Around Town

Watertown Armenian Church Remembers 2 Family Members Killed in Car Crash

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Arie Orchanian and Anie Manoushagian. Arie Orchanian and Anie Manoushagian, the victims of a car accident after a family member’s funeral, were remembered by members of the church that they attended for years. At Saturday’s service, Pastor Aram Bedrossian of the Armenian Memorial Church in Watertown, said Arie Orchanian, 32, and his aunt Anie Manoushagian, 80, had been members of the congregation for decades. “[Orchanian] was a pure man and a good man,” Bedrossian said, according to the report by WCVB Channel 5. “He always wanted to do the good thing.

Government

Newly Elected Watertown Officials to be Sworn in During Inauguration Ceremony

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The City of Watertown’s inauguration ceremony will take place on Jan. 2, 2026 at the Mosesian Center for the Arts. See more information from the City of Watertown, below. Please save the date for the City of Watertown’s upcoming Inauguration Ceremony of our newly elected members of the City Council, School Committee, and Library Board of Trustees. The ceremony will be held on Friday, January 2, 2026 from 6-8 p.m. This event is sponsored by the City of Watertown and graciously hosted by the Mosesian Center for the Arts.

Schools

Watertown Public Schools Awarded State Grant to Support Farm-to-School Program

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Produce growing in the Watertown Public Schools’ Freight Farm. (Contributed Photo)

The state recently awarded the Watertown Schools a grant to run its farm-to-school program, including its Freight Farm. See details in the announcement from the Watertown Public Schools, below. Watertown Public Schools has received more than $80,000 in state grant funding to continue its farm-to-school efforts, expanding learning opportunities for Watertown’s students while also increasing local food production. Last week, Governor Maura Healey’s office announced $1.2 million in funding to expand educational food growth and farming efforts across Massachusetts.

Around Town

Watertown Historian Backs Bill Exonerating People Accused of Witchcraft Prior to Salem Trials

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Marilynne Roach, center-right, and State Rep. Steve Owens, center-left, at the State House on the day that Roach spoke during a hearing about exonerating the victims of witch trials before the ones in Salem. (Photo by Caroline Enos / The Salem News)

Watertown historian and author Marilynne Roach who has researched the Salem Witch Trials recently testified at the State House for a bill that would exonerate the eight people, including two with ties to Watertown, found guilty of being alleged witches before the Salem 1692 panic. Roach has written multiple books about the Witch Trials in Massachusetts, and wanted to find a way to give those found guilty some justice. “A few months ago I spoke with Rep. Steven Owens at one of his regular visits to the Senior Center to ask about getting a bill to clear the names of the people found guilty of witchcraft before the well-known Salem outbreak,” Roach said. “Needless to say, the verdicts were based on faulty evidence.

Around Town

Watertown Community Foundation Distributes $43,000 in Donations to Food Pantries

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Food collected from multiple locations across the City during theCommunity Food Drive, running through December 31, 2025. The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

The Watertown Community Foundation received $43,000 in donations to support Watertown’s food pantries since the City of Watertown’s Community Food Drive began on October 31. These funds have been distributed to the Watertown Food Pantry and Watertown Catholic Collaborative Food Pantry to purchase and distribute food at each pantry. Residents from Watertown, Belmont and nearby communities also continue to contribute shelf-stable pantry goods at multiple drop off locations in our schools and across the city during the Community Food Drive. An estimated one to two tons of food each week have been distributed among the food pantries, the Watertown Community Fridge, and, as needed, to the city’s social service providers since November 10.

Police/Fire

Two Killed in Multi-Vehicle Accident, Victims Were Returning to Church After a Funeral

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Two people died Tuesday during a multi-vehicle accident in East Watertown. The crash occurred after a funeral service in Watertown. First responders were called to Bigelow Avenue at around noon on Dec. 23 for a motor vehicle accident. “Upon arrival, it was determined that two individuals had succumbed to their injuries as a result of the collision,” police said in a statement to WBZ Channel 4.

Entertainment

Watertown Band, Dolata, Releasing First EP & Hosting Listening Party

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Dolata, from top left counter clockwise, Madi Donlan, Joe Froeber, Reilly Somach, and Amelia Allison. Dolata, a band out of Watertown featuring dual lead singers, recently released its debut single, and will soon host a listening party for its first EP. Co-lead singers, Madi Donlan, of Watertown, and Joe Froeber, a native of the North Shore, teamed up recently to form the the new band. In November, Dolata released its first song, “Friday Girl,” which Donlan wrote based on her own experiences. “When I first started writing it, it was about a best friend of mine, Jill, who passed away a few years back,” Donlan said.

Schools

Watertown Model UN Earns Honors at Boston Latin Conference

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Watertown High School’s Model United Nations club sent more than 40 students to the compeition at Boston Latin in November. (Contributed Photo)

A group of Watertown High School students showed their skills at diplomacy and negotiation and public speaking during the Model United Nations conference at Boston Latin School. Ten WHS students earned awards, including one who earned Best Delegate honors. The Model UN Club is an afterschool activity that has been growing in interest at the High School, said WHS social studies teacher David Mastro, who is the club advisor along with Bannon Beall. The Boston Latin Conference included at least 20 schools and around 300 students, Mastro said.