Police/Fire

State Police Recovers Body from Charles River in Watertown

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The Massachusetts State Police recovered a body from the Charles River on Sunday morning, and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office does not consider the death suspicious. The State Police received a report from the Newton Yacht Club for a report of a body in the river on the Watertown side, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. “The body has been identified as an 84 year old Newton man. This death is not being considered suspicious and no foul play is suspected,” a statement from the Middlesex DA’s office said. The State Police Marine Unit and State Police Troop 11 from Brighton responded to the area of Charles River Road for the call that came in at 8:40 a.m., according to Lt. Tom Ryan of the State Police.

Schools

Watertown Middle School Classroom Kitchen Gets An Overhaul

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A kitchen used by students in the special education program at Watertown Middle School got a partial upgrade and improvement recently, bringing it into the current century. The kitchen is left over from a now defunct program at the Middle School, said Principal Kimo Carter. “Fifteen years ago we had a home economics program that got discontinued,” Carter said. “This room and the one beside it were the home ec rooms.” The room has counters, cabinets, a stove, refrigerator and microwave.

Government

School Subcommittee Recommends Adding Another Artificial Turf Field

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The demand for artificial turf field space has grown for Watertown High School’s athletic squads, and a School Committee subcommittee has recommended that the town install a second artificial turf field with lights somewhere in town. 

With football/baseball area of Victory Field covered in artificial turf it has allowed the area to be used for more hours and in more inclement weather, said WHS Athletic Director Michael Lahiff. However, there is a lot of demand for that space. In the fall, for instance, it is used by the football, field hockey, and boys soccer teams. However, the football team has priority because they cannot practice or play on the nearby Victory Field Track Oval because players would tear up the grass, Lahiff said. They are not the only team that wants to use the turf. “Field hockey wants to be on the turf, it’s a different game now (on artificial turf), and boys soccer prefers it,” Lahiff said.

Real Estate

Several Watertown Homes Sold This Week, Find Out More Here

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Here are the seven properties that sold in town this week. $510,000 – 290 Pleasant St. Unit 314, 4 room, 2 bedroom, 1 full bathroom, condo/townhouse

$675,000 – 81 Summer St. 2 unit, 10 total room, 4 total bedroom, 2 Family multi-family home

$435,000 – 158 Langdon Ave. Unit 158, 5 room, 2 bedroom, 1 full bathroom, 2/3 Family condo/townhouse

$505,000 – 3 Bromfield St., 5 room, 2 bedroom, 1 full bathroom, Bungalow single-family home

Sponsored by:

$590,000 – 17 Flint Road Unit 17, 8 room, 3 bedroom, 1 full bathroom, 2/3 Family condo/townhouse

$256,000 – 133 Warren St.

Arrests

Police Log: Internship Seeker Scammed, Gym Part of String of Robberies

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
June 6, 9:56 a.m.: An officer went to investigate a minor accident at Summer and Church streets and when he spoke to the drivers one of them exhibited signs of intoxication, including being unsteady on his feet, glassy and bloodshot eye. He also slurred his words and had an odor of alcohol on his breath. He performed three field sobriety tests and failed them all. The 57-year-old Watertown man was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol and was cited for failure to use care while driving.

Around Town

Watertown Housing Authority Director Named President of State Organization

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Watertown Housing Authority director Brian Costello will lead his fellow housing authority leaders having been elected the president of the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO). Costello was elected selected in the annual MassNAHRO conference held earlier this month in Falmouth, according to the MassNAHRO. As president, he will lead more than 240 local housing authorities across the state. “It is a great honor to be elected President of MassNAHRO by my colleagues who work so hard every day to provide safe and decent affordable housing to eligible residents of Massachusetts,” Costello said in a statement. Costello joined the Watertown Housing Authority in 1983 as a resident manager and also served as the modernization coordinator, according to the announcement from MassNAHRO.

Around Town

Saturday’s Kayaking on the Charles Event Postponed

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The Recreation Department announced that the kayaking on the Charles River event has been postponed due to bad weather. 

The event, scheduled for Saturday, June 17, will be rescheduled for Sept. 16, 2017, according to Recreation Director Peter Centola. This will be the town’s second kayaking event.

Around Town

Watertown Continues to Fight Opioid Epidemic, Offer Hope for Recovery

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Beating addiction to opioids and heroin can be a very difficult road, but the message of speakers at the WATERtown Task Force on Substance Use Disorder is that you have to keep fighting and overcome the relapses to reach recovery. The epidemic of opioids in Watertown continues to be a problem, despite a decrease in the number of overdose deaths this year, said Watertown Police Lt. Dan Unsworth, said at the event hosted by the Taxiarchae-Archagels Greek Orthodox Church in Watertown. In 2014, there was one death linked to opiates, but that number jumped to 9 in 2015 and in 2016 it went down to 6, Unsworth said. “(The drop) is likely due to the good work of the detectives of the WPD and first responders having Narcan,” Unsworth said. The anti-overdose drug works by displacing the opioids in the brain that have stopped the person’s breathing, said Dr. Laura Kehoe, who specializes in substance use at Mass.