Police/Fire

2 Women Caught Running a Shoe Theft Ring at Marshalls

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Police busted two women who tried to return shoes at the Marshalls in the Arsenal Mall which they had taken from another location of the store. 

On the afternoon of May 5, security at Marshalls spotted two women in line, and bother were seen returning shoes for gift cards, said Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor. One woman returned two pairs of shoes and got a gift card for $698, O’Connor said. The second woman, identified as Brianna Andrews of Dracut, returned two pieces of clothing and two pairs of shoes for a total of $372.97, which she received on a gift card. “When she was leaving she picked up three notebooks off the sales counter and concealed them in her pocketbook,” O’Connor said. “She tried to leave without paying but she was detained by security.”

Police/Fire

Watertown Man Gets 2 Years in Federal Prison for Insider Trading

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A Boston-area real estate developer was sentenced to two years in federal prison and ordered to pay a $1 million fine after he was convicted earlier this year of engaging in insider trading for buying – and later selling – shares of Wainwright Bank & Trust Company (“Wainwright”) based on a tip that Wainwright would be acquired.  Prior to the acquisition, shares of Wainwright traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Robert H. Bray, 78, of Watertown, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young. In January, Bray, the owner of R&B Construction, a construction and real estate development company, was convicted of one count of securities fraud following a four-day trial. In June 2010, Bray was tipped by a friend who was an executive at Boston-based Eastern Bank Corp. that Wainwright would be acquired.

Entertainment

Mark Wahlberg Shoots Scene from ‘Patriots Day’ at Watertown Gas Station

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The crowd gathered across the Main Street had a hard time seeing who was the focus of all the cameras and bright lights, but when the unmistakable voice rang out, it was clear it was Boston’s own Mark Wahlberg – star of the Boston Marathon Bombing film “Patriots Day.” In the scene that was being shot on Monday night, Wahlberg rushes out of the gas station and yells about something going on in “Watertown.” Then he jumped into a silver sedan and peels out of the gas station and headed east on Main Street. The Main Street Mobile gas station at Main Street and Waverley Avenue stood in for a gas station in Cambridge. The police cars parked in front bore Cambridge Police name, not Watertown.

Around Town

Hundreds Turn Out to Support the Watertown Boys & Girls Club

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The annual Watertown Boys & Girls Club auction drew around 250 people last Thursday evening, when the raised money for the summer camp and honored some people who have helped the club over the years. The ballroom at the Oakley Country Club was hopping with people chatting, and bidding on the silent auction. Later they had a live auction with some bigger auction. Executive Director Renee Gaudette said the turnout was better than previous years. “We had 160 last year,” Gaudette said.

Schools

See the ‘Unofficial’ Minutes from the Last School Committee Meeting

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Watertown Strong Schools puts together a detailed summary of School Committee meetings, and adds its own commentary at the end. The parent group wrote these minutes for the May 2 School Committee meeting. Unofficial Minutes: School Committee Meeting 5/2/16 – Key Points and Commentary

Note: These are NOT official minutes. Commentary can be found at the end of the minutes. Committee members: Marc Sideris, Craig Hardimon, Candace Miller, Guido Guidotti, John Portz, Elizabeth Yusem, Kendra Foley, Eileen Hsu-Balzer, Charles Kellner, Dr. Jean Fitzgerald

Remembrance

A moment of silence was observed in memory of Robert Galante, site coordinator for the Lowell School Extended Day program and director for Camp Pequossette – RIP Bob!

Around Town

Watertown’s Bob Galante Remembered in Boston Globe

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The untimely passing of Watertown’s Bob Galante has been covered in local publications, and now the man who mad a big impact on the town’s youth has been remembered in a Boston Globe article. 

Galante passed away in April at the age of 39, and he was remembered by longtime friend and co-worker Peter Centola, the Director of Recreation. Always active in youth sports and activities, Galante worked in programs with children at Lowell Elementary School, was director of the Recreation Department’s Camp Pequosette summer program and coached Pop Warner football. He was honored at last week’s Watertown Youth Baseball and Softball celebration. Globe West ran a story this weekend where those who worked with him were interviewed. Read the story, which was appropriately titled “Bob Galante, a friend to one and all in Watertown,” by clicking here.

Government

Several Trees Along Arsenal Street Slated to be Removed

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A hearing will be held this week about a string of trees along Arsenal Street that are on the list to be removed. Most of trees are on the north side of the street, and stretch between Lexus of Watertown and the new apartment complex being built on Arsenal Street. According to the Watertown Tree Warden Chris Hayward’s announcement, seven honeylocust trees at 222 Arsenal Street are scheduled to be removed to make way for the proposed bikeway. Another tree on the other side, at 191 Arsenal Street, is also slated to be removed to accommodate widening of the roadway. The Tree Warden will hold hearing will be held on Thursday, May 12 at 11:30 a.m. in the Lower Hearing Room of Town Hall, 149 Main St.