Environment

Teens Spending the Summer Mapping & Indentifying Watertown’s Street Trees

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A group of about a dozen teens from Watertown will fan out around town this summer to find out where the street trees are, and where they could be planted. The Teens for Trees program started last summer, when half a dozen students learned about trees, met with experts and combed the streets of Watertown to find trees in need of help. This year the students will be more focused, said program coordinator David Meshoulam, who said the teens will be mapping street trees in Watertown to create an inventory. “There were 4,000-5,000 trees when the last inventory was done in 2008,” Meshoulam said. “A lot has happened since that time: a lot of development, a lot of trees have been taken down and a lot have been planted.”

Around Town

More Than a Dozen Honored with Community Spirit Awards from Watertown Youth Coalition

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The Watertown Youth Coalition (WYC) celebrated its 11th Annual Community Spirit Awards event held on Monday, June 11th, 2018. Over 60 Community members gathered at Arsenal Park to recognize and honor people for going above and beyond to support Watertown youth and families. Each year, the WYC asks the community to nominate people who:
● Serve as a positive influence or mentor to a Coalition member or to others in the community
● Have the courage to address challenging issues that affect youth and the community
● Actively take steps to improve the Watertown community (in big and small ways)
The WYC was pleased to present awards to:
● Ruth Henry​, for her commitment to inspiring watertown youth, combating racism and violence, and her teaching Kingian nonviolence as well as her creation of anti-racism programs in Watertown Schools. ● Veronica Knight​, Lowell School Guidance Counselor, for her care in going above and beyond for the Lowell School children and her commitment to seeing kids grow in healthy and positive ways. ● Peter Centola​, Director of Watertown Recreation, for his dedication to helping kids in Watertown, his dedication as a coach, and for the impact he makes on the lives of Watertown youth.

Environment

OP-ED: State Senate Passes Energy Bill Aimed at Addressing Climate Change

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{The following piece was provided by State Sen. Will Brownsberger (D – Belmont) who also represents Watertown}

After a long day of debate, the Senate passed the Barrett-Pacheco omnibus energy bill on Thursday — significant legislation to continue movement in Massachusetts towards a cleaner energy future. Addressing climate change is a core priority for me and I am glad to move this legislation forward. The next step will be action by the House of Representatives.   After that, the branches will need to reconcile their differences and get the bill to the Governor’s desk.  We should expect the bill to continue to evolve. As mentioned in a previous post, I am most enthusiastic about the provisions that will lead to carbon pricing in the transportation sector. A summary of the major provisions appears below, excerpted from the Senate press release on the bill:

Increasing the percentage of Class I renewable energy that must be purchased by retail electric suppliers under the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard from an additional 1% annually to an additional 3% annually. Requiring the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs to establish market-based compliance mechanisms to maximize the ability of the Commonwealth to achieve its greenhouse gas emission limits for: (i) the transportation sector not later than December 31, 2020; (ii) the commercial and industrial building sectors not later than December 31, 2021; and (iii) the residential building sector not later than December 31, 2022.

Elections

Republican State Committeeman from Watertown Endorses Senate Candidate

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The following information was provided by the Geoff Diehl for Senate campaign:

Today Representative Geoff Diehl, the endorsed Republican candidate for U.S.
Senate, announced that he has received the endorsement of Republican State Committeeman Steve Aylward, of Watertown. “I am proud to endorse Geoff Diehl for U.S. Senate. He has been a great leader on fighting for taxpayers, standing up for victims, and demanding accountability at the State House,” said Aylward. “I am honored to have received Steve’s endorsement. His strong support will help us win Watertown,” said Diehl.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Packages Stolen from Apartment Building, Woman Busted for Break Ins

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrest
June 5, 7:08 p.m.: A woman wanted for breaking into to two halves of a two-family home on May 28 was arrested by Watertown Police. The woman was spotted by a man living in the downstairs unit when she was walking through his living room. Then she was seen by the upstairs resident taking a tool bag from his home. Later that day she was seen carrying two white milk crates full of  sporting equipment.

Real Estate

See the Watertown Homes That Sold This Week

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Five Watertown homes sold this week, see details below. $499,000 – 43 Edenfield Ave. Unit 43, 4 room, 2 bedroom, 2 full & 1 half bathroom, condo/townhouse

$870,000 – 362-364 Arlington St., 2 unit, 13 total room, 5 total bedroom, 2 Family multi-family home

$489,000 – 146 Edenfield Ave. Unit 146, 6 room, 3 bedroom, 2 full bathroom, Townhouse

Sponsored by:

$420,000 – 10 Williams St. Unit 35, 4 room, 2 bedroom, 1 full bathroom, High-Rise condo/townhouse

$545,000 – 91 Spring St.

Police/Fire

Watertown Man Pleads Guilty to Running Interstate Prostitution Ring

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A Watertown man and Georgia woman have agreed to plead guilty in connection with their roles in a long-running interstate prostitution ring. 

The following information was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Massachusetts:

Jineok Kim, 38, of Watertown, and Susan Bashir, a/k/a “Susan Redmon,” a/k/a “Susan Redmond,” 41, of Stone Mountain, Ga., agreed to plead guilty today to one count of conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice, or coerce individuals to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution and one count of conspiracy to engage in money laundering. On March 15, Kim and Bashir were charged and arrested along with Yoon I. Kim, 36, of Haymarket, Va.; Taehee Kim, a/k/a “Hyunsook Kim,” 46, of Haymarket, Va.; and Kyung Song, 52, of Lexington, Mass. According to the charging documents filed today, Kim participated in an interstate prostitution network from spring 2016 to December 2017, and Bashir worked for the prostitution network from at least 2013 until March 2018. The prostitution network had multiple brothels in high-end apartments in Cambridge, Mass.; Atlanta, Ga.; and eastern Virginia. They advertised appointments with Asian women primarily on three websites: www.bostonasiandolls.com, www.exoticasiansatlanta.com, and www.redhotflowers69.com.

Police/Fire

Watertown Firefighter Graduates from Massachusetts Fire Academy

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Watertown Firefighter Matthew Callahan graduated from the Massachusetts Fire Academy Training 10 week training program. He was one of 35 graduates in the 264th class of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy in Stow. Fire Chief Bob Quinn announced the graduation of Watertown’s latest firefighter, who attended the 10-week course. “Firefighter Callahan will return to work next week to serve the citizens of Watertown,” Quinn said. “We are very excited to have him back.”