Watertown Boys Basketball’s Comeback Falls Short in State Tourney

Charlie BreitroseWatertown senior Ben Kullman dives for a loose ball in the State Tournament game against Rockland. Down 10 poinst late, the Watertown High School boys basketball team had a chance to reduce the deficit to two in the waning moments of the State Tournament game Wednesday night, but the Raiders fell to Rockland, 50-42. Charlie BreitroseWatertown junior Jeffrey Kerbin shoots against Rockland. He scored 11 points for the Raiders. The first half of the MIAA Div.

Council Approves Replacing Victory Field Turf with New Artificial Turf in Divided Vote

Charlie BreitroseThe City Council voted to replace the artificial turf at Victory Field with a new artificial surface. A new artificial turf surface will replace the current one at Victory Field’s stadium and baseball area. Victory Field’s turf is used by seven Watertown High School teams — football, field hockey, boys and girls soccer, baseball and boys and girls lacrosse — along with Recreation Department programs, youth sports teams, and informal use by residents. City Councilors approved the decision to put a turf surface with organic material between the plastic blades of grass in a split vote on Tuesday night. Before their decision the Council heard an hour and 20 minutes of comments from the public, with opinions on both sides but more supporting replacing the surface with new artificial turf.

Youth Sports Program Comes Together to Remember a Hockey Mom & Raise Money

Charlie BreitroseMothers from the Watertown Youth Hockey skated a lap of honor in memory of their friend Jami Curley at John A. Ryan Arena. Recently, the Watertown Youth Hockey community came together for their annual fundraiser, and also paid tribute to a hockey mom who recently lost her battle with cancer. The Skate-a-thon took place on Feb. 14 at John A. Ryan Arena. During the event, young hockey players did 50 turns around the ice.

Police Log: Car Left on Cinderblocks After Wheels Taken, Multiple Mail Fishing Scams

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

Feb. 16, 3:10 p.m.: Police received a report of a vehicle with a man who might be intoxicated inside on North Beacon Street. When officers arrived, they found a vehicle with two wheels up on the sidewalk, partially blocking the driveway to MacDonald Academy of Martial Arts. The man inside showed signs of intoxication, including an overwhelming odor of alcohol, glassy and bloodshot eyes, and there were several empty Jim Beam nips bottles in the vehicle.

City Council Will Discuss Replacing Victory Field Turf Tuesday

Charlie BreitroseWatertown’s Victory Field. The City Council will consider funding the replacement of the turf at Victory Field at its meeting on Tuesday. The field currently has an artificial turf surface with plastic grass and black rubber fill in between. The proposed new field would have plastic grass, but the fill would be an organic material made from pine trees. The artificial turf was installed in 2011, replacing a natural grass field.

Watertown Dance School Will be Closing After a Dozen Years

After teaching children to dance in Watertown for a dozen years, Miss Maria’s School of Dance will close later this year. This week, Maria Zullo, or Miss Maria to her students, sent a letter to parents and students on Feb. 24 announcing that her studio will be closing in June. She cited the challenges of the Pandemic and its aftermath as factors in her decision. The studio will host one more round of recital shows before closing, Zullo said, and there will be time for current and former students to come in to say goodbye to the teachers.

Share Your Memories of the Shootout & Capture of the Boston Marathon Bombers

The aftermath at Laurel Street at Dexter Avenue after the Watertown Police faced the Boston Marathon Bombers. It’s hard to believe that in April it will be an entire decade since the day the Watertown Police faced the Boston Marathon Bombers in the East End, the shelter-in-place during the hunt for the remaining suspect, and the ultimate capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in a boat in the yard of a house on Franklin Street. Watertown News is collecting the stories and photos of people who saw it firsthand, those who lived in town at the time, and even people who didn’t reside here, but remember that day. My Memories

In 2013, I was working for the Patch, and remember awakening not to the sound of gunshots, but to the dings of my cellphones as reporters and editors shot texts back and forth. Imagine my surprise when I realized the Bombers had been tracked down to my town!