Around Town

Neighborhood Covered in Dusting of Flour from Nearby Food Factory, Neighbors Frustrated by Response

By |

A coating of flour can be seen on the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway path and fence that sit in the shadow of the silos of Newly Weds Foods. The flour was released from the factory on Dec. 12. (Contributed Photo)

Residents of one East End neighborhood woke up last week to what appeared to be a coating of snow, but what was falling from the sky for several hours was not flakes but flour. The flour came from the nearby Newly Weds Foods factory, located on Grove Street and abutting a neighborhood off Mt.

Around Town

Watertown’s Winter Parking Ban to be Temporarily Lifted

By |

Watertown’s overnight winter parking ban will be temporarily lifted starting the week of Christmas. See more information in the announcement from the City of Watertown, below. Effective December 23, 2024 enforcement of the All Night Parking Ban will be temporarily suspended – barring any snowfall that would require plowing or sanding. Should there be a snow event please refer to the City’s website for available off-street parking locations. All homeowners are encouraged to continue using available off-street parking during the overnight hours.

Around Town

Toys Delivered to 100s of Watertown Families in Need by Police & Firefighters for the Whooley Foundation

By |

Some of the toys collected for the 2024 Sonny Whooley Foundation. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The mission given to 40 Watertown police officers and firefighters Tuesday morning was to fill boxes full of gifts, and then deliver them to more than 150 families around the Community. They had their choice of hundreds of toys, games, balls, even bicycles that filled the Community Room at the Watertown Police Station. All were donated to or purchased with funds given to the John “Sonny” Whooley Foundation, named after a former Watertown Police officer who would raise money and give it to families in need during the holidays. Watertown Police Justin Chief Hanrahan looked over the hive of activity as people packed boxes with gifts.

Police/Fire

Cambridge Man Arrested for Vandalizing Armenian Church; Watertown Police Log

By |

Watertown Police Chief Justin Hanrahan announced the arrest of a Cambridge man in relation to vandalism at one of Watertown’s Armenian churches in November. See the announcement, and this week’s Police Log, below. Chief Hanrahan is pleased to announce the successful conclusion of our investigation into the vandalism incident at St. Stephen’s Armenian Church on November 18, 2024. Thanks to the diligent efforts of our patrol and detective divisions, a Cambridge resident has been identified and will face criminal charges for their actions.

Police/Fire

FBI Arrests New York Man for Allegedly Selling Drugs in Watertown

By |

The FBI arrested a man who traveled to Watertown from New York to allegedly sell drugs on Friday. The Boston Globe reported that Cesar Nunez Lopez, of New York City, went to a parking lot in town to meet a person he believed to be a buyer, but was actually a federal informant. Nunez Lopez allegedly sold the man fentanyl on three different occasions, including at the Home Depot parking lot in Watertown. He was arrested on drug trafficking charges. See more details in the Boston Globe report by clicking here.

Government

2025 Watertown Property Taxes Rising, But Bills Still Lower Than 2022

By |

Charlie BreitroseWatertown’s City Hall. Property taxes will rise nearly 6 percent over last year, but will still be lower than they were in Fiscal Year 2022 (2021-22). On Tuesday, City Council approved a property tax rate with the maximum amount of the burden shifted from residential to commercial, industrial and personal properties, and the maximum residential exemption for owner-occupied homes. During the Property Tax Classification Hearing, the Council heard from people concerned about the rising taxes, as well as the recent five-year property revaluation process. Tax Bills

The Council got to choose the maximum exclusion for residential properties, either 33 percent (the same as last year), 34 percent, or 35 percent.

Schools

School Committee Update: Teacher Honored, Field Hockey Team Recognized, Enrollment Rising

By |

Watertown’s State Champion Field Hockey Team was honored by the School Committee. (Courtesy of Watertown Field Hockey)

Watertown School Committee Chair Kendra Foley provided a round up of the most recent School Committee meeting. See what happened below. There has been much to celebrate over the last month at our Watertown School Committee meetings. We were thrilled to honor Cunniff music teacher Liz Schorr, who was recently chosen as the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress Educator of the Year.

Around Town

Watertown’s Wada Hoppah Shuttle Wins Award for Electric Boat Design

By |

A drawing of the shuttle boat being designed for Wada Hoppah to take people from Watertown to Boston. (Courtesy of Wada Hoppah)

The boat being designed to be a shuttle from Watertown to Boston along the Charles River won an international award for electric boat design. The Wada Hoppah received the Gussie Award for Electric Commercial Passenger Vessels: In Development. Drew Rollert, the man behind the effort to create a water shuttle, proclaimed the honor on Tuesday. “I’m beyond proud to announce Wada Hoppah was informed today that it has WON the well recognized, international electric boat design award competition called ‘Gussie Awards,'” Rollert said.