Charity

Whooley Foundation Provides Gifts for Watertown Kids in Need

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Each year, just before Christmas, the Community Room at the Watertown Police Station fills with toys destined for families struggling during the holiday season. The effort is the continuation of the work of the late-Sgt. John “Sonny” Whooley – a Watertown Police officer who made it his mission to make the children in the community a little happier, said Det. David Collins, who oversees the drive these days. Members of the Watertown Police and Fire departments do much of the work.

Sports

5 Watertown Athletes Make Herald’s All-Scholastic Teams

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The Boston Herald named five Watertown High School athletes to its All-Scholastic teams in football, field hockey and soccer. Raiders’ quarterback Nick Giordano made the Herald’s football All-Scholastic team, named Sunday. He helped lead Watertown to its first Middlesex League title since 1983 and a 9-2 record, including a second straight playoff birth and a win over Belmont. Giordano threw for 1,110 yards and 11 touchdowns, and ran for 850 yards and eight TDs, according to the Herald. In his Watertown career he had more than 3,500 yards of offense and 41 touchdowns.

Environment

LETTER: Watertown Resident Joining Community Solar Program

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Dear Editor and Watertown Neighbors,

I know that many of you have received information about a current Watertown solar initiative called Neighborhood Solar. Recently, my husband, David Breakstone, and I decided to explore this option.  We had no idea what to expect. 

I attended one of the informational meetings and found Ben Mayer of SunBug well-organized, informative, and willing to answer all questions. The program and the process made sense, so David and I asked SunBug Solar, Neighborhood Solar’s installer, to do a site visit and give us a proposal. We thought we would not be good candidates because our roof is already partly covered with solar thermal panels for hot water. Ben Mayer’s site visit affirmed that we could indeed have solar photovoltaic panels.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Target Catches Serial Shoplifters, Employee Caught Stealing Cash

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests

Dec. 9, 3:30 p.m.: Target security spotted three people who had been in the store the day before and took items and got away before they could stop them. They suspected the three were the same people who had been scamming Target stores around the Boston area. The were seen taking clothes and video games and went to the back of the store where they placed them into target shopping bags.

Real Estate

Take a Look at the Homes that Sold in Watertown This Week

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Three homes sold in Watertown this week. See the details below. $295,000 – 334 Lexington St. Unit 334, 5 room, 2 bedroom, 1 full bathroom, Townhouse condo/townhouse

$580,000 – 66 Prospect Street, 2 unit, 12 total room, 4 total bedroom, 2 Family – 2 Units Up/Down multi-family home

$1,025,000 – 218-222 Main Street, 4 unit, 23 total room, 11 total bedroom, 4 Family multi-family home

Development

Residents Wonder if East Watertown CVS Project is Being Rushed

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The CVS proposed for East Watertown had its first hearing in front of the Zoning Board of Appeals Wednesday and residents said they worry that the approval of the project is being rushed. The project has met resistance since it was proposed, both from residents and the town boards. Last week, the Planning Board voted 3-1 against supporting the proposed 13,000-square-foot project at the corner of Mt. Auburn and Arlington streets. Neighbors and residents expressed the same concerns as they did during the Planning Board hearings – about lights, noise and most of all traffic.

Entertainment

Watertown Man Keeps Classic Cartoons, Values Alive

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Growing up, Fred Grandinetti loved watching Boomtown with Rex Trailer and Bozo the Clown, and the cartoons they would run during the show. Today, Grandinetti has his own show, “Drawing with Fred,” where he can show cartoons, including his favorite – Popeye the Sailor. The show can be seen on Watertown Cable Access, along with cable stations in Needham, Bedford, Londonderry, N.H., and Salem, Mass. Among the highlights of his time doing the show, Grandinetti said, was having Jackson Beck, the voice of both Bluto and Brutus, do the voice of Brutus on Drawing with Fred. The animated shorts are not the only feature of the show.

Police/Fire

Man Robbed On Street in Watertown Square

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A man reported being robbed by a stranger who approached him on the street. The man was outside the Watertown Boy’s & Girl’s Club on Whites Avenue at about 7:19 a.m. on Dec. 8 getting ready to open up the club for the swim team when a car pulled up, said Watertown Police Lt. Michael Lawn. “The car parked a few spaces in front of his and a male walked in his direction and passed him,” Lawn said. “He turned around and confronted him and said ‘Give me your wallet and your money.'”

The man told the suspect that he only had $3, and gave it to the suspect.