Around Town

Rep. Steve Owens Hosting Earth Day Cleanup & April Office Hours

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State Rep. Steve Owens. The following announcement was provided by the Office of State Rep. Steve Owens:

State Rep. Steve Owens, a Democrat in the 29th Middlesex District made up of parts of West Cambridge, North Cambridge, and Watertown, has an upcoming Earth Day cleanup event and office hours in Cambridge and Watertown. For the fourth year in a row, the Office of Representative Steve Owens will be sponsoring an Earth Day Cleanup in cooperation with the Charles River Conservancy. Please join us on Saturday, April 20th at 10 am at the American Legion Marsh Post 442 (5 Greenough Blvd., Cambridge) to help pick up trash along the Charles River between Eliot Bridge and Grove Street along Greenough Boulevard. Last year, we had nearly 50 volunteers and prevented about 45 contractor bags of waste from getting into the river.

Government

State Rep. Owens Hosting Pair of Office Hours in October

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State Rep. Steve Owens

The following announcement was provide by State Rep. Steve Owens’ office:

State Rep. Steve Owens, a Democrat in the 29th Middlesex District made up of parts of Watertown and Cambridge, has upcoming office hours in Cambridge and Watertown. The Cambridge office hours will take place on October 10 from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. at Sarah’s Market & Cafe, 200 Concord Ave, Cambridge. Rep. Owens will be joined by Watertown City Councilor Nicole Gardner for office hours on October 20 from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. at Uncommon Grounds, 575 Mt Auburn St, Watertown. For information, call (617) 722-2460, send an email here or visit Room 446 at the Massachusetts State House.

Around Town

State Rep. Owens Nominates Former Community Foundation Director as a Commonwealth Heroine

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Former Watertown Community Foundation Executive Director Jan Singer was nominated to be a Commonwealth Heroine by State Rep. Steve Owens. (Photo courtesy of State Rep. Owens’ Office)

The following information was provided by State Rep. Steve Owens’ Office:

In collaboration with the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW), State Representative Steve Owens honored Jan Singer as his nominee for the 2023 Class of Commonwealth Heroines. Singer joins hundreds of women across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts who are recognized each year for their hard work and dedication to their community. Last Friday, Representative Owens and the MCSW celebrate women like Singer, who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, at the Massachusetts State House. “Jan has worked tirelessly to support the Watertown community,” said Rep. Owens.

Government

State Rep. Steve Owens Seeks Legislative Interns

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The following announcement was provided by State Rep. Owen’s Office:

Rep. Owens serves the 29th Middlesex District, which consists of Watertown and North/West Cambridge. It includes some of the country’s most significant cultural landmarks: Historic Brattle Street, the Perkins School for the Blind, Mount Auburn Cemetery, Fresh Pond Reservation, the Watertown Arsenal. It’s also a source of technological innovation, a center for education, and home to some of the most engaged and accomplished residents of the Commonwealth. Prior to his election to the legislature in 2020, Rep. Owens spent 20 years as a transportation consultant, where he developed freight and logistics data solutions for public and private sector clients. He has applied this expertise both to his work on the Watertown Transportation Task Force and now in the House, where he seeks solutions to improve access to public transportation while helping reduce the state’s carbon footprint.

Around Town

State Climate Bill to “Make the Polluters Pay” Kicked Off in Watertown

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Charlie BreitroseEnvironmental activists from around Massachusetts gathered at the Commander’s Mansion to celebrate the filing of the Polluters Pay Bill in the State Legislature on Friday. Environmental advocates gathered in Watertown to celebrate the filing of a new bill in the Massachusetts State House that would make the companies that produced the oil that created greenhouse gases pay for the impact on the climate. The event took place at the Commander’s Mansion, which is located in a former Federal Superfund Site — the U.S. Army’s Watertown Arsenal — because co-sponsors liken the legislation to a Climate Change Superfund. The bill is known as the Polluters Pay Bill, said Watertown State Rep. Steve Owens, who is a co-sponsor along with State Sen. Jamie Eldridge. “The principle of the Polluters Pay Bill is very simple: those who made the mess should be the ones to clean it up,” Owens said.

Government

State Rep. Owens Seeks Applicants for Legislative Intern

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The following information was provided by State Rep. Owen’s Office:

Rep. Owens serves the 29th Middlesex District, which consists of Watertown and North/West Cambridge. It includes some of the country’s most significant cultural landmarks: Historic Brattle Street, the Perkins School for the Blind, Mount Auburn Cemetery, Fresh Pond Reservation, the Watertown Arsenal. It’s also a source of technological innovation, a center for education, and home to some of the most engaged and accomplished residents of the Commonwealth. Prior to his election to the legislature in 2020, Rep. Owens spent 20 years as a transportation consultant, where he developed freight and logistics data solutions for public and private sector clients. He has applied this expertise both to his work on the Watertown Transportation Task Force and now in the House, where he seeks solutions to improve access to public transportation while helping reduce the state’s carbon footprint.

Government

U.S. Rep Clark Presents Watertown with $240K for Project to Protect River, Increase Climate Resiliency

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Charlie BreitroseCongresswoman Catherine Clark looks on as Watertown City Manager George Proakis speaks about the $240,000 in federal funds to build stormwater tree trenches in town. Congresswoman Katherine Clark visited City Hall Monday to announce $240,000 in federal funding for a climate-related project in Watertown. The City will use the money to install 15 tree trenches designed to remove pollutants from the Charles River and cool temperatures by providing more trees on City streets. The Department of Public Works applied for the money after hearing about the funding, said Watertown DPW Superintendent Greg St. Louis.

Election 2022

OP-ED: Watertown State House Delegation Supports Question 4, Will Lead to Safer Roads

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By State Representative Steve Owens, State Representative John Lawn & State Senator Will Brownsberger

This past June, the legislature approved an important advancement for road safety and immigrant rights in Massachusetts by voting the Work and Family Mobility Act into law. This law allows all Massachusetts residents to apply for a driver’s license, regardless of their immigration status. Years in the making and backed by law enforcement, immigrant advocates, and organized labor, the law passed overwhelmingly with support of more than three-quarters of the Massachusetts House and Senate. This new measure will ensure that all drivers on our roads are licensed and insured. Unfortunately, this law is now in jeopardy; an opposition group obtained enough signatures to attempt to repeal the law on the November 8th ballot.