Business

Watertown Woman Used Her Experience With Chemo to Create Patient Care Kits

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ChemoCareKits contain items to help people going through chemotherapy. (Photo from ChemoCareKits)

In 2020, Watertown’s Jessica Yamas went through treatment for breast cancer, including chemotherapy, and she used her experiences to create boxes full of items to help others going through cancer treatment. She calls the boxes ChemoCareKits, which include a variety of items to make people more comfortable, as well as a booklet. Yamas now sells the boxes, with some of the proceeds benefiting cancer research and patient care. Yamas went through her cancer treatment during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Around Town

City to Seek Compensation for Trash Service Impacted by Strike, Pickups Slower Than Normal

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Overflowing trash and recycling bins on Main Street during the trash strike. (Photo by Dean Martino)

The City of Watertown will be seeking compensation for the service interruption. While trash and recycling collection has restarted, City officials said that the backup crews are taking longer than normal, and recycling will not be prioritized while the company continues contract negotiations. Also, the Recycling Center will remain closed, causing the cancellation of a planned event. On July 1, members of Teamsters Local 25 went on strike demanding changes to the contract with Republic Services.

Government

City Council to Vote on Water & Sewer Rates, Increase Expected

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Tuesday night, the City Council will vote on the water and sewer rates for residents and commercial customers in town. An increase is proposed, but not as much as previously estimated. The City Council will meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 8 in City Hall. Remote participation on Zoom will also be available. See details on the agenda here.

Government

Watertown City Manager, Municipal Leaders Urge Swift Resolution to Trash Strike

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Watertown DPWWatertown trash and recycling pickup has been uncollected since July 1 when workers at Republic Services went on strike. Watertown City Manager George Proakis joined several mayors, town managers, and town administrators urging company Republic Services to come to a deal to end the strike that has stopped trash and recycling collection since July 1, 2025. The letter also identifies weaknesses in the company’s response to the situation, including slowness of deploying backup resources and lack of communication. See the letter below. Dear Members of the Republic Services Leadership Team,

We write to you as municipal leaders from across the region and as customers of Republic Services, regarding the ongoing work stoppage caused by stalled union negotiations.

Schools

School Committee Hears Results of Survey of Watertown Students, Parents & Teachers

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At the Watertown School Committee’s June 23 meeting, school leaders coalesced to tackle a diverse agenda – from contract renewals to electronic device usage in school – while taking another look into how students, families, and teachers experience life in the Watertown School System. 5Essentials Survey

The centerpiece of the evening was the unveiling of results from the district’s 5Essentials Survey, a response-based study developed by the University of Chicago Consortium which collects feedback from students, guardians, and teachers on the district’s instructional climate, school culture, and other key metrics. Now in its fourth year of implementation in Watertown, the survey has proven to be a vital tool in shaping school policy and improving classroom practices. According to the memo supplied by Superintendent Deanne Galdston, “the 5Essentials framework identifies five core components that, when present and strong, reliably predict school improvement and student outcomes.”

These five essential components are: Supportive Environment, Ambitious Instruction, Collaborative Teachers, Effective Leaders, and Involved Families. More details about the 2024-25 5Essentials Study can be found here.

Around Town

Q&A with Laura Kurman Who is Retiring from Wayside Multi Service Center After More Than 30 Years

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Laura Kurman retired as Executive Director of the Wayside Multi Service Center in June. She worked there for more than three decades. (Courtesy of Wayside Multi Service Center)

For more than three decades, Laura Kurman has been working to help those in need in Watertown. She retired as Executive Director of the Wayside Multi Service Center at the end of June, and looked back on her time. Kurman spoke with Watertown News Editor Charlie Breitrose in her office at the house on North Beacon Street that serves as the offices for the Wayside Multi Service Center in early June.

Around Town

Watertown Rotary Members from Past and Present Gather to Celebrate 100th Anniversary

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The Rotary Club of Watertown celebrated 100 years with a dinner on June 24. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

WALTHAM — For a century, the Rotary Club of Watertown has been coming together to make the community a better place, and put service above self. The Club has a variety of events, including hosting the Senior Citizen Cook Out for more than 30 years, awarding scholarships to Watertown High School students, and hosting the Dancing With the Stars event. Watertown Rotarians from as far back as the 1980s joined current active members on June 24 to celebrate the Club’s 100th anniversary at an event held at Stazione di Federale in Waltham. Longtime Rotarian, and emcee for the evening, Paul DerBoghosian said that Watertown’s club was founded 25 years after the first Rotary Club was founded when Paul Harris brought a group of people together in Chicago to make their community and our world a better place together.