Around Town

New Book Looks at Triple Murder in Waltham, and Ties to Marathon Bombing & Watertown

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A triple murder in Waltham in 2011, just half a mile from the Watertown line, has ties to the Boston Marathon Bombing, and to Watertown, author Susan Clare Zalkind discovered. The Newton resident began to follow the investigation, and has produced stories about the murders and the investigation — which remain open to this day — for Boston magazine and NPR’s This American Life, and wrote and produced the 2022 Hulu docuseries The Murders Before the Marathon. She also covered the Boston Marathon Bomber trial for the Daily Beast. In March, her book “The Waltham Murders: One Woman’s Pursuit to Expose the Truth and a National Tragedy” was published by Little A.

Zalkind has a personal connection to one of the victims. She was working for NECN when a story came across the wire about three dead bodies being found in Waltham. She later found out one of those people was her friend, Erik Weissman, who she met when she was 19. “I knew one of the victims, I liked one of the victims, but that’s not why I spent 11 years of my life devoted to this story,” Zalkind told Watertown News.

Around Town

LETTER: Resident Optimistic About Future of Watertown Square

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When the conversation about Watertown Square began a couple years ago, I was not optimistic. How could this massive intersection filled with car traffic become a destination? While I was reminded of our wonderful library, our distance from the river, and a few small stores and great restaurants, I still could not imagine how this could be made into a unified square. Over time, the process for recreating Watertown Square has impressed me. We have had multiple ways to participate and give feedback.

Around Town

Group from Watertown Food Pantry Joining Walk for Hunger

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The following announcement was provided by Project Bread:

On May 5, the Watertown Food Pantry will be among over 3,500 participants to lace up for Project Bread’s 56th annual Walk for Hunger. For the fourth consecutive year, the Watertown based nonprofit will raise money to support statewide food security through the Commonwealth Program. The Commonwealth gives organizations addressing food insecurity 60 percent of all funds they raise to support their own hunger relief programs, with the remaining 40 percent applied to Project Bread’s statewide food security effort. To date, Project Bread has awarded over $12,550 to the Watertown Food Pantry. Beginning in 1969, as the first pledge walk in the nation, Project Bread’s Walk for Hunger brings together a diverse community dedicated to creating change.

Around Town

WATERTOWN WEEKEND FUN: Celebrate Bike Month, Historic House Talk, Volunteer Projects, Tamales & a Dance Performance

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This is a weekend for spring cleaning, so let’s get our hands dirty! You can bring your dusty bike out of the basement and get it ready to enjoy all the new bike lanes around or help to clean up our green spaces through Watertown Helps Out. If you’re a New England history buff, you will enjoy the Watertown Historical Society talk about restoring a 300 year-old home. Then head home and work on your own, glad that it’s only 100 years old or so. Hungry after all that work?

Around Town

Fitness Studio Hosting Mother’s Day Brunch Supporting the Watertown Food Pantry

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The following announcement was provided by Get Lively: Health & Fitness Studio:

Join us for our annual Mother’s Day Event to support the Watertown Food Pantry. Enjoy locally made coffee and treats as we assemble gift bags of shampoo and conditioner that the food pantry will distribute to local women in honor of Mother’s Day. 

Treats are on us, we just ask that you please bring shampoo and conditioner! (This will take place immediately after our 9 a.m. Get HIIT class if you plan to attend – we’d love to have you for class too!)

Date: Saturday, May 11

Time: 10-11 a.m.

Location: Get Lively®: Health & Fitness Studio, 25 Clarendon St., Watertown

Sign up here: www.getlivelynow.com/mom

Around Town

Hear from the State Transportation Secretary at Charles River Chamber Event

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Hear about addressing the region’s transportation needs when the Charles River Chamber hosts host a conversation with MassDOT Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt in Watertown. The event will take place on Tuesday, May 14, 9:30-11 a.m. at the Hampton Inn & Suites, 25 Bond Street, Watertown. Cost is $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers

The Chamber provided the following information:

It’s not possible to meet our region’s housing, climate, and workforce challenges without a safe, reliable, and accessible transportation system that meets the needs of all users whether they walk, bike, take public transit, or drive. Join us for a conversation with Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Monica Tibbits-Nutt for an overview of the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s plans for improving the state’s transportation system and the role we all must play in supporting this effort. 9:30 a.m.: Registration and Networking

10 a.m.: A Conversation with Secretary Tibbits-Nutt

Tickets are nonrefundable but may be transferred to another guest. 

RSVP HERE

Around Town

See How to Take Part in the 2024 Town Wide Yard Sale

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The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

Watertown Community Education’s 2024 Town Wide Yard Sale is Saturday, June 8, 2024 & Sunday June 9, 2024, rain or shine. There will not be a rain date. Come & find your neighbors’ hidden treasures! * Household Items* Children’s Items* Furniture* Antiques* Clothing* Jewelry* Toys* Collectibles* Records* Vintage Goods* Handmade Crafts* And more! Join us for the annual Town Wide Yard Sale.