Schools

Watertown Students Excited to Return to School, District Has COVID-19 Testing Policy in Place

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The Watertown Public Schools opened last week and welcomed back full classes of students, with only a handful of COVID-19 cases, and plans to keep as many students in class as possible during the pandemic. The freshman class at Watertown High School is one of the largest in recent years, with 212 students, making the total enrollment at WHS 716, said Superintendent Dede Galdston. The kindergartens in Watertown also got a big group of students. There are 12 classes across the three elementary schools, with a combined 336 students. Watertown High School students were greeted by posters, streamers and banners when the school year started, said Senior Class president Emma Fallon.

Around Town

Local Dance Studio Survives the Challenges of the Pandemic, Uncertainty About Home at Watertown Mall

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The Watertown Mall recently changed owners when Watertown Mall Associates Limited Partnership sold it for $130 million to Alexandria Real Estate Equities on April 21. Business owners in the mall spent much of the early summer wondering what the new changes would mean for them, including Maria Zullo, owner of Miss Maria’s School of Dance. Miss Maria’s School of Dance (MMDS) was founded 10 years ago in Watertown and has grown into a thriving local business. The studio was originally located on Waverley Avenue in the current location of Suzyn Day Spa, and has since moved three times, growing larger with each move. 

The first location had a single dance room, and after two years, MMSD expanded into a three dance room location on Main Street. In its eighth year of business, Zullo was able to secure a lease at the Watertown Mall in the location where the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) used to be.

Arrests

Police Log: Stolen Bikes Found in the Woods, Shoplifter Caught with Nearly $1K of Items

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

Aug. 30, 1:43 p.m.: Employees at Vero Watertown on Coolidge Hill Road spotted some suspicious people in the woods behind the senior assisted living home. Some men were walking in the wooded area between Vero and Filippello Park. Police located three men who had several bikes in the trees.

9/11

Watertown Remembers 9/11 at Ceremony, Reflects on the Events of 20 Years Ago

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown Firefighters salute during the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Watertown Fire Station on the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001. Each year since the attacks on the World Trade Center took the lives of hundreds of firefighters, the Watertown Fire Department has honored the sacrifices made on Sept. 11, 2001. This year, which marked the 20th anniversary, the ceremony drew dozens of people, who lined the sidewalk in front of the Watertown Fire Headquarters on Main Street.

Around Town

Watertown Shuttle Starts Running from Pleasant Street to Harvard Square, Available to the Public

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Watertown TMAThe Watertown Connector started running the week of Labor Day. The shuttle goes down Pleasant Street to Watertown Square and then heads to Harvard Square. It is open to the general public. Watertown residents have a new public transportation option with the addition of the Watertown Connector, which runs along Pleasant Street and ultimately takes people to Harvard Square. For about a decade, the Town of Watertown and residents have been working to start a shuttle to the westside corridor that would serve not only businesses and apartment complexes that help fund it, but also the general public.

Election 2021

Town Charter Changes Going on the Ballot, Info to be Sent to Residents

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The proposed changes to the Town Charter, the document that lays out how Watertown’s government operates, will be on the November ballot in the form of two questions. The items will appear as summaries on the ballot, but voters will receive detailed information about all the changes. On Sept. 2, the Town Council ironed out a few issues the Attorney General’s office had with the proposed Charter changes, and also discussed how the items should be on the ballot. Number of Ballot Questions

Initially, the proposal was to have three separate items: one on changing the official name from the “The City Known as the Town of Watertown” to “The City of Watertown,” one about the preamble proposed to be added at the beginning of the Charter, and a third covering “everything else,” or all the other changes to the document.

Police/Fire

Two-Family Home in Watertown Heavily Damaged in Two-Alarm Fire

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Five residents of a two-family home on Spruce Street have been displaced by a two-alarm fire that Firefighters from Watertown and four other communities battled on Monday night. Smoke detectors in the second floor unit of 143 Spruce St. woke up the residents, who were able to get out and wake up the residents of the first floor. Five people and a dog all got out safely, said Watertown Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson, but the house was significantly damaged. “The fire got a good head start.

Entertainment

Guitarist Featured in Summer Concert Has Played with Jazz & Rock Greats, His Music Has Been Used by TV Shows

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Watertown’s John Baboian has played guitar with the stars of rock and jazz, and will be performing at the Watertown Summer Concert series. Wednesday’s Watertown Summer Concert features guitarist John Baboian, who has played with some of the greats in rock and jazz, and his music has been used on television soundtracks. “Although best known for his work in the jazz & swing idioms, John has performed in the Classical, Blues, Rock, R&B, Latin and World music genres,” Baoboian’s bio on his website said. The concert is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 8, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Saltonstall Park, next to Town Hall (149 Main St., Watertown).