Boston Marathon Bombing

Watertown Scenes in ‘Patriots Day’ to be Shot in MetroWest Suburb

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Filmmakers will recreate the Watertown Shootout and the scene around the boat where Dzhohkar Tsarnaev was captured will be shot in Framingham. The shooting of “Patriots Day” has hit top gear, and WBZ-TV Channel 4 reports that the town in the MetroWest will be the stand-in for Watertown. Originally, filmmakers wanted to used the same streets where Watertown Police battled the Boston Marathon Bombers as the scene for their film, but the idea had some strong opposition in town and Town officials decided to pass on the opportunity. David Henneberry, the owner of the boat, told the Boston Herald he had no interest in participating in the film. Forced to look for a new spot, they chose Framingham.

Business

New Watertown Restaurant Offers a Mix of Asian Cuisines

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Asian food lovers have a new place to dine in town, where they can satisfy cravings for both Thai food and sushi. 

J. Dee Asian Bistro opened in late March at 92 Main St., in Watertown, the spot formerly occupied by Upper Crust. Owner Tony Hongsamat said his restaurant is a combination of the food from his hometown and of food he learned to make while working for restaurants in the Boston area. “For the Thai food, we know there is a lot of Asian food around here, so we try to make our dishes more like what we have in Thailand,” Hongsamat said. One of the dishes you might not find other places is Moo Na Now, which is BBQ pork shoulder with fresh chili-and-garlic lime sauce. They also offer the traditional Thai curry dishes, as well as favorites such as Pad Thai, which comes regular or country style – as it is prepared in Thailand.

Schools

Three Watertown Students Honored in the Will McDonough Writing Contest

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Watertown High School had three students selected as honorees in the Will McDonough Writing Contest, including two first place winners. 

The contest, named after the former Boston Globe sportswriter, received more than 1,200 entries from students around the area this year, and Watertown had its share of success. Watertown’s Sofia Farhadi received first place in the 12th grade contest, and Nicole Frisoli got first place in the 11th grade competition. Also honored was senior Nathan Ryan, who received an honorable mention. The first place winners were honored at a ceremony at the The Sports Museum at the TD Garden in Boston. Longtime sportscaster Sean McDonough (son of Will McDonough) spoke to the winners and the ceremony also featured appearances and speeches from his sister Erin McDonough, sportswriter Jackie MacMullan, and Celtics Vice President of Media Services/Alumni Relations Jeff Twiss, according to The Sports Museum.

Schools

Watertown Alums Want to Honor Former Principal With Plaque at Middle School

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A group of students who attended the old West Junior High School wanted to honor their former principal, Jack Burns, and decided to pay for a plaque at the middle school. Earlier this month June Ford and Mike Younger, who attended West Junior High from about 1975-77, appeared at the School Committee’s Building and Grounds Subcommittee and Ford made an emotional plea for permission to install the plaque. “You were never a number for him. He cared about you,” Ford said. “He not only cared about you as a student, but as a person.”

Sports

See the Times for Watertown Runners in the 2016 Boston Marathon

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Once again Watertown had a large contingent running the Boston Marathon in 2016, with 31 residents finishing the full 26.2 miles. The top finisher from Watertown was Christopher Hine, whose time of 2:51:35 placed him 592nd overall. Jason Dunklee also finished in the top 1,000, at 669th and he also finished 64th in the men’s 40-44 division. The top female runner from town was Laurie Nahigian, who ran the race in 3:17:15. She placed 547th among women in the race, and was 18th in the women’s 45-49 division.

Around Town

Hundreds Celebrate Watertown Strong Spirit at 3rd Annual 5K Run

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Nearly 500 runners and walkers came out to take part in the race that was created to celebrate the spirit shown in Watertown after the capture of the Boston Marathon Bombers. 

Participants in third annual Watertown Strong 5K enjoyed sunny weather on Sunday. New Police Chief Michael Lawn thanked all those who came out to join in the race, or just to come watch. He remembered how the Watertown community pulled together during the lockdown and celebrated after the the capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on April 19, 2013. Retired-Police Chief Edward Deveau also attended the event, which started and ended at Tufts Health Plan. As she has the last two years, Caillie Hughes performed her song “That Night” and sang the National Anthem before the race.

Police/Fire

Watertown Firefighters Douse 2 Alarm Fire at Company on Walnut Street

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A fire ignited around dawn at an empty lab on Walnut Street Monday morning, and Watertown Firefighters knocked down the two-alarm blaze in a potentially hazardous situation. Doble Engineering was closed when the Fire Department received a report of an alarm at about 6:30 a.m. Monday, said Deputy Fire Chief Rob Iannetta. “It came in as a regular smoke detector activation, like we have done 100 times before,” Iannetta said. “When we go there, the whole first floor was filled with smoke. Soon after the sprinkler system activated.”