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Watertown School Bus Fees Increasing, District May Buy Electric Buses

By Charlie Breitrose | April 17, 2026

by Pixabay

School bus fees will rise $200 for students who don’t qualify for the mandated busing areas of town in the 2026-27 school year. School officials will also look at purchasing its own buses, which would be electric.

Watertown’s Bob Hall, First Boston Marathon Wheelchair Champ & Advocate for Access, Has Died

Bob Hall won the Boston Marathon’s first wheelchair division race in 1975.

Bob Hall, a Watertown resident and trailblazing wheelchair athlete and advocate for access, died at the age of 74. A private funeral service will be held at a later date, and visiting hours were held at Nardone Funeral Home on April 16.

Watertown’s Budget Maintains Programs & Staffing, But City Needs Legislature’s Help to Do So

Photo by Charlie BreitroseWatertown City Hall

Despite uncertain economic times, Watertown’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget will maintain the City’s program and staffing from the current year, but keeps staffing “headcount neutral.” The City will be in better shape than many communities in the area, City Manager George Proakis told the City Council on Tuesday night.

After Recent ICE Detention in Watertown, School & City Officials Were Asked About Plans & Protections

Following the detention of a Watertown man by federal immigration enforcement agents on April 10, School and City officials discussed actions being taken or planned by local officials.

More Headlines

Care Packages Made by Children in Watertown Lift Spirits of Sailors Deployed to the Middle East

New Historic Marker to be Unveiled, Celebrates Day That Watertown Welcomed a Key Figure in the Revolution

Watertown Athlete Wins Titles on the Wrestling Mat and in the Boxing Ring

Development

Draft Plan for Watertown Sq. Project Had 2 Options; Both Have Multi-Story Garage, 247 Housing Units & a Park

By Charlie Breitrose | April 9, 2026

A view of the area proposed to be redeveloped in Watertown Square, including the parking lot behind CVS, Baptist Walk, and some privately owned parcels. (City of Watertown)

Detailed plans for redeveloping Watertown’s Municipal Parking Lot in Watertown Square, behind CVS, are included in the City’s draft plan for the Demonstration Project. The 163-page document outlines two options, both of which include a multi-story parking garage, a multi-story residential building (both with retail on the ground floor), and a public green space.

Around Town

National Grid to Host Customer Assistance Events in Waltham, Other Locations

By Guest Writer | April 9, 2026

National Grid will host an informational meeting about how customers can get help managing their energy bills on April 14 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at McDevitt Middle School, 75 Church St. in Waltham. The meeting is one of dozens around Greater Boston. See details in the announcement from National Grid, below.

Around Town

Watertown Business Coalition’s Quarterly Coffee Connect Coming to Commander’s Mansion

By Guest Writer | April 9, 2026

The Watertown Business Coalition and the City of Watertown’s Events Team will co-host a Quarterly Coffee Connect at the Commander’s Mansion on April 15. See details in the announcement from the WBC, below.

Entertainment

WEEKEND FUN: MusicFest, Theater, Yard Art, Screenless Project, Sensory Friendly Movie Screening

By Charlo Maurer, Contributor | April 9, 2026

Let’s all start this weekend by going to the MusicFest on Friday evening. It’s the 13th annual gathering of Watertown musicians, both professional, adult and child performances. If you are not in a musical frame of mind, check out “The Mushroom Cure” at the Mosesian Center for the Arts. On Friday and Saturday evenings, this one-man show performed by Adam Strauss is about Michael Pollen’s exploration of psychedelics. It is going to be filmed live to be part of a future feature film. On Saturday morning, the Majestic 7 is holding a sensory friendly showing of the “Super Mario Bros” with lower volume and lights for children with sensory sensitivities. That afternoon, the library is holding a two-hour screen-free creativity workshop in both Spanish and English. It sounds like a very mellow, meditative art session. Saturday there are open hours at the Storefront Art Projects gallery, where they are exhibiting their own 2026 Yard Art show. There is plenty of music, film, theater, art to see as well as art-making to feed your souls this weekend.

Around Town

LOCAL MEDIA DAY — Chamber: We’re Lucky — Let’s Not Take it for Granted

By Charlie Breitrose | April 9, 2026

April 9 is the inaugural Local Media Day, and the Charles River Regional Chamber reminded members of the role that news sites covering community news provide. Charles River Chamber President and CEO summed it up well in his message in the Chamber’s newsletter on Thursday morning.

Development

City Releases Detailed Draft of the Watertown Square Redevelopment Proposal

By Guest Writer | April 8, 2026

Following Monday’s public roll out of the Demonstration Project, on Wednesday the City of Watertown released the detailed, 163-page draft of the redevelopment project proposed to go on the parking lot behind CVS in Watertown Square. See the announcement from the City, below.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Suspect Spits at Officers After Attacking Man with Chair, Shoplifters Arrested

By Charlie Breitrose | April 8, 2026

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department.

Entertainment

Watertown Gallery’s Yard Art Exhibit Features Several Artists

By Charlie Breitrose | April 8, 2026

From April 4-25, Watertown art gallery Storefront Art Projects is hosting Yard Art 2026, and attendees of the opening reception enjoyed art as well as a musical performance.