Around Town
Watertown Families are Invited to a Free Winter Tea Party
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Families with young children in Watertown are invited to a tea hosted by Brigham House. See details in the announcement below.
City Issued Parking Tickets & Shoveling Warnings After January Snowstorm; Winter Parking Ban May be Extended
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Charlie BreitroseA truck plows a Watertown street.
Dozens of Watertown Department of Public Works crews and contractors plowed 20 inches of snow off Watertown’s 72 miles of roadway, after the snowstorm that hit the City on Jan. 25 and 26, City Manager George Proakis said. The City also issued 69 parking tickets and 50 warnings and fines for failing to shovel sidewalks.
See Why the City Council Narrowly Rejected a Nuclear Disarmament Resolution
Tuesday night, a citizens group presented the City Council with a petition to support a resolution encouraging the federal government to seek nuclear disarmament in the United States and the other eight nations that have nuclear weapons. The proposal split the Council, which rejected it down by one vote.
Watertown Schools Looking for Ways to Close $2.5 Million Gap, Deal with Increasing Special Ed Costs
Increasing costs of special education tuition has contributed to the sharp increase in the school budget over the past few years, Superintendent Dede Galdston told the School Committee on Monday night, and for budget for the 2026-27 school year the district will have to find ways to close a multi-million dollar deficit.
Farm Inside a Freight Container Provides Produce for Watertown School Lunches, Program Praised by Lt. Governor
Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll takes a look around the Watertown Public Schools’ Freight Farm. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
The white box container sitting in the parking lot of the Watertown Public Schools’ administration building has smooth metal walls on the outside, but inside the walls have a lush floor-to-ceiling covering of green plants. The freight container is not just a teaching tool but also provides fresh produce for students around the district.
More Headlines
Watertown’s Wayside Multi-Service Center Had a Scare with Threatened Cut of Federal Grant
Council Roundup: Councilor Elected Head of Statewide Board, DPW Equipment Funded, Contracts Approved
Watertown’s Shana Gozansky Directing “Little Women” at the Mosesian Center for the Arts
Letters
OP-ED: Reasons Why Council Should Pass a Nuclear Disarmament Resolution
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by Jeanne TrubekMember of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the EnvironmentPeace and Common Security working group
On Tuesday, February 10, the city council will be requested to support a Back From the Brink resolution asking our U.S. government to work toward world nuclear disarmament. This request comes from a citizen petition initiative.
Government
Watertown City Officials Join State Reps. on Beacon Hill to Ask for Residential Tax Relief
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Watertown City and State officials appeared before a joint committee at the State House on Jan. 27, 2026. Pictured, from left, Steve Owens, George Proakis, John Lawn, Earl Smith, and Mark Sideris.
City officials from Watertown joined state representatives on Beacon Hill to request an extension to a bill that allowed Watertown to shift more of the property tax burden from residential properties to commercial properties. The shift would allow a 50/50 split, instead of the current requirements of state law to have 61 percent of the tax levy coming from residential properties.
Obituaries
OBIT: James “Jim” Brennan Jr., 63, Computer Wizard & Educator
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Jim Brennan
A Mass of Christian Burial for James “Jim” Joseph Brennan, Jr. of Watertown will be celebrated on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at 11 a.m. at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, 39 Sixth Street, East Cambridge.
Sports
JIM’S VIEW: Watertown Boys Basketball Enjoys A One-Sided Win
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Raiders Basketball enjoyed a fun night on the hardwood with a 76-43 rout of the CASH (Community Academy of Health & Science) Chargers Monday night. The first of two games (Feb. 9 @ CASH) with the non-league opponent from Dorchester (and a member of the Boston City League), was won early as the Raiders raced out to a 23-10 lead after one quarter.
Entertainment
Monthly Watertown Pride Mid-Season Events at Ritcey East
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Screenshot
Ritcey East will host Watertown Pride Mid-Season Events each month leading up to Watertown Pride 2026 in June. See details in the announcement from the Watertown Pride Committee, below.
Letters
LETTER: Housing Production — A Review of Small, but Industrious Watertown (Past, Present and Future)
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By Linda ScottWatertown Resident
We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us. – Winston Churchill
This is a follow-up to “Where is your Neighborhood Going? (Parts One and Two)”
As I read the responses to the above letters in Watertown News, I decided that maybe an overview of recent housing development in Watertown was in order. So here goes. Watertown’s Bona Fides
Watertown has proven again and again that we are a thoughtful, generous community.
Sports
JIM’S VIEW: Boys Hockey Plays Top-10 Div. 2 Burlington Tough
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Rock. Paper. Scissors. Everyone knows this classic game. The rules can’t be much simpler. Rock beats scissors. Scissors beats paper. Paper beats rock. Why the review? I’ve come up with a hockey version. Speed. Strength (of skating, shooting & stickhandling). Size. Speed beats “strength.” Size beats (or slows down) speed.