Around Town

Watertown Mall Ready for Business in Time of COVID-19

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If you have not been to the Watertown Mall in a while, it will look a bit different inside with hand sanitizers in various locations and the massage chairs removed temporarily, but all the retailers in the center are open for business. Mall officials sent out the followingstatement: “Along with our own routine sanitizing, we require that all visitors to the mall wear a face covering mask, practice good hygiene by washing hands often and thoroughly, maintain a physical distance of six feet from others, and remain home if they are sick. While these are uncertain times, we are committed to opening our doors to our community as safely and efficiently as possible.” While the Watertown Mall never completely closed due to the COVID-19, stores — and the Registry of Motor Vehicles — have adjusted to the state’s Coronavirus rules, said Patricia Stenson, general manager of the Watertown Mall. “Although everybody is open, it’s been kind of staggered,” Stenson said.

Reopening Plan

School Committee to Choose Reopening Plan on Thursday, Union Endorses Remote Option

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On Aug. 6 at 7 p.m., Watertown Public School officials will present their recommendation for how to reopen the public schools in the fall. They will choose between three options: in-person, remotely or a hybrid of both. The School Committee delayed the decision on which option to use from Monday to Thursday. The meeting will be held online, with option to join by Zoom, phone, or watch on cable.

Building for the Future

Residents Lean Toward New High School on Current Site, Against Renovating School

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A rendering of what a new high school could look like if it’s built on the current site and the Phillips School site. In this option, 3D, a bridge would link the buildings on the third floor. Many participants in a virtual forum on the Watertown High School project favored building a new high school on a combination of the current property and the site across the street where the Phillips School sits. They also spoke out against renovating the current school. At the forum held on July 29, architects also discussed a third possibility of putting a new school on part of the Victory Field complex, which did not get much support from attendees of the Zoom meeting.

Boston Marathon Bombing

Watertown Police Disheartened by Courts Overturning of Tsarnaev Sentence

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The day after a Federal Appeals Court overturned the death sentence for convicted Boston Marathon Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Watertown Police Department released a statement saying its members are “disheartened” by the ruling. The Watertown Police statement reads:

“The members of the Watertown Police Department are disheartened by the decision of the United States Federal Appeals Court to overturn the death penalty sentence of the Boston Marathon bomber. His unconscionable acts of terrorism during the 2013 Boston Marathon and subsequent days, has forever altered the lives of so many. We continue to mourn the loss of thosewho died; our hearts are always with their families and the hundreds of survivors impacted by this tragic event. #watertownstrong #bostonstrong”

The First Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the sentence, and said that Judge George O’Toole didn’t do enough to make sure jurors were not tainted by pretrial publicity, according to a WBUR report.

Around Town

Local Health & Fitness Businesses Look for Ways to Survive COVID-19

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Artemis Yoga runs outdoor classes at Arsenal Park several times a week. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a curveball for many industries, but some local exercise and fitness businesses have found some innovative ways to serve their clients. A fitness trainer has teamed up with a dance studio to provide an event for the whole family, while a yoga studio has taken to the park to do in-person classes. Meanwhile, some new businesses are trying to establish themselves in spite of the Coronavirus restrictions. Jan Taylor, who runs Get Lively: Health & Fitness, has a studio where she has been running socially distanced in-person classes.

Around Town

Watertown Group Using MLK’s Teachings to Address Racial Injustice, Bigotry

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People kneel in memory of George Floyd and others during a candlelight vigil in Watertown Square co-sponsored by the Kingian Response Team and the Watertown Police Department. Tuesday night, dozens of people gathered in Watertown Square holding lanterns and candles in a vigil for George Floyd and others, and to speak out against racism and bigotry. The event was one of the first efforts of the Kingian Nonviolence Response Team, which grew out of a program that has its roots in the Watertown Public Schools. The Kingian group has plans to work with the Watertown Police Department, the Watertown Public Schools and the Town Council to reduce what they see as systemic racism in these local institutions. And much of the effort is being led by current Watertown students who learned King’s teachings in the Kingian Nonviolence program at Watertown Middle School.

Around Town

3 School Reopening Plans: No Full In-Person at WHS, Max. 4 Hours a Day for Elementary, WMS

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No matter what option the Watertown School Committee chooses, when classes begin in September the town’s schools will not look like they do in normal years. Students will be attending schools on different days, or in staggered shifts with at most four hours in school each day. Also, Watertown High School will not have a full in-person option due to a lack of space in which to socially distance, Superintendent Dede Galdston said during a School Committee meeting on Monday. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is requiring all districts to submit plans for three scenarios of operating schools this fall, while adhering to COVID-19 safety guidelines. The options are in-person, remote learning, or a combination of the two — called hybrid.

Around Town

Sen. Markey Addresses Opioid Crisis at Watertown Campaign Stop

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U.S. Sen. Edward Markey speaks with Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, right, and Town Council Vice President Vincent Piccirilli before an event in Watertown. Former State Rep. Rachel Kaprielian is standing next to Markey. Even as people face a pandemic, U.S. Sen. Edward Markey said another epidemic continues to threaten the health of people in Watertown, Massachusetts and across the nation: opioid addiction. The Democrat attracted to a few dozen supporters (and a couple detractors passing by on Main Street) to a campaign event at a balmy Saltonstall Park on Monday afternoon. Markey recalled how in 2014 he was in Taunton to address a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event and when he asked the Town Manager what the biggest problem in town was, he was told that they were having a rash over overdoses.