Around Town

State Rep. Lawn Plans to Run for Re-Election After Changing Plea in OUI Case

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State Rep. John Lawn

Watertown State Rep. John Lawn said he is planning to seek re-election the same week that he changed his plea in the driving under the influence of alcohol case, admitting in a Boston courtroom to sufficient facts on the charges. On July 19, during the St. Mary of Carmen Society’s 90th Italian-American Festival in Nonantum, Lawn said “I’m going to run again,” according to a report in the Fig City News. He represents the 10th Middlesex District, which includes parts of Watertown, Newton, and Waltham. Lawn presented a citation from the State Legislature during the festival in Newton, and said he was uplifted by the support he received from the attendees at the event, the report said.

Weather

Lightning Strikes in Watertown During Brief but Powerful Storm

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Lightning strikes in Watertown on July 25, 2025 are circled in yellow. Two other red dots mark strikes nearby in Belmont and Newton.(Map from LightningMaps.org)

A thunderstorm rolled through Watertown Friday afternoon, and two lightning bolts struck around town. The severe thunderstorm storm hit the City around 2:30 p.m. and lightning bolts struck in two spots, according to the map on LightningMaps.org, at:

• The Common Street Cemetery (near Watertown High School). • Near Orchard Street in the vicinity of Victory Field

The storm left damage, including a downed tree on Grant Avenue, Channel 7 reported. Wicked weather in Watertown on Grant St creating quite the mess…leaving this Tesla buried under downed trees when today’s summer scorcher turned into wild winds and drenching downpours without much warning #7News pic.twitter.com/bjZNzihc9n— Steve Cooper (@scooperon7) July 25, 2025

There were also strikes near Watertown:

• In Belmont off of Lexington Street (north of Belmont Street)

• In Newton, south of the Charles River near California Street, west of Bridge Street.

Around Town

Watertown Yard Waste Remains Uncollected, Report of Efforts to Slow Trash Collection in Town

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While trash and recycling collections have resumed during the strike, Watertown residents have not had yard waste pickup in about a month. The City of Watertown has opened a drop off site at 148 Waltham St. for trash and recycling, but yard waste cannot be left there. Tyler Cote, the City’s Community Engagement Specialist, confirmed that yard waste collection was cancelled during the week of July 21-25. The City has contacted Republic about this part of the waste collection service.

Weather

Weather Forecast: Temps in the 90s & Storms, Before Settling into the 80s

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A significant warmup peaks Friday with heat and humidity combining for oppressive conditions — possibly the last true high heat of the season. A cold front arrives late Friday, bringing storm chances and a modest cooldown for the weekend. Saturday and Sunday are seasonable, though humidity lingers and scattered showers may return late Sunday. Early next week offers a brief stretch of pleasant weather, but another warm and muggy surge arrives midweek with renewed storm chances. Long-range signals suggest the start of August could trend cooler than normal, perhaps our first real hint that summer is slowly beginning to wind down.

Around Town

Watertown Recreation Launching User-Friendly Online Registration System

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A screenshot of what the new Watertown Recreation online registration system will look like. (Courtesy of Rec Technologies)

Watertown Recreation’s online registration system will be getting a major upgrade, allowing for quick, easy transactions for residents signing up for programs, summer camp, and facility rentals. On Aug. 1, the Recreation Department will debut its new online registration system. “We basically go on from a software that looks a little bit like dial up internet the old days to a really modern look,” said Assistant Recreation Director Jon “Kaz” Kazanjian.

Around Town

Regional Planning Group Seeks Feedback on Areas of Town to Develop, Places to Preserve

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Watertown will be one of five communities on the I-90 Corridor studied by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) to see which areas of town are the best fit for new homes and jobs, and which are best preserved. A feedback session will be held on July 31 in City Hall. See more in the information provided by MAPC. I-90 Corridor Development and Resiliency Plan: Mapping Feedback Session

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), is working with five communities along the I-90 corridor, including Watertown, Wellesley, Natick, Framingham, and Ashland to determine priority areas of regional significance. Which areas would be good for more homes and jobs?

Around Town

Watertown Church Hosting Leadership Summit

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Grace Chapel Watertown

Grace Chapel announced it will be hosting a two-day leadership summit in Watertown. See details in the announcement below:

The Global Leadership Summit is the largest leadership experience in the world partnering with business, local churches, ministries, and other organizations to help leaders grow and become catalysts for change. In this two-day conference you’ll hear leading experts from both the marketplace and ministry share their wisdom to fuel inspiration, recharge your vision, and trigger intentional action to never stop learning. It’s a terrific forum you and/or your team(s) to improve their leadership. For more info checkout www.GlobalLeadership.org/Summit. 

The GLS is perfect for both individuals and teams who want to grow their leadership skills. In 2024 over 300,000 people attended in over 110 countries. The GLS is run live from Willow Creek Church in Chicago, and streamed to thousands of host sites worldwide including Grace Chapel in both Watertown and Wilmington. Email cogswell.doug@gmail.com for further information, including complimentary tickets for church and/or NGO leaders. 

Conference Details:

Date: August 7 & 8Time: 9:30am – 5pm

Special discount pricing of $169 is available through the links belowNote that Grace Chapel’s discounts are applied at checkout, and only through the links below. We are livestreaming at two locations:

Grace Chapel Watertown – Sanctuary525 Main St, Watertown MARegister for Watertown Location

Around Town

City Will Begin Designing Watertown Square Soon, Construction Many Months Away

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Erika Jerram, the City of Watertown’s Director of Community Design, speaks to a group at a Watertown Business Coalition event. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

After a flurry of activity during the planning stages for Watertown Square, there has been a lull in the process. City officials said the action will begin again in the near future but the shovels won’t be hitting the ground for up to two years. Watertown’s Director of Community Design Erika Jerram provided an update on the status of the Watertown Square project during the Watertown Business Coalition’s coffee connect at Watertown Savings on July 16. The City Council and Planning Board approved the Watertown Square Area Plan in July 2024.