Arrests

Police Log: Man Tries to Walk Away from Hit & Run Accident, Fendi Bags Stolen

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrest
April 7, 10:50 p.m.: An officer patrolling near Palfrey Street was called to the area for an accident and saw a man walking down the sidewalk and a second man running after him. About the same time, dispatch received a call for an accident where a driver hit a parked car on Palfrey Street. The second man told police that he saw the first man get out of his car which was parked in the middle of the street, just down the street. The officers talked to the man who is suspected to have been driving the car and he had an odor of alcohol on his breath, so police conducted field sobriety tests.

Government

See the Trees Available From the Town to Plant in Front of Your Home

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Watertown Tree Warden Chris Hayward released the list of tree species available for residents for the Spring of 2016. There are 17 trees available, and the come in small (15-25 feet tall), medium (25-40 feet) and large (40-90 feet) sizes. See the list here. Hayward sent out the following information:

If you would like a tree to be planted, please email your top three choices to the Tree Warden at chayward@watertown-ma.gov. He will come out to your site to see if there is a suitable planting location and let you know whether a tree can or cannot be planted. Keep in mind, if you are interested, that trees can also be planted on private property within 20-feet of the public right of way.

Sports

Watertown Hockey Player Continues His Quest to Play in College

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Tyler Gardiner, one of the leaders of Watertown High School’s successful boys hockey team, will keep his dream of playing in college alive by playing for a year with the Boston Junior Rangers of the Eastern Hockey League. Gardiner recently signed with the Junior Rangers’ Premier team, the higher of the two levels. He said this is a typical path to playing hockey in college. “Most colleges don’t take kids under 21. They go to the juniors or have a year of prep school,” Gardiner said.

Gay Rights

Council Votes Against Barring Travel to North Carolina to Protest Anti-LGBT Rights Law

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After a lively debate Tuesday night, the Watertown Town Council voted against a proposal to bar travel by town employees to North Carolina in response to that state’s adoption of the bill that revokes any protection of gays, lesbians, transexuals and bisexuals, and bars any laws from being made. 

The proposal was brought up by Councilor Susan Falkoff, who proposed the ban be studied by the Council’s Human Services and Rules and Organization subcommittees. She included exceptions if the travel was required to enforce the laws of Massachusetts or if the town is for something the town contractually required to do. Falkoff was not able to attend the meeting, and Councilor Tony Palomba read a letter she wrote. She noted that law has prompted response from other cities, such as Boston, New York, San Francisco and Seattle, have banned travel by their employees. Others have responded too, including Paypal, which said it would not expand to North Carolina, and entertainers such as Bruce Springsteen and Ringo Starr, who cancelled concerts in protest of the law.

Real Estate

Watertown Has Plenty of Open Houses to Check Out This Weekend

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Home seekers have several properties to look at this weekend around Watertown. $599,000 – 29 Harrington St. Unit 29, 6 room, 3 bed, 3.5 bath townhouse, Open Houses: Saturday 3-4 p.m. Sunday 12:30-1:30 p.m.

$599,000 – 31 Harrington St. Unit 31, 6 room, 3 bed, 3.5 bath townhouse, Open Houses: Saturday 3-4 p.m. Sunday 12:30-1:30 p.m.

$730,000 – 14 Warren St. Unit 1, 7 room, 3 bed, 4.5 bath townhouse, Open House: Saturday 12-2 p.m.

$715,000 – 12 Warren St.

Boston Marathon Bombing

Patriots Day Movie Filming in Famous Beantown Drinking Spot

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The Patriots Day movie, which will include scenes from the Watertown shootout and manhunt, has started filming, and this week is in Jamaica Plain. 

Crews were at Doyle’s restaurant and pub on Washington Street in JP today, and will be shooting there for a few days, according to Jamaica Plain News. Read the whole story here. The scene being shot at Doyle’s may include police officers. Patriots Day stars Mark Wahlberg as a police officer – a character which is a composite of a few people. His wife will be played by Michelle Monaghan, who appeared in another Boston-area film, “Gone Baby Gone.” The movie recently added Kevin Bacon as the FBI Special Agent in Charge in Boston.

Government

Town Council Considering Whether to Give Itself a Raise

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{This story was updated on April 15 at 4:10 p.m. to clarify the beginning of the new Council salary.}

The Town Council will consider giving itself a $1,500 raise, or boost of 50 percent – which would be the first increase in the new millennium. Currently, Town Council members receive $5,000 per year, and the Council President receives $6,500, including a stipend for serving on the School Committee. A proposal was made by the Personnel and Town Organization subcommittee to raise the salary to $7,500, according to the subcommittee’s report. Under the Town’s charter raise would not kick in until the beginning of the next Town Council term, which would be Jan. 1, 2018.

Boston Globe Art Awards

Two Watertown Students Honored in Boston Globe Art Awards

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Two Watertown High School students received honors in the most prestigious statewide art contest in Massachusetts. Seniors Julia Harrington and Emily Hart received awards in the 2o16 Boston Globe Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, run in conjunction with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Harrington received a Gold Key, the highest honor, in the drawing competition and Hart got two honorable mentions in the painting competition, said their teacher, Donna Calleja at a recent School Committee meeting. The contest is the oldest in the nation, at 93, and the Boston Globe competition feeds into the National Medalists in Art and Writing  awards. Competition is a tough one, Calleja said.