Around Town

Scenes from Fallen Firefighter Edward Walsh’s Final Farewell

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Watertown-native and Boston Fire Lt. Edward Walsh was remembered Wednesday as a kind, caring man who was devoted to both of his families – his wife, kids and mother, as well as the Boston Fire Department. Walsh died in a fire in the Back Bay on March 26 along with firefighter Michael Kennedy, and on Wednesday his funeral was held in the church in which he was baptized 43 years ago – St. Patrick’s Church. Firefighting runs in the Walsh family, said Watertown Fire Chief Mario Orangio. His father, Ed Sr., was on the Watertown Fire Department, along with two of Walsh’s uncles.

Around Town

Watertown Roads, Parking Restrictions for Fallen Firefighter’s Wake, Funeral

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Boston Fire Lt. Edward Walsh of Watertown will be remembered with a wake Tuesday and funeral Wednesday. Photo: Boston Fire Dept. Fallen Boston Firefighter and Watertown native Edward Walsh will be remembered with a wake on Tuesday and funeral on Wednesday, causing some roads in Watertown Square to be closed and parking restrictions.The Watertown Police Department announced a list of roads to be closed during the services for Lt. Walsh, one of two Boston firefighters killed last week in a fire in the Back Bay. He graduated from Watertown High School in 1989 and his mother worked for the school district, according to School Committee Chairwoman Eileen Hsu-Balzer. The wake is Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at St.

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Boston College, Watertown’s Jerry York Heading to Frozen Four

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The Boston College men’s hockey team booked another trip to the NCAA Frozen Four under head coach Jerry York, a Watertown native and resident. The Eagles defeated Hockey East rival UMass-Lowell 4-3 in the Northeast Regional Final in Worcester on Sunday evening. BC had one goal leads in the first and second periods – one by Kevin Hayes and the second by Bill Arnold. Both times the Riverhawks tied the game up before the end of the period. In the third Lowell took a lead just 43 seconds into the period.

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See Photos of the Procession for Fallen Boston Firefighter from Watertown

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Watertown residents came out of their homes, left their businesses early and lined Mt. Auburn Street to pay their respects for fallen Boston Fire Lt. Edward Walsh Friday evening. Joining the line of vehicles were Boston Fire trucks, including Walsh’s Engine 33 and Ladder 15, on which the other fallen Boston firefighter, Michael Kennedy, worked. Watertown Fire vehicles also rolled through town along with police vehicles from many departments, including Boston, Watertown, Newton, the State Police and more.

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Honor Fallen Boston Firefighter Walsh Today in Watertown

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A procession through Watertown will honor Boston Fire Lt. Edward Walsh who died in a fire on Wednesday. Watertown will honor fallen Boston Firefighter Edward J. Walsh – a Watertown native – on Friday, and the public is encouraged to come out and pay their respects.A funeral procession will come through Watertown as Walsh is carried from Boston to Stanton Funeral Home near the Cambridge line on Mt. Auburn Street. The procession will come down Galen Street, through Watertown Square and then up Mt. Auburn Street to the funeral home.

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Watertown’s Eliza Dushku Starring in New Web Series

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You can catch Eliza Dushku’s newest project – a sci-fi short – on YouTube now. 

The Watertown native, famous for her role in Joss Whedon’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel,” is teaming up with director Kevin Tancharoen, who is related to Whedon by marriage. In the short, “The Gable Five,” Dushku is one of five test subjects for Dr. Gable, a scientist trying to come up with a drug that is “so powerful it could be used to win every battle, every war, with no casualties,” according to the YouTube description. She described her character as a “badass” in an interview on the Comicbook.com blog. When asked about she often plays strong female characters she said it is in her DNA and also credits her mother and other feminist role models in her life, as well as growing up with three brothers.

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Rep. Hecht Gives Forecast of Special Ed Circuit Breaker Funding

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State Rep. Jonathan Hecht said the Governor’s budget does not fully fund the Special Education Circuit Breaker, but he hopes the Legislature can fix that. 

One of the main topics of discussion during the School Committee’s Budget and Finance Subcommittee meetings over the past week has been special education funding. The state chips in a significant amount for the most expensive services for special needs students – those costing $41,000 or more a year, according to Student Services Director Arlene Shainker. The cost is based on “four times the state average foundation budget per pupil as calculated under the Chapter 70 education funding law,” according to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. When fully funded, the state provides 75 percent reimbursement for the amount over $60,000. Last year the state fully funded the program with $250 million (Watertown received more than $2 million), but this year the governor’s budget is level funded, Hecht said.

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Watertown School Supporters Call for Stabilization of Special Education Costs

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By Charlie Breitrose

The uncertainty of how much special education will cost the Watertown Public Schools each year has been a thorn in the side of school administrators and parents alike, and now supporters of the school want to establish a stabilization fund to deal with unexpected costs. The town must provide education for students with special needs from the age of 3 through high school, and in some cases until the age of 22. Some students attend programs in Watertown, but others attend schools outside of town which often have high price tags. This year alone, the district got 12 students who they had not anticipated who required out-of-district programs, said Student Services Director Arlene Shainker said at the School Committee Budget and Finance Subcommittee meeting on Monday night. That number is higher than most years.