Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/page/8/)
The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department.
Massachusetts Poet Laureate Regie Gibson recited several of his poems at the 2026 Unity Breakfast. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
Massachusetts’ Poet Laureate inspired the crowd at the 26th annual Unity Breakfast. During the event on Monday, awards were presented to a group monitoring immigration enforcement and supporting immigrants rights in Watertown, and a man who has been a big part of keeping the Unity Breakfast going through the Pandemic.
The Watertown Public Schools may ask the City to tap the Special Education Stabilization Fund created several years ago for a rainy day. The 2026-27 School Budget may be stormy, as the district faces a shortfall of $2.5 million as of Monday’s School Committee meeting. Other ways to make up shortfalls may include reinstating athletics and extracurricular fees.
Watertown City Hall
Watertown residents were not overcharged on the CPA surcharge on their tax bills, City officials said, but bills in fiscal year 2025 looked different from other years, leading to the appearance that they were calculated differently.
Anie Manoushagian and Arie Orchanian.
The Funeral Services for Funeral services for Anie Manaushigian and Arie Orchanian — who were killed in a car crash in Watertown on Dec. 23 — will be held on Jan. 5, 2026. Separate burials are planned. They have been moved to the First Armenian Church, 380 Concord Ave in Belmont.
Lyrical Faith was selected as the Mosesian Center for the Arts’ Ignite Fellow, one of the first group of Artists in Residence.
The following announcement was provided by the Mosesian Center for the Arts:
The Mosesian Center for the Arts is pleased to announce the selected artists for its 2026 Artist-in-Residence Program, including the inaugural Ignite Fellow and the newly created Emerging Artist at Mosesian Arts award. This cohort of artists will be in residence during the Winter and Spring 2026 sessions, bringing a wide range of creative practices to MCA’s studios and engaging the community through public programs and events.
It is the first weekend of the new year; many of us may be thinking about simply relaxing at home, reading a book, doing a puzzle or catching up on our laundry. But there are some events of note that could get you to put on your coat and step outside. On Friday evening, there is an inauguration party for all our newly elected town representatives. Let’s go celebrate with them! Saturday afternoon, you could go stretch your legs at Mount Auburn Cemetery’s introductory tour. Even if you have walked there before, the tour can be informative. Head to the library on Sunday afternoon to hear a classical guitar performance by Jhon Alvarado. It’s the start of their winter concert series, and it looks great. Finally, the Majestic 7 theater is showing “Marty Supreme” starting Thursday, and it’s getting good reviews. If you want more family friendly films, there are a lot of good ones there now, including “Wicked: For Good,” “Zootopia 2,” “David,” and the “Spongebob” movie. So put your laundry in to wash and then head out on the town. You can dry it later.
Details of the trash, recycling, and yard waste collection for 2026 are available in the Department of Public Works’ calendar. The calendars were mailed to homes and are available online. See details in the announcement sent out by the City of Watertown, below.
The Winter Parking Ban will be in effect starting on January 1, 2026. The City has options for off-street parking in municipal owned lots. See information provided by the City of Watertown, below.
Cris Patvakanian wrote “In the Shadow of Mount Khustup” after visiting Armenia in 2023.
A trip to his homeland of Armenian in 2023 changed Cris Patvakanian’s life, and the experience became the inspiration for his first novel.
Every team, no matter the sport, wants to get the new season off to a good start. That’s as close to a universal truth as there is in team sports. The Boys Basketball program, perennially tournament-bound and most often among the upper-echelon in D3, has been less than that to start the season, with four losses to Middlesex foes. Tusesday was the last chance in 2025 to record a win, and the Raiders did just that by beating non-league opponent Fenway, 59- 40, at the Victor J. Palladino Gymnasium.
Watertown residents can begin registering for the Recreation Department’s Pequossette Summer Program beginning on Jan. 1. See more details in the announcement from the Rec. Department, below.