Around Town

$24K in School Grants Awarded by Watertown Community Foundation

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

For the concluding year of the School Program Grants, the Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) awarded $24,500 to the Watertown Public Schools (WPS) to support education programs in every school that will enhance learning beyond the classroom. Grants will support programs across multiple disciplines, including STEM programs, Literacy Week and the arts, to serve 2,700 students of all ages across the district. The list of grantees is here. A new grant portfolio, Education and Youth Development, will launch this March. This award includes support for STEM initiatives for K-3 students district wide, giving elementary students inquiry-based learning experiences that bring science to life.

Entertainment

Watertown Actor Appearing in Play Developed at Armenian Museum in Watertown

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Watertown’s June Baboian will appear in Boston Playwrights’ Theatre’s “Zabel in Exile,” a play by R.N. Sandberg about an Armenian writer and activist imprisoned in the Soviet Union. The play was developed at The Armenian Museum of America in Watertown. See the announcement from Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, below. A powerful memory play set in a Soviet prison in 1937, “Zabel in Exile” tells the story of Armenian feminist writer and activist Zabel Yessayan. As personal and political histories collide, Zabel confronts not only the ghosts of her past, but what it means to resist — and to remember — when the very worst of human history repeats itself. 

“It’s hard to overstate how proud I am to be bringing the first production of “Zabel in Exile” to Boston Playwrights’ Theatre,” BPT Artistic Director Megan Sandberg-Zakian, who will direct, says.

Elections

State Sen. Will Brownsberger Endorsed by City Councilors Past and Present

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Will Brownsberger

State Sen. Will Brownsberger has been endorsed by current and former Watertown City Councilors in his 2026 run for reelection to serve the Suffolk and Middlesex District. He has been senator since Jan. 24, 2012. See more information in the announcement from Brownsberger, below. I am grateful to accept the endorsements of all nine sitting members of the Watertown City Council and two former members. City Council President Mark Sideris

City Councilor at Large Caroline Bays

City Councilor at Large John Gannon

City Councilor at Large Theo Offei

City Councilor at Large Tony Palomba

District A City Councilor Nicole Gardner

District B City Councilor Lisa Feltner

District C City Councilor Vinnie Piccirilli

District D City Councilor Emily Izzo

Former City Councilor John Airasian

Former City Councilor Cecilia Lenk

Statements by Councilors

 I’m proud to support Senator Brownsberger for all that he’s delivered for the Commonwealth and in particular the issues that directly affect the city of Watertown.

Letters

LETTER: Councilor’s Statement on Nuclear Disarmament Resolution

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by Tony PalombaCity Councilor At-Large

At the City Council meeting tonight, February 10 there will be a public hearing on a Citizen Petition on a Request to Call on Federal leaders to Support Nuclear Disarmament. Below is the statement I hope to make at the Council meeting. I would like to thank the members of the Nuclear Disarmament Committee of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment for bringing this Resolution to the City Council via the Citizen Petition option as delineated in our Charter.  I am honored to have worked with them for nearly two years as they collected nearly 500 signatures, held numerous public forms, appeared on WCATV, wrote and distributed brochures and handouts, arranged for a presentation on this issue to Watertown HS students, sent a letter, materials and a copy of Annie Jacobsen’s book, “Nuclear War: A Scenario,” to all City Councilors and continued to reach out to you to arrange an in-person or zoom meeting to present their case for why they hoped you would pass the Resolution.  They are remarkable and dedicated folks committed to keeping the residents ofWatertown safe from the devastating effects of a nuclear exchange or an all-out nuclear war.  Thank you. I can’t do justice to the excellent statements they made this evening, but allow me to make four points. I may repeat a bit, but what I offer are the reasons why I hope you will support the Resolution.

Around Town

Watertown Non-Profits Award $50K for Residents Needing Emergency Assistance

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

To help Watertown residents who need urgent help with rent, utilities or other emergency needs, the Watertown Community Foundation, the Marshall Home Fund, and the Helen Robinson Wright Fund at the First Parish of Watertown, came together in December to create a one-time Watertown Emergency Assistance Fund of $50,000. Grant awards from The Watertown Emergency Assistance Fund, in collaboration with local social service organizations, have provided immediate relief for rental assistance, help with utilities, and other short term emergency needs. Grant recipients have included The Watertown Housing Authority to provide rental assistance, Springwell will help older adults with rental assistance and other needs, and the Watertown Senior Center. Seeded by the Watertown Community Foundation, the Marshall Home Fund and the Helen Robinson Wright Fund quickly pledged their support to create the Watertown Emergency Assistance Fund to help individuals and families get back on their feet during a very difficult time. “When the SNAP program was suddenly cut off in November, we could see this was the tip of the iceberg and families were struggling.

Around Town

Marshall Home Fund Holding Grant Info Session for Organizations Working with Older Adults

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Marshall Home Fund will hold a Grant Information Session on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m. at the Watertown Free Public Library. See more information provided by Marshall Home Fund, below. The Marshall Home Fund (MHF) awards modest grants to organizations that serve older Watertown residents. MHF also provides limited financial assistance grants to Watertown seniors with urgent needs, referred through a local service agency.

Around Town

LETTER: Willow Park Needs Community Support to Win State Funding

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Can you imagine sleeping with your children in your car tonight? Or bedding down beneath an overpass, hoping that layers of tarp and wool blankets can stave off the cold and snow? Housing is a human right. Public housing fills a crucial need in our community, ensuring that every person has a roof over their head and a decent place to call home, regardless of their circumstances. That’s why we support the proposed redevelopment of the Willow Park public housing complex in Watertown. 

Now we’re asking you to join us by signing a letter of support.

Around Town

Road Construction Continues This Week on Mt. Auburn Street

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Crews will be out on Mt. Auburn Street installing drainage and making test pits along the thoroughfare this week. See exactly where in the announcement from the City of Watertown, below. The Mount Auburn Street Complete Street Project is a MassDOT funded and managed initiative to fully reconstruct State Route 16, creating a safer, more accessible street for all users, whether traveling by car, bicycle, transit, or on foot. Below, you’ll find this week’s project update, including upcoming construction activities, anticipated traffic impacts, a look at the project’s final design in the area of work, and access to view more info on the projects history and details.