Around Town

Neighbors Running Fund Raiser to Help Family Pay for Vet Bills for Cat Injured in a House Fire

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Two cats were in a fire at a Watertown home, and one — Basil — has required medical care. An online fundraising effort has started to help a Watertown family who are trying to pay for their cat’s veterinary bills after their home was damaged in a fire. Shortly after the March 21 fire that damaged the home on Quincy Street a group of neighbors rallied to support their neighbors. Jason Gerdom and Diana Richards put together the GoFundMe campaign to help their neighbors. They provided the following background on the campaign site:

“Hi, we’re a group of neighbors on the west side of Watertown who are raising money for a family who lost their house in a fire last week (March 21).

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.

Around Town

LETTER: Affordable Housing Critical to Watertown’s Fabric

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I am writing as a local clergy person concerned with the fraying of the social fabric of the local communities. Over the past 6 years I have served as the pastor of the Belmont-Watertown United Methodist Church. During this time and over the past 29 years in pastoral ministry I have experienced the vital importance churches serve as community organizations. Churches have long been a place of worship for members and friends and free and affordable space for community life. In Watertown the former St.

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LETTER: Local Group Encourages Pro-Housing Residents to Attend Upcoming Public Forum

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(From Housing for All Watertown)

So many Watertown residents are frustrated by the housing shortage, squeezed by rising rents, and worried about the consequences of failing to meet our urgent housing needs. This week, you have a chance to meaningfully address the housing crisis in our city. Housing for All Watertown invites pro-housing residents to join us at the Watertown Square Area Plan public forum this Thursday, April 4th, 6:30 p.m. at 66 Galen St., to advocate for a plan that makes more new housing possible for everyone. Housing for All Watertown is an independent, grassroots group of residents seeking solutions to current housing challenges in order to improve the quality of life for current and future residents. We support all types of new housing to meet the many different needs of our diverse community, from new market-rate projects to public housing expansion.

Around Town

Volunteers Wanted for the Annual Charles River Herring Count, Training Coming Up

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The annual herring count in the Charles River is nearly here, and the public can assist with the effort. The Charles River Watershed Association seeks volunteers and is offering a training on April 3. CWRA sent out the following information:

The 2024 herring count is almost underway! CRWA is seeking volunteers to participate at our Watertown Dam location at least once a week from April 15th to June 30th, from 7 am to 7 pm. Soon we will release a sign-up sheet where volunteers can register for a one-hour time slot.

Around Town

J.R. Lowell Elementary School Fifth Graders Write What Happens to the City’s Trash

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Photo by Watertown DPWWatertown trash and recycling toters. What Should Watertown Residents Know About Where Our Trash Goes? By David Chachava, Arafat Kabir, Caroline Marsh Zinser, and Milena Rauhut

I’m pretty sure that we have all asked this question once before, where does our trash in Watertown go? Well, we have finally solved that mystery. Here’s a story about two chip bags.