Entertainment

Find Out About Eliza Dushku’s Latest Project

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 Watertown-native Eliza Dushku will be headed to the Motor City to work on her latest big screen project. Dushku and co-star Chase Crawford will be filming “Eloise” in a former psychiatric hospital – the Wayne County Poor House – in the Detroit suburb of Westland, according to a story on Michigan-based MLive.com. (Click here to read the full story). In the movie, four friends break into the abandoned institution to find proof that they are in line for a big inheritance. While in the former insane asylum, “the group not only finds that the institution houses a horrifying history but also the truth about their own tragic pasts,” according to a report on Deadline.com.

Around Town

Watertown Police Log: Drunken Driver Strikes 3 Cars, Laptop Taken

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests

April 15, 8:59 p.m.: A 52-year-old Watertown man was arrested on charges of simple assault, domestic assault and battery and on two outstanding warrants. He was arrested on Robert Ford Road. April 16, 4:48 p.m.: A 35-year-old Watertown man was arrested after an incident on Warren Street. He faces charges of domestic assault and battery on a person over age 60.

Sports

Take Me Out to the Ball Game – in Watertown!

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It’s time to play ball for Watertown’s young baseball and softball players. Opening Day for Watertown Baseball, Watertown Softball and Watertown Challenger is Saturday, May 3. Teams will kick off the season with a parade, beginning at Saltonstall Park on Main Street, and ending at Casey Field on Watertown Street. The parade will be led by Watertown Fire Chief Mario Orangio. Casey Field will host the opening ceremonies, then there will be a full slate of games.

Around Town

New Group Seeks Watertown’s Input on Public Transit

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Watertown residents concerned about how the town is served by public transportation are invited to join a discussion this week. The newly formed Watertown Task Force on Public Transit will meet for the first time on Thursday, May 1 at the Watertown Free Public Library in the Trustee’s Room at 7 p.m.

The town has officially requested the MBTA to engage in dialog about the state of public transit in town, and the task force is gathering comments from residents. “We are going to set up a permanent body of citizens to debate and talk about public transit issues, and bring up ideas and propose solutions to the state representatives and the MBTA,” said Joe Levendusky, a resident who helped start the task force. ”

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The meeting will help lay out the comments that will be presented to Beverly Scott, general manager of the MBTA, who is expected to attend a Town Council meeting on May 27, Levendusky said. The task force is an initiative of Sustainable Watertown.

Around Town

Watertown Budget Will Be Revealed This Week

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Details about the Fiscal 2015 budget – including how much money the schools will receive – will be made public on Tuesday evening. Town Manager Michael Driscoll will present his budget to the Town Council on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Town Hall. The School Committee approved Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald’s request for $42 million from the town, which would be $6 million  or 16 percent more than the funding received in Fiscal 2014 (click here for more details). When Driscoll presented his preliminary budget in October he said all departments, including the schools, should expect a 3 percent increase. Two weeks ago, Driscoll said the school budget request, which included more than 30 new jobs (including 22 new teachers), would actually cost the town $341,ooo more than requested because of health care and other benefits.

Business

Watertown Company Suffers Data Breach

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Watertown-based Tufts Health Plan reported a data breach that compromised some of its customers’ personal information. Details including Social Security numbers, names and birth dates for nearly 9,000 customers was stolen, according to a report in the Boston Globe. The information taken did not include medical or financial information. Read the entire Boston Globe article here: http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/04/24/personal-information-stolen-from-more-than-members-tufts-health-plan/jAwJkp4WQDCWPwQYCNNquM/story.html 

Business

Watertown Safari Company Embroiled in Controversy

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Watertown-based Thomson Safaris has been accused of illegally taking land in Tanzania and mistreating locals, but the company maintains the accusations are all fictional. Thomson Safaris faces charges in Tanzanian courts that the company is accused of  driving the Maasai people off their land in order to buy it, according to a report in the Boston Globe. The more than 12,000 acres is used to take visitors on safari. While the company was ordered by the U.S. Federal Court to turn over information on the land acquisition, the owners – Rick Thomson and Judi Wineland of Watertown – said the charges are false and were brought by another group in Tanzania that wanted to buy the land. Read the entire Boston Globe report by clicking here.

Business

Details Announced About New Hotel in Watertown

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The new hotel proposed for Arsenal Street in Watertown will be run by Marriott and will be six stories tall and have nearly 150 rooms, developers announced Thursday night. The hotel would be an extended stay hotel, and cater to businesses in and around Watertown, said Bill McQuillan, principle of Boylston Properties, the developer of the hotel and new owner of the Arsenal Mall – now known as the Arsenal Project. The hotel would be replace the former Saab dealership. “We expect to draw from three to five miles away – businesses, international visitors to Perkins (School), universities and colleges in the area,” McQuillan said. “Harvard, for sure, and BU, BC and Bentley will all have customers here.”