions were brought up about the use of Moxley Field for the temporary WHS site and about the size of the gym. Officials also updated the timeline for the design and construction of the new WHS. The high school project took a big step forward last week when the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Board voted on Aug. 25 to let the project move into the schematic design phase.

Around Town

Group Creating Community Fridge in Watertown Where People Can Take or Leave Food for Free

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A community fridge, where people can get fresh food and canned items or leave donations, will soon be available in Watertown. These types of resources have been around for a few years in other communities, and more have popped up in response to the food insecurity caused by the COVDID-19 pandemic. A group in Watertown has set out to create a fridge in town, and have already secured a spot and have a fridge ready to go. Watertown residents will soon have an alternative if they are in need of food, or seek to donate items, said Sophia Suarez-Friedman, a member of the Community Fridge Steering Committee, as well as Community Coordinator of the Watertown Mutual Aid Network, funded by the Watertown Community Foundation. “It is a take what you need, leave what you can kind of mutual aid,” Suarez-Friedman said.

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Ode to Russo’s and a Longtime Employee from His Two Daughters

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Phil Amatangelo worked at Russo’s market for nearly 50 years. The news that Russo’s market will be closing hit many people hard, and sparked plenty of memories. None more so, perhaps, than for a pair of daughters of a man who worked at the Watertown institution for just short of half a century. Anne Korte and Susan Amatangelo shared just a handful of memories of their father Phil Amatangelo with Watertown News. The Italian immigrant settled in the Boston area and his ties to the Russo family go way back, said Anne, who lives in Watertown.

Boston Pride

Q&A: Watertown Hockey Player Hopes to Win Back-to-Back Titles with Boston’s Women’s Professional Team

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Boston PrideBoston Pride defender Lauren Kelly signed to play her fourth season for the pro women’s hockey team. season 6 headshot

Watertown’s Lauren Kelly will return for her fourth year playing with the Boston Pride, the reigning champion of the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL). Recently, the Pride announced Kelly would return to be part of the team’s 2021-22 roster. The Boston Pride are a professional women’s ice hockey team and are one of the NWHL’s four charter franchises. In her three seasons in Boston, Kelly has played 48 games on defense, scored five goals, and added 14 assists, including two in the playoffs.

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State Board Approves Design of New Watertown High School

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Ai3 ArchitectsA rendering of what the new Watertown High School could look like. The view is from Common Street. The design of the new Watertown High School got the endorsement of the Massachusetts School Building Authority on Wednesday. Superintendent Dede Galdston sent out a letter saying that the MSBA Board of Directors unanimously supported moving the WHS project to the schematic design phase. “At this time, the design team, the OPM, and the School Building Committee will prepare for the next big milestone, the Board approval of participation in our project,” Galdston said in a letter to school and town officials.

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Watertown Schools Opening In-Person, With Mask & Testing Requirements

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The opening of school in Watertown comes at a time when the cases of the Coronavirus are on the rise. In response, the School Committee voted to approve COVID-19 protocols for the 2021-22 school year on Monday night that includes requirements for regular testing of students and for masks to be worn when indoors. Some of the rules are the same as those that had been in place when school ended in June, said Watertown Superintendent Dede Galdston, while others have been changed. There will also be a shift in early October. School Committee Chair John Portz thanked the Watertown Public Schools staff and others who put together the COVID protocols.