Around Town

In 2nd Year, Civics Academy Will Teach Residents Even More About How Watertown’s Government Works

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Watertown’s first Civics Academy drew such good reviews that in its second year it will be even longer so that participants can learn even more about how local government works and city departments function. In 2026, the City of Watertown’s Civics Academy will be seven weeks, said Tyler Cote, the City’s Community Engagement Specialist and one of the Civics Academy organizers. “Last year, we did six (weeks) and, to be honest, we ran over just about every single week on time,” Cote said. “Part of that was there’s so much to cover. Our students asked so many questions last year that we wanted to maybe give more space and time for questions, and then also allow more time for activities.”

Sports

Swimmer from Watertown Sets School Record at Bridgwater State

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Jirat Saengthong

Jirat Saengthong of Watertown set a new standard at Bridgewater State in the 200 freestyle during the Little East Conference Championships in Wellesley on Feb. 14. The junior finished second with a time of 1:45.80, eclipsing the previous BSU record of 1:46.39 set by Jameson Rose in 2017. He improved his personal best by 0.82 seconds, and the performance was one of three school records set by Bridgwater State swimmers that day. Saengthong also finished second in the 100 individual medley with a time of 54.71 on Sunday.

Business

Watertown Remains a Bright Spot for Life Science, Chamber to Host Forum on the Industry

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Life science clusters in Watertown in 2025. The image appears in Watertown Bio’s 2025 Life Science Industry Report. The biotech industry, while slowed, still has some life in Watertown, according to a recently published study. The City boasts the third most life science firms of any community in Massachusetts, the fourth most venture capital investmentd, and 20 new firms came to town in 2025. The 2025 Watertown Life Science Industry Report was released by Watertown Bio founder Sam Ghilardi, and looks at the economic impact of life science firms, the profile of firms in town, the drug development pipeline, and real estate/life science space in Watertown.

Entertainment

Hear from the Owner of a Local Coffee Company, Learn About Local Government & the Arts Community

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The Little Local Conversation podcast gets in depth with a variety of people in Watertown, and recent episodes have focused on a woman who imports coffee from her home country, one of the people behind the City of Watertown’s 311 Service Center, and a founding member of a Watertown-based theatre company. Little Local Conversations is hosted by Matt Hanna. Along with his profiles, he also does periodic updates about Watertown’s local government and the arts scene. Hanna provided the following details about recent episodes. Benita Chelagat (Coffee Plus 254)

Meet Benita Chelagat!

Government

City Manager Clarifies Watertown’s Role in Immigration Enforcement

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Questions about immigration enforcement in Watertown are something that City Manager George Proakis has heard a lot recently, and he provided some information about the role of the Watertown Police and what they can and cannot do when federal agents are operating in town. Proakis went into detail about several topics related to federal immigration enforcement and how the local law enforcement can interact, or not, during the Feb. 10 City Council meeting. “I’ve received some questions recently about the relationship between local government and federal immigration enforcement. As we’ve seen federal officers more actively seeking and arresting people in the surges that they’ve done many communities, I’ve been asked what this means for Watertown,” Proakis said.