Boston Marathon Bombing

Judge Rejects Marathon Bombing Suspect’s Request to Move Trial

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The trial of Boston Marathon Bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsaranaev will take place in Boston after a judge denied his lawyers’ request to move the trial out of state. U.S. District Court Judge George O’Toole Jr. announced his decision on Wednesday. The ruling means jury selection will begin on Monday, according to an article on WBUR’s website. Tsarnaev’s lawyers argued that their client could not a fair trial in Massachusetts because of the heavy media coverage of the bombing, search for suspects and capture of Tsarnaev. Read more here: http://www.wbur.org/2014/12/31/judge-denies-to-move-delay-tsarnaev-trial

Around Town

See the Top Photos of 2014 from Watertown News!

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In 2014, Watertown News featured photos of life around our town, some focusing on big news events, others capturing small moments. Here are the top ones of the year. 

The tragic death of Boston Fire Lt. Ed Walsh, a Watertown native, was one of the biggest stories of 2014. Tens of thousands of firefighters from around the country came to town to pay their final respects to Walsh. Plenty of photos are taken each year at graduation, from family photos to official portraits. Here member of Watertown High School’s Class of 2014 line up to have their photo taken after receiving their diplomas, as the late afternoon sun casts long shadows.

Development

Learn About Greystar’s Plans for Arsenal/Irving Streets

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The developers of a major project at Arsenal and Irving Streets in Watertown will discuss the latest details of the residential and commercial proposal. Representatives from Greystar Real Estate Partners will hold the meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 6 from 6-9 p.m. at the Watertown Free Public Library. Greystar is working with local partners Oak Tree FX, and the project is a test case for the town’s new design guidelines and standards being developed to shape how Watertown will look in the future. “This is an opportunity to view the project as currently envisioned and consider changes suggested by the ongoing design guidelines and standards being developed by the town,” the meeting notice reads.

Sports

Watertown 14U Softball Team Avenges Only Loss in Tourney

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The Watetown 14U Winter Raiders competed in a tournament and had eyes on beating the only team to hand them a loss. 

Coach Del Furbish provided this account of the tournament:

This past Saturday the 14U Winter Raiders were in the playoffs. Their mission was to play the top seed and avenge an earlier loss. The Raiders were the number two seed as their only loss came from a tough Academy team. This tournament team has been together for quite a while and won it all last year. Earlier in the season they handed the Raiders their only loss with a score of 10-3.

Business

Watertown Company Gets Millions to Fight Cancer

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Watertown’s Selecta received a major funding boost in its effort to treat cancers caused by the Human Papiloma Virus (HPV). Selecta Biosciences received a $3.2 million grant from the Russian-based Skolkovo Foundation to fund work designing a synthetic virus that would trigger a person’s immune system to fight off the cancerous cells, according to a story in the Boston Business Journal. HPV is the second most common cancer in women and leads to more than 529,000 cases of cervical cancer and 270,000 deaths annually, according to a World Health Organization report. There are 26,000 new cases of HPV-related cancers annually in the United States.

Police/Fire

Citizen Follows Drunken Driver, Leads to Arrest

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Watertown Police arrested an alleged drunken driver after an alert citizen followed the driver. 

Police received a call from a driver who was following an erratic driver on Dec. 21 at 6:02 p.m.

The driver was spotted on Arsenal Street and the citizen followed the vehicle down School Street to Mt. Auburn Street to Richards Road, said Watertown Police Lt. Michael Lawn. “Officers arrived and found the vehicle parked up on the curb and blocking part of the sidewalk,” Lawn said. “The driver was asleep behind the wheel.”