Police/Fire

Traffic Stop Leads to Arrest of Two Suspected Drug Dealers

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Watertown Police arrested two men suspected of having drugs they intended to sell after they allegedly ran a red light in Watertown Square. 

On May 29 at 9:45 p.m., an officer spotted a driver run a red light at Mt. Auburn and Summer streets, and when the officer spoke to the driver and the passenger, a strong odor of marijuana was coming from the car, said Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor. When the officer asked the driver about the smell, the driver produced a glass mason jar containing marijuana, O’Connor said. The officer also observed that the passenger was extremely nervous and was holding a backpack on his lap. “He observed a white powdery substance spread around the whole center console area of the vehicle, which he believed to be cocaine,” O’Connor said.

Around Town

Extra Staffing Will Allow Fire Department to Provide Paramedic Service

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Watertown residents will soon be getting faster ambulance service, thanks in part to the permanent addition of four member of the Watertown Fire Department. Fire Chief Mario Orangio thanked Town Manager Michael Driscoll and the Town Council Tuesday night for adding the salaries of four firefighters into the town budget after they had been paid for by the federal SAFER grant for two years. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing on the SAFER hires,” Orangio said. “You have heard me the past few years saying how important it is to increase staffing. It will make a difference to the services we provide.”

Arsenal Project

Future of Arsenal Mall Comes Into Focus on Tour of Site

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Interested residents got a firsthand look at where the buildings at the Arsenal Mall will be going in the newly renovated mall. Wednesday evening, the folks designing the mall led a walking tour of the area to try to give people a better idea of how the new project will look. There will be some major changes, including three buildings in what is now the main parking long in front of the mall. Also, a residential tower at least 12 stories high. Some familiar things will remain – the two long historic brick buildings that date back to the time when the property was part of the Watertown Arsenal.

Government

State Rep. Hecht Invites Public to Meet Him During Office Hours

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State Rep. Jonathan Hecht will hold office hours twice in Watertown during June. Constituents are invited to meet with Representative Hecht, Monday, June 6 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Watertown Free Library in the Raya Stern Trustees Room and Thursday, June 16 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at Watertown Town Hall in the Third Floor Hallway. Anyone unable to attend these office hours can call Representative Hecht at 617-722-2140 to schedule an appointment at another time.

Sports

Raiders Boys Lacrosse Rolls in Tournament, Girls Eliminated

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Watertown’s boys lacrosse team demolished Lunenberg in the first round of the MIAA tournament on Thursday. The seventh-seeded Raiders defeated the 1oth-seeded visitors 19-5 in the Div. 3 Central/East Section game at Victory Field. Watertown improves to 7-10 and will head to No. 2 seed Weston (15-3) for the section quarterfinal on June 4 at 5 p.m.
Girls Lacrosse
The Raiders girls lacrosse squad suffered an 18-3 loss to Medfield Wednesday in the East Section Div.

Police/Fire

BREAKING: Watertown Bank Robbed in Broad Daylight Wednesday

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Watertown Police seek a man who came into a Main Street bank Wednesday afternoon and robbed the bank. Employees at Santander Bank at 75 Main St. in Watertown activated the alarm after a man demanded money from a teller. “The suspect entered the bank and approached teller, initially speaking in Portuguese. He then began speaking English and demanded that the teller hand over money,” Watertown Police announced. “The suspect was given an undisclosed amount of cash.”

Baseball

WHS Sports: Track Excels at Div. 4 Meet; Teams Ready for State Tourney

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The Watertown track team continued a successful season, with a number of top performances at the Div. 4 meet in Norwell this weekend. The boys team finished fifth place in the team competition with 44 points, thanks a couple of wins, and other high finishes on Saturday. Raider standout Austin Lin won the 400 meters with a time of 49.89. The senior is a school record holder in the indoor 600 meters.

Schools

Town Council Likes Direction Which Watertown Schools are Heading

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Town Councilors liked what they heard from Watertown School officials, who discussed plans to teach foreign language in the elementary schools, giving all students laptops and other initiatives during the school budget hearing. The town’s portion of the Fiscal 2017 school budget is $43.57 million, plus the schools will receive $375,000 in money for one-time curriculum initiatives, Town Manager Michael Driscoll said. The schools will add 34 positions which will add up to the equivalent of 20.25 full-time employees, according to Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald. Among the positions are a district Elementary Math & Science Coordinator, two music teachers, a high school engineering teacher, an hourly garden coordinator, a maker space assistant for the middle school and a journalism instructor at the high school. After years of cutting positions, and restoring these jobs, Fitzgerald said the district can now look at adding programs.

“I think we are turning the corner from reinstatement to growth, and I think that is great,” Fitzgerald said.