Police/Fire

Watertown Police Recover Missing Football Signed by Brady, Bledsoe

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Watertown Police DepartmentThe missing football signed by three Patriots, including Tom Brady, was recovered after an undercover investigation. A football autographed by some New England Patriots legends went missing from a Watertown business about a month ago, but the ball was intercepted by police when the thief tried to sell it online. The ball that was signed by Tom Brady, Drew Bledsoe and Damon Huard belongs to local plumbing business J.C. Cannistratro. During a recent move, however, the ball went missing. On Wednesday, detectives from two police departments recovered the ball.

Around Town

Group that Sends Care Packages to Military Personnel May be Grounded by Change in Mail Rules

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For 20 years, Operation American Soldier has been sending out a piece of home to men and women serving in the U.S. Military overseas from Watertown, but the pipeline of care packages appears to be coming to a sudden halt with a change in rules for shipping packages to military bases. Co-founder Wendy Rocca recently learned that the flat-rate boxes used to send the care packages will soon no longer be available, and the rates will be much higher. “It was $15.30 (per box) at the Christmas-time rush. It was $14 and change for the rest of the year,” Rocca said. “Now we do not have the flat rate.

Around Town

Watertown High Grad Plays on NCAA Title Winning Soccer Team

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Watertown’s Julio Fulcar finished up his college soccer career at Syracuse with a win in the National Championship game

When the Syracuse University men’s soccer team lifted the championship trophy in December, one of players celebrating was Watertown’s own Julio Fulcar. The Watertown High School graduate played for the Orange for five years, including this year as a graduate student. This season, Syracuse won the soccer National Championship for the first time in school history, finishing 19-2-4, and won the ACC regular season division, and the ACC tournament. Watertown News caught up with Fulcar, who said that being able to achieve the team’s ultimate goal was a very special experience. “It is difficult to describe the feelings one feels when they know they are a part of a real team but it is an unforgettable feeling, one I have been fortunate enough to feel twice now; the high school basketball team from 2018 echoes many of the same sentiments I had this past fall at Syracuse,” Fulcar said. 

Syracuse AthleticsWatertown’s Julio Fulcar kicks the ball in a game against Louisville.

Sports

4 Watertown Athletes Garner Boston Globe All-Scholastic Honors

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown senior co-captain Maggie Driscoll shoots the ball in the 2022 State Final. Driscoll was named the Div. 3 Player of the Year by the Boston Globe. The Fall season had many highlights for Watertown High School teams — including a state championship and a rivalry victory at Fenway Park. For their role in the successful season, four Raiders received All-Scholastic honors from the Boston Globe.

Government

Watertown One of First Communities to Adopt Energy Efficient Construction Requirement

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With the City Council’s adoption of the state’s Specialized Stretch Code, Watertown became one of the first communities to adopt the code and continued efforts to make buildings in the community energy efficient. The Council had already adopted the Massachusetts Stretch Code, but communities have to separately adopt the Specialized Stretch Code, which calls for net-zero energy buildings by 2050. The code applies only to new construction. Adopting the Specialized Stretch Code is another step in the direction that the City has been heading toward energy efficiency, Council President Mark Sideris said before the Council’s unanimous vote. “I think this is consistent with what this City Council has been doing, from solar arrays on roofs and hybrid vehicles in our fleet when possible and net zero schools,” Sideris said.