Late Surge Powers Watertown Boys Basketball Past Shawsheen in State Tourney

Watertown junior Aiden Didovic celebrates during the Raiders’ State Tourney victory over Shawsheen Tech on Saturday. He led the Raiders in scoring in scoring. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Watertown High School’s boys basketball team kept its cool down the stretch and defeated Shawsheen Tech 53-45 Saturday to advance to the Sweet 16 of the MIAA Div. 3 Tournament. The 14th-seeded Raiders (14-7) jumped out to a big first quarter lead, but the Rams fought back to bring the lead to just 1 point with 26 seconds left in the game and had a chance to take the lead.

Registration Open for 25th Annual Charles River Cleanup

The following information was provided by the Charles River Watershed Association:

Registration is now open for the 25th Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup on Friday and Saturday, April 19 and 20, 20241 Each year, the Charles River Cleanup brings together over 3,500 volunteers to improve the parks, forests, playgrounds, and paths and keep the Charles River and its tributaries clean, safe, and beautiful for all. The Charles River Cleanup builds on a national effort as part of American Rivers’ National River

Cleanup, which, to date, has removed over 32.5 million pounds of trash from America’s waterways, as well as the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Park Serve Day, a statewide cleanup initiative now in its 18 year. Since 1999, Charles River Cleanup volunteers have gathered each Earth Day to pick up litter, remove invasive species, and assist with park maintenance along all 80 miles of the Charles River and the 1,100 acres of Emerald Necklace parkland surrounding the Muddy River, a tributary of the Charles. Volunteers have a long-lasting impact–the Charles River Cleanup empowers ordinary river lovers to give back to their communities in a tangible way, forge new connections with nature and each other, and become life-long stewards of our river. “We are so grateful to the thousands of volunteers who turn out to remove trash from the banks and parks and roadways near the Charles,” said Emily Norton, Executive Director of Charles River Watershed Association.

Referee Passes Away After Collapsing at Watertown Basketball Game

Basketball referee Don McGillicuddy died after collapsing in the closing moments of Watertown High School’s girls basketball game against Old Rochester on Friday. Initially, Watertown Police and other medical personnel at the game revived him by performing CPR and using a defibrillator, but the Boston Herald reported that he later died on the way to hospital. According to the Herald, McGillicuddy suffered a second heart attack en route to Mount Auburn Hospital and efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. See the Herald article here. The Watertown Public Schools released the following statement on Saturday:

The Watertown Raiders community is deeply saddened by the passing of a game official who collapsed in the final seconds of the Watertown-Old Rochester Regional girls basketball game on Friday night.

Watertown Girls Basketball Cruises in Second Half to Grab State Tournament Win

Watertown senior captain Lily Lambo lead the Raiders in scoring in the Round of 32 State Tournament victory over Old Rochester on Friday. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The Watertown High School girls basketball team pulled away in the second half to cruise to a State Tournament victory, but the game abruptly ended with 37.6 seconds left when a referee collapsed and required medical attention. The referee was conscious when he was take to hospital in an ambulance after being treated by Watertown Police officers and others in attendance at the Watertown Middle School Gym. UPDATE: The Boston Herald reported that the referee later died en route to the hospital. The 11th-seeded Raiders won 47-28, but their opponent in the MIAA Div.

Watertown Walk Returns This Week with City’s New Community Engagement Specialist

The following announcement was provided by Live Well Watertown:

Mark your calendar for these weekly programs focused on city happenings, health and wellbeing, arts & culture, and local business/community features. Join us for movement, conversation, and connection! March programs are listed below. Meetup locations vary. SIGN UP HERE for reminders and check our website calendar for updates. Walks will not take place if it’s raining or below 32 degrees. 

Kick off Walk with Tyler Cote, Community Engagement SpecialistMarch 7, 2024, 1:00 – 2:00pmMeetup in Saltonstall Park’s red brick plaza, next to City Hall, 149 Main Street

Come walk and talk with the City’s NEW Community Engagement Specialist! Tyler is focused on being a resource for community members to connect with and access to share thoughts about projects and efforts happening around the city. Bring your ideas about active projects, such as Watertown Square, or share a new idea or concern you’d like Tyler to know about.

Options for Watertown Square Redesign Refined and Presented to the Public

Residents gave input about the ideas for redesigning Watertown Square during a meeting on Thursday night. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Designers gave some glimpses of what Watertown’s center could look like if the City adopts a plan to redesign and redevelop the area during Thursday night’s Watertown Square Area Plan meeting. Two main options for reworking the roadways in the Square were explored, both of which would add more open space to the area, and showed retail kiosks on the Delta. The scenarios also looked at how Watertown could meet the requirements to allow more housing to meet the MBTA Communities Act. Buildings with as much as six stories of residential units were shown in the illustrations.