Sports

Group Club Meet in Watertown Each Week for Runs of Various Distances

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Each week a group called the Watertown Pacemakers gather at spots around Watertown to go on runs of various lengths, and they welcome runners of different levels. 

The free community running group was started in January by Jimi Oke, and so far a handful of people have joined them, said fellow group member Cat Sherrill. Runs begin at 7 a.m. on Saturdays, starting at a location in town. “We have several starting locations that rotate weekly (Starbucks on Mt. Auburn St, Panera Bread, Lilly’s Bakery, Linda’s Donuts, Kefi’s Kitchen) and offer 3, 5, 8 and 10 mile runs typically,” Sherrill said. The runs can go other lengths, depending on the starting point.

Schools

School Business Manager Named Asst. Supt. as Part of Change in Administration Structure

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Mary DeLai has served as the Watertown Public School’s Interim Business Manager since November, but she has had the interim removed from her title and also given new duties. 

At Monday’s School Committee meeting, Interim Superintendent John Bracket announced that DeLai has been appointed the Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations. This is a new position for the Watertown schools. DeLai will start her new position on July 1. Brackett said he was happy to have her continue working in Watertown. “When we were looking for an interim business manager people kept saying ‘if you could get Mary Delai, your district would be in great shape,'” Brackett said.

Real Estate

See the Properties Hosting Open Houses in Watertown This Week

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More than a dozen open houses are planned in Watertown this weekend. $499,900 – 123 Grove St. Unit 123, 5 room, 2 bed, 2.5 bath townhouse, Open Houses: Saturday 12-1:30 Sunday 2-3:30

$499,900 – 151 Coolidge Ave. Unit 402, 7 room, 2 bed, 2 bath high-rise, Open Houses: Saturday 2-3:30 Sunday 11:30-1

$619,000 – 14 Harnden Ave., 6 room, 3 bed, 1.5 bath colonial, Open Houses: Saturday 11:30-1:30 Sunday 12-2

$739,900 – 7 Oliver Road, 2 unit, 10 total room, 4 total bedroom 2 family, Open Houses: Saturday 2-4 Sunday 3-4:30

$999,000 – 182 Standish Road, 11 room, 5 bed, 2.5 bath colonial, Open Houses: Friday 11-12:30 Saturday 12-2 Sunday 12-2

$659,000 – 115 Irving St. Unit 115, 10 room, 3 bed, 2.5 bath townhouse, Open Houses: Friday 6:30-7:30 Saturday 12-1:30 Sunday 12-1:30 Monday 6:30-7:30

Sponsored by:

$549,000 – 13 Hosmer St.

Boston Marathon

Watertown Woman Ran Toward Danger at 2013 Marathon, Event Still Inspires Her

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Last month, Kelsey Barry ran the Boston Marathon for the fourth time. The 28-year-old Watertown resident also ran in 2013, and it profoundly changed her life. Barry was about five minutes from finishing the Marathon in 2013 when she and other runners came to a sudden stop. At first police and spectators could not provide any information, but a few minutes later word spread that a first b0mb had gone off near the finish line. Unlike others, however, Barry did not flee from the danger.

Charles River

Bag of Drugs May Belong to Man Caught Trying To Evade Arrest by Jumping in River

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Watertown Police announced they are seeking to link a suspect in a drug arrest to a bag full of multiple drugs found near where he abandoned his car and jumped into the Charles River two weeks ago. London Cohen, 28, of Chelsea, was arrested on April 17 on charges of possession with intent to distribute a Class B Drug – cocaine, drug violations near a school or park, and multiple vehicle charges related to the chase on which he lead police. Police began following Cohen on Whitcomb Street, and tried to pull his grey Honda Accord over on Waverley Avenue. He pulled over on Summer Street but when the officer got out of his vehicle Cohen sped away, said Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor. Officers followed him to Pleasant Street where Cohen jumped out of his car, headed toward the Charles River Path.

Environment

Town Looking for Ways to Reduce Amount of Water Going into Storm Drains

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The Town of Watertown has multiple incentives to reduce the amount of rain water flowing into storm drains and eventually into the Charles River, including preventing street flooding and reducing the amount of pollution going into the river – which will be part of the new and stricter Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements. The EPA requirements come out in Jul and the town will receive a new permit which will include more stringent requirements to reduce pollution of the river. The Department of Public Works seeks to find ways to prevent rain water from running down streets and driveways into storm drains, and out into the Charles River, because stormwater is a major cause of pollution in the river. Sometimes small storms can be worse for pollution than bigger ones, Shuman said. “We call it the first flush,” Shuman said. “The first quarter inch of rain picks up all the pollutants from the roads and it runs into the storm drains.”

Enrollment

Enrollment for Kindergarteners Put on Hold at 2 Watertown Schools

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Kindergarten classes at two of Watertown’s three elementary schools are close to full, and school officials will put enrollment for kindergarten at those schools on hold. 

Monday night, Interim Superintendent John Brackett told the School Committee that enrollment projections at Hosmer and Cunniff elementary schools show that the classes could be on the top end of the class size guidelines. “We want to make sure we don’t get caught short on enrollment and class size,” Brackett said. “We are most closely following kindergarten projections, which are up quite considerably.” At Hosmer the current projection is 112 kindergartners, Brackett said, which would mean 6 classes of 18 or 19 students. At Cunniff, the number of kindergartners is projected to be 57.

Entertainment

Four Artists Featured in Latest Show at Watertown’s Room 83 Spring

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Room 83 Spring’s latest show, Referent, features the artwork of John Franklin, Matthew King, Andrew Mowbray, and Kate Russo. What agency does geometric abstraction have in the 21st century? Defying easy artistic categorization, John Franklin, Matthew King, Andrew Mowbray, and Kate Russo employ the modernist idiom in a retooled mind-tangle of pop culture and social relevance. Relational and humanist, the hard edge is rendered expressive, softened by the human hand and choice of materials. Flatness becomes dimensionally resonant, confounded by stitching, cutting, and ritualized practice.