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Watertown Sophomore tips in a deflected shot to in the Raiders’ 2-0 victory over Sandwich in the MIAA Div. 3. Field Hockey State Final. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
Watertown celebrated a fourth straight Field Hockey State Championship on Saturday after defeating Sandwich 2-0 at Worcester State. See photos and videos from the game.
Watertown City Hall
(CORRECTION: The easement payment was incorrectly listed at $374,000. It is $37,400)
Watertown’s Community Path will get a bit longer with the addition of a section that sits on private land right next to Main Street. The Council also heard about the committee proposed to decide how to name streets, buildings, and other places in someone’s memory. That section of the Community Path that runs from Waverley Avenue and Main Street has been constructed, City Manager George Proakis told the City Council on Tuesday night, but it has been closed off until the City could get the right for public use through an easement agreement with the property owner. “We are paying them, they are getting these easement rights, and we will get the path further along and connected to Main Street,” Proakis said.
Watertown Veterans Services Officer Patrick George reads Gov. Healey’s Veterans Day Proclamation at the Veterans Day Breakfast at the Shutt Detachment. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
Watertown veterans came together Monday at the Marine Corps League Shutt Detachment to enjoy some breakfast, socialize, and celebrate Veterans Day. Watertown Veterans Services Officer Patrick George hopes to have more such events in town, and spread information about programs and benefits which are available to vets. Massachusetts recently added to the programs for veterans, George mentioned during his Veterans Day address. “As the Governor’s (Veterans Day) proclamation mentioned, The HERO Act is a new veterans bill passed by the state recently, and it expands veterans benefits,” George said.
State Rep. John Lawn
The following announcement was provided by Rep. John Lawn’s Office:
Watertown State Rep. John J. Lawn, Jr. was recognized as one of two Legislative Champions Awards recipients by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities at this year’s Annual National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) celebration in the Great Hall of Flags at the Massachusetts State House. The event recognized the invaluable contributions of employees with disabilities, alongside policymakers, employers, service providers, and key stakeholders in the disability community in Massachusetts and the Country. “Representative Lawn cares deeply about the disabled community,” said Commission on the Status of persons with disabilities Chairwoman Rep. Denise Garlick (D-Needham). “He has consistently shown his commitment to fighting for the community through his championing of priority legislation such as Operation House Call and his continued advocacy for its funding. He is a strong ally of the disabled community.”
“I am honored and humbled to be recognized by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities as one of this year’s Legislative Champions,” said Watertown State Representative John J. Lawn, Jr. “This recognition is very personal to me, as my best friend David has an intellectual disability.
The Watertown High School field hockey team celebrates earning a berth into the MIAA Div. 3 Tournament Final Four. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)\
Watertown High School’s field hockey team eased into the Final Four with an overwhelming victory over Bedford in the Round of 8 in the MIAA Div. 3 State Tournament at Victory Field on Saturday. The second-seeded Raiders scored early and often, with senior Caroline Andrade scoring the first two, followed by three straight tallies by senior co-captain Rachel Egan.
The Victory Field Phase II project includes renovation of the track, courts, and the driveway in the complex. Six years after a committee issued recommendations for the renovation of the track and courts at Victory Field, the project will be moving forward. However, some at the meeting on Wednesday where the plans were presented called for making the field inside the oval artificial turf to allow for more use by high school and youth sports teams.
Another area of concern raised at the meeting held at Lowell Elementary School, was that the project does not solve the lack of a changing area for female athletes at Victory Field. The 75 Percent plans for Victory Field Phase II are based on the recommendations of the Victory Field Ad Hoc Committee, which issued a report in June 2018. In 2019, designers from CDM Smith presented the 25 percent plan, and underground testing was conducted.
Recipients of food assistance in Massachusetts will see their benefits that can be used to buy fresh produce cut beginning in December, but there are efforts to ask the Governor and Legislature to restore the funding the in the State Budget. Stephanie Venizelos, the City of Watertown’s Community Wellness Program Manager, said that the Massachusetts Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) will be reduced to $20 per household. The program is available to recipients of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). “Recently, DTA and MDAR announced the following changes to the HIP program beginning on December 1, 2024, due to insufficient funding in the MA state budget. The HIP benefit structure will be reduced to $20 each month, and the maximum HIP benefits a household can earn will be $20 a month for all households, regardless of size.
Charlie Breitrose
Watertown voters came out to vote in large numbers, both on election day and during the early voting and mail-in period. Two-thirds of Watertown’s 26,418 voters cast their ballots in the 2024 State Election, according to the unofficial Watertown Election results sent out by the Watertown City Clerk’s Office. Nearly 60 percent of the 17,542 votes in the election were cast during the early voting period or sent in mail-in ballots, said City Clerk Noelle Gilligan. About 200 to 300 people voted each of the day during the 14 day early voting period. A total of 3,250 residents came to City Hall to vote during the early voting period, Gilligan said, while 7,203 mail-in ballots were sent in.