Police/Fire

Man Arrested After Cigarette Links Him to Watertown Home Break In

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Watertown Police were able to link a man to a home break in through the brand of cigarette that he smokes. 

On May 1 at 11:15 p.m. Watertown Police received a call from a Winsor Avenue resident who said a man had just broken into her home, said Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor. “The man entered here apartment and she had no idea who the person was,” O’Connor said. “She was upstairs when she heard her front door open. She went downstairs and saw a male in the interior of her apartment and she began yelling for him to get out. She was able to physically push him out, locked the door and called police.”

School Start Time

School Committee Looking at Starting Day Later at the High School & Middle School

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Watertown High School and Middle School students may get to sleep in later as the School Committee considers moving the start of school later in the morning. 

Teens have different body clocks that younger students (or their parents) and research into sleep patterns find that they do not start functioning at full capacity until later in the morning, said Donna Ruseckas, the schools’ Director of Wellness and Extended Services, at Monday’s School Committee meeting. High school students need nine hours sleep and their typical sleep cycle is from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m., Ruseckas said. Studies found about 2/3 of high school students get get less than 8 hours of sleep. Ruseckas was part of the Wellness Committee that looked at the issue, and surveyed students and parents. The high school starts at 7:55 a.m. and the middle school begins the day at 7:40 a.m.
Students and Parents Surveyed
The survey found a majority of high school students (61 percent) and parents (53 percent) responded positively pushing the school start time back by 15 minutes.

Food

Phantom Gourmet Features a Watertown Restaurant

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The Phantom Gourmet came to town recently to do a feature on The Diner at 11 North Beacon. The piece spotlighted a few of the dishes featured at the Watertown Square diner, including the eggs Benedict stacked with homemade potato cakes, pumpkin pancakes and the Reuben sandwich. See all the dishes the Phantom sampled at The Diner and watch the segment by clicking here.

Government

See When the Council Will Hold its Town and School Budget Hearings

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The Town Council announced its schedule of budget hearings for the Fiscal 2017 budget (beginning July 1, 2017), which includes meetings with the heads of all the municipal and school departments. Meetings will be held in the Council Chamber on the second floor of Town Hall, 149 Main St. in Watertown. After the hearings are completed, the Town Council is expected to vote on the Fiscal 2017 budget on Tuesday, June 7. Tuesday, May 17 – 6 p.m.

Budget Overview – Town Manager
Library
Community Development and Planning

Thursday, May 19 – 6 p.m.

Treasurer/Collector
Parking Lots & Meters
Purchasing
Town Hall Maintenance
Veterans
Recreation
John A. Ryan Skating Arena
Assessor

Saturday, May 21 – 9 a.m.

Health
Council on Aging
Police Department
Personnel
Department of Public Works
Town Clerk
Elections
Information Technology
Town Council
Town Auditor
Insurance & Employment Benefits
Retirement Benefits
Debt Retirement/Capital Projects
Town Manager
General Government Budgets/Miscellaneous

Tuesday May 24 – Approximately 8 p.m. (Part of the regular Town Council Meeting).

Business

Workers at New Office Building Will Enjoy Meals Prepared by Strip T’s

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One of Watertown’s newest developments, LINX, will feature prime office space and gourmet food options as Watertown favorite Strip T’s will provide grab-and-go fare. LINX is located at 490 Arsenal Street – the former Verizon facility – and will be have a rear entrance onto Nichols Avenue. While workers can go out to eat at restaurants in Coolidge Square or Arsenal Street, they will have an in-house option, said Jeffrey Heidelberg, project manager for Boylston Properties. “We’ve been working with Paul (Maslow) for a grab-and-go type of eatery,” Heidelberg said. “He does a great job at Strop T’s and I expect he’ll do a great job at LINX.

Government

State Rep. Jonathan Hecht Announces May Office Hours

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Watertown State Rep. Jonathan Hecht announced two upcoming office hours where residents can talk to their representative on Beacon Hill. State Rep. Jonathan Hecht will hold office hours on Monday, May 9 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Raya Stern Trustees Room of the Watertown Public Library and on Thursday, May 19 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. on the third floor hallway of Watertown Town Hall. Constituents are invited to meet with Representative Hecht to discuss pending legislation or any other issue of concern to them. Anyone unable to attend these office hours can call Representative Hecht at 617-722-2140 to schedule an appointment at another time.

Entertainment

Watertown Art Gallery’s New Show features Paintings of Two Artists

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Room 83 Spring in Watertown is pleased to present Line/Place/Time/Trace, paintings by Katherine Porter and wirework by Ellen Wieske, with an opening reception on May 8.  

Poetry – in paint and in wire. Porter and Wieske distill essence from the everyday, from lives lived and things cherished. In paintings and wire reliefs, agile amalgamations of form and content unify – the geometric and figurative, the abstract and narrative, the natural and archetypal. Timelessness.

Minuteman High School

Minuteman Draws Dozens of Watertown Students, but Access May Become Limited

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Minuteman High School has 16 towns that are members of its regional school district, but the town that sends the second most students to the vocational technical school is a non-member: Watertown. While Watertown High School remains the school of choice for those from town going to public school, about a 10th go to Lexington to attend Minuteman. The school currently has about 70 students from Watertown this year. The students choose to attend the public school for a variety of reasons, but the primary reason is to take advantage of the 15 career programs.
Traditional and Modern Career Paths
These include the ones many are familiar with, such as plumbing, electrical, culinary and cosmetology. Other programs have been added to meet current needs and interests.