Election 2017

Find Out About the Candidates for Watertown Town Councilor At-Large

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Every two years the entire Town Council is up for re-election in Watertown. This year, the race for Town Councilor At-Large features six candidates running for four spots on the board. 

Watertown News reached out to the candidates to find out more about each one and what their position are on some issues facing the town, including development, the increased cost of living in town and what they think the next big issue will be in Watertown.  

To find out about each Councilor At-Large candidate, click on the person’s name below:
Caroline Bays
Anthony Donato
Tony Palomba
David Stokes
Michael Dattoli
Michelle Cokonougher
The candidates also appeared in a Candidate forum in October. Read about it here, and find out how to watch it on the Watertown Cable website here. Watertown Cable also interviewed the candidates view the Councilor At-Large Candidate interviews here: http://wcatv.org/election-2017/council-at-large/

The other members of the Council – the four district councilors and Town Council President – are running unopposed this year.

Sports

Watertown Boys Soccer Hosting First Round Game in State Tournament

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The Watertown High School boys soccer team secured the fifth seed in the MIAA Div. 3 North Section bracket, and will host a first round game on Friday. 

The Raiders finished with a record of 11-6-1 and will host 12th seeded Whittier Tech (8-9) at Victory Field Friday at 7 p.m.

Watertown will seek to get out of the first round for the first time since 2014. Last year the Raiders fell 2-1 in double overtime to North Reading in the first round, and in 2015 they missed the tournament. In 2013, Watertown was second seed in the North and made it all the way to the state semifinal. The winner of Friday’s game plays the team that emerges from the game between No.

Arsenal Street Corridor

Residents Worry About Impact of Changes to Watertown Square, Charles River Road

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Residents living between the Charles River and North Beacon Street, east of Watertown Square, packed the Town Council Chambers well past seating capacity Tuesday night because they are concerned about traffic near their homes and how the area could be impacted by the Watertown Square Improvement project. A study of the Arsenal Street corridor for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) by consultants from VHB identified several improvements that could positively impact the major artery through the east side of Watertown. VHB’s Laura Castelli said that residents who attended public meetings about the Arsenal Street Corridor study overwhelmingly supported making improvements to Watertown Square the top priority. One major change proposed to improve flow through Watertown Square would be to remove Charles River Road from the mix, at least in one direction (in or out). The project was originally scheduled for the medium term, Castelli said, because it was thought the town would have to wait to get state road improvement funds, but it was pushed forward because it will be part of the I-Cubed project.

Around Town

Donohue’s Turkey Trot Coming Up – Sign Up for the 5K Run and Walk!

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The 12th Annual Donohue’s Turkey Trot will take place on Thanksgiving morning and registration is now open. The annual 5K run and walk starts at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 23, 2017, at Donohue’s Bar & Grill, 87 Bigelow Avenue, Watertown. Register early and save at: racemenu.com/turkeytrot

There will also be a free Kids Fun Run starting at 8:35 a.m.

All runners get a free long sleeve tech shirt, and are entered into our post-race raffle, which includes over fifty 6-packs of beer and bottles of wine! Pre-race breakfast start at 8 a.m. (scrambled eggs, sausage, and bacon)

Enjoy music and beer at Donohue’s after-party!

Schools

Details of Asbestos Report at High School, District Will Hire Firm to Remediate

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Superintendent Dede Galdston announced details of the report about the asbestos found in the Watertown Public Schools, Monday evening, including plans to remove some found in plaster on the walls of classrooms at Watertown High School. The study was conducted by EFI Global, the consultant hired to do the work as part of the district’s requirement under the Asbestos Hazardous Emergency Response Act (AHERA). The schools must do the inspection every three years, and last week Galdston said that more powerful testing methods found asbestos not detected in prior years. Asbestos was discovered in skim coat plaster at the high school. Air quality was also tested in the rooms where damaged plaster was found, and Galdston said that it came in 10 times lower than the limit allowed by the EPA.

Police/Fire

Updated: Police Seeking Identity of Woman Who Stole Wallet at Russo’s

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Update: Watertown Police announced on Nov. 3 that they had identified the woman. Original story:

Watertown Police seek help identifying a woman suspected of taking a wallet from Russo’s. 

On Oct. 24 at 4:45 p.m. a woman reported that her wallet had been taken from the market on Pleasant Street. The woman mistakenly left her wallet in a shopping carriage when she was putting her groceries into her vehicle. When she realized what she had done she returned to the store, but the wallet was gone, according to Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor.

Sports

Watertown Runner Wins Title at Middlesex League Cross Country Meet

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Watertown senior Emily Koufos ran past the competition to win the Middlesex League Cross Country Meet on Monday. Koufos ran the 2.5 mile course at Woburn Country Club in a time of 14:57.60, which was 15 seconds ahead of the second place finisher. The finish was an improvement over last season when Koufos placed fifth at the Middlesex League meet. She went on to win the MIAA Div. 5 Meet, 12th at the Div.

Sports

Watertown Field Hockey Enters State Tournament as Second Seed in North

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For the first time in years Watertown High School field hockey team heads into the MIAA State Tournament in the unfamiliar position of not being the top seed in the North Section. The brackets released Monday morning have Watertown seeded second, behind Manchester-Essex. The Raiders’ only blemish is a loss to Winchester, but the Hornets have no losses and just one tie. The last time Watertown was second seeded was 2009 when they also were behind Manchester. That year, the Raiders beat Manchester in the North Section final and won the State title.