Police/Fire

Hundreds Come Out for 2nd Annual Watertown Finish Strong 5K Race

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On the two-year anniversary of the Watertown Shootout and Manhunt, hundreds celebrated the community spirit that followed those events during the Watertown Finish Strong 5K run and walk on Sunday. More than 700 people came out for the race, which started on Arlington Street and went through the scene of the Watertown Shootout – the intersection of Dexter Avenue and Laurel Street. The 5K race ended at Tufts Health Plan. The race was started by Erin Hurley, wife of Jeffrey Bauman, who lost both his legs during the Boston Marathon Bombing. Top five male finisher:

Paul Norton, Jamaica Plain, 16:22
Jason Dunklee, Watertown, 16:34
Christopher Leitz, Watertown, 16:59
Glen McManus, Watertown, 18:31
Richard Baggt, Watertown, 18:32

Top five female finisher:

Lisa Engler, Belmont, 21:39
Kimberly Thompson, Watertown, 22:15
Jill Carretta, Waltham, 22:19
Amy Johnson, Somerville, 22:22
Christina Santini, Medford, 22:41

See the complete race results by clicking here.

Boston Marathon Bombing

NPR Investigates What Happened During Watertown Shootout, Manhunt

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WBUR reporter and Watertown resident Bruce Gellerman set out to figure out exactly what happened during the Watertown Shootout and Manhunt, two years after the dramatic events in town. Gellerman put together a two-part audio timeline of the events for National Public Radio covering the events of April 18 and 19, 2013, when the Boston Marathon Bombing suspects carjacked a Mercedes SUV and got into a shootout with Watertown Police and the manhunt and ultimate capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The report played on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition includes interviews of Watertown Police, residents and police radio. Some of the interviews include information not included in the official report or presented at trial, in which the jury recently found Tsarnaev guilty. He said the recently released report looking at the Boston Marathon Bombing response and the shootout and manhunt in Watertown got some things wrong, and some things left out.

Development

2 Documents that Will Shape Watertown’s Future Will be Discussed Soon

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Two documents that will have a major impact on Watertown’s future will be discussed in public meetings. 

The Planning Board will hold a public hearing to continue discussion of the Design Guidelines & Standards. This document includes proposed changes to the Watertown Zoning Ordinance and will add new rules for major residential and commercial developments in town (find out more here). The meeting will be held on Thursday, April 30 at 7 p.m. in the Town Council Chamber. The Town Council and the Planning Board will get together for a public hearing on the Comprehensive Plan. This document sets out a vision for the town’s future in several categories, including land use, transportation, housing, economic development, open space, natural resources, historical and cultural resources, public services, and energy.

Around Town

Find Out How the 2015 Boston Marathon Could Impact Your Day

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Get ready for the 2015 Boston Marathon! Even if you are not running or watching in person, your driving or public transportation plans may be impacted. The following streets in Newton will be closed due from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to the 119th running of the Boston Marathon, according to Newton Police:

Commonwealth Avenue from the Boston line to Washington Street
Washington Street from Commonwealth Avenue to Beacon Street
Washington Street from Beacon Street to the Wellesley line
College Road between Commonwealth Avenue and Hammond

In addition, Homer Street between Commonwealth Avenue and Walnut Street, Walnut Street between Commonwealth Avenue and Homer Street, Cummings Road and North Street will be a Police Security Zone and will be open to abutters only from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Newton Police said. Many streets in Boston will be closed during the race, including Commonwealth Avenue, Beacon Street and Chestnut Hill Avenue in Brighton which will close at 8:30 a.m. For full details of street closings and parking restrictions click here. Most of the T system will run on a regular weekday schedule, but some MBTA routes will be impacted – mostly during the time of the Marathon.

Police/Fire

Fire Destroys Belmont Businesses Across from School Street

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A three-alarm fire destroyed Jimmy’s Food Mart and other businesses in a block just over the Belmont Line on Belmont Street. 

The Belmontonian reported that no one was injured in the blaze that destroyed the convenience store at 297 Belmont St. in Belmont that opened last year, taking the place of Shore Drug. Watertown firefighters joined the Belmont Fire Department, along with other departments, to put out the flames. Read more and see more photos on The Belmontonian by clicking here.

Letters

LETTER: Getting Your Children Offline in a Digital World

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{This is the third in a series of three letters about the Watertown Speaker Series focusing on technology and children.}

In 2015, children and adults socialize, learn, work, and play in the digital sphere. Given this new digital frontier, with rapidly available and widely accessible technological innovations, Watertown parents and community members came together to learn about healthy technology use and parenting in the digital age. The research is clear: Media use and digital devices can have negative impacts on health. A study on technology use among 8-18 year olds found that light users were more likely to report earning better grades than heavy users, got along well with parents, and were happy at school. Heavy users were more likely to report getting into trouble and being sad or unhappy.

Sports

See Which Watertown Residents are Running the 2015 Boston Marathon

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Thirty-Three Watertown residents will race the 26.2 miles of the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20, 2015. The town’s runners include 23 women and 10 men, including one elite athlete – 29-year old Nicole Casey. Four more are in the first wave and three are in the second wave. While that is a healthy number, Watertown saw a huge bump in marathoners in 2014. There were 76 local runners a year after the Marathon Bombing and the shootout and manhunt in Watertown.