Police Log: Man Caught Taking Liquor had 4 Warrants, Fraudulent Check Cashed for Nearly $9,000

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

Oct. 7, 6:13 p.m.:  Employees at Ricci’s Liquors on Main Street spotted a man shoplifting. The man took a bottle of Jack Daniels off the shelf, hid it under his jacket and left the store. One of the employees followed the suspect down the street and the police were called.

Watertown Connector Shuttle Links Pleasant Street to Harvard Square, Serves Residents & Employees

Charlie BreitroseThe Watertown Connector’s Pleasant Street shuttle pulls into Watertown Mews, the first stop during morning runs to Harvard Square. Watertown’s newest public transportation option made a special run on Wednesday to show Town officials and residents what it is like to ride the Watertown Connector Pleasant Street Shuttle. The Watertown Connector began running on Pleasant Street the day after Labor Day, and has given more than 150 rides on the route that goes down the westside corridor, to Watertown Square and on to Harvard Square. The shuttle makes four runs in the morning and four in the afternoon and evening. Rides are free for residents of apartment complexes and employees of businesses that contribute to the Watertown Transportation Management Association (TMA).

Watertown Field Hockey Coach Reaches 700 Wins With Victory Over Wakefield

Watertown Field HockeyWatertown Field Hockey Coach Eileen Donahue, wearing blue and grey, celebrated win number 700 on Thursday. The Watertown High School hockey team’s 12th win of the season on Thursday at Wakefield was milestone for head coach Eileen Donahue. The Hall of Fame coach now has 700 victories. The Raiders defeated Wakefield 6-0 on Thursday. Afterward, the team presented the game ball to Donahue.

FY2022 Budget Looks Stronger Than Expected, Next Year’s Budget Includes High School Project With No Override

Town Manager Michael Driscoll submitted his final preliminary budget to the Town Council on Tuesday before retiring in early 2022. Town Manager Michael Driscoll presented his 29th, and final, preliminary budget to the Town Council on Tuesday night. The Town’s financial outlook is positive, with significant increases in property taxes and from inspection fees. The current fiscal year, FY2022, came in nearly $7 million above the budget approved in the spring of 2021. The majority of the increase, Driscoll said, came from inspection fees, which were $5 million more than projected.

Changes to Watertown’s House Districts Proposed, Residents Can Give Input During Hearing

Wikimedia Commons / ChensiyuanMassachusetts State House. Every 10 years Massachusetts Legislative districts are adjusted and changes are proposed for both of Watertown’s House Districts. The Senate District may change, but the new boundaries would not impact the town. On Friday, Oct. 15, a virtual public hearing will be held to get testimony from the public and residents can submit written comments.

New STEM Education Fund Will Provide Grants to Watertown Teachers, Funded by Local Companies, WCF & Life Science Cares

The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation and Life Science Cares Boston:

Life Science Cares Boston is collaborating with the Watertown Community Foundation and four Watertown-based life science companies to launch the Watertown STEM Education Fund, a special effort to fund science, technology, engineering & math programming in the Watertown Public Schools. Four corporate contributors — Arranta Bio, C4 Therapeutics, Forma Therapeutics & Landmark Bio — and Life Science Cares have committed a total of $15,000 in funding for teacher-driven requests for supplemental materials, books, equipment, special events and speakers, student programs and experimental school or district-wide initiatives. The fund builds on the Watertown Community Foundation’s annual school-based educational grants program and will increase total funding for the foundation’s grants this fall. “This exciting new partnership and funding commitment will expand our ability to support Watertown teachers through our annual education grant program. Each year we receive far more grant requests than we can fund, particularly in the area of science and technology. This STEM Fund will truly transform our grant giving capacity and provide teachers and our schools with more resources to support students in the classroom,” said Jan Singer, Watertown Community Foundation Executive Director.

Watertown Girl Scouts’ Project to Protect the Charles River Earns a Bronze Award

Girl Scout Troop 82131Watertown Girl Scouts from Troop 82131 earned the Bronze Award for their project to protect the Charles River. The following piece was provided by the leaders of Girl Scout Troop 82131:

Earlier this year, Girl Scout Troop 82131, made up of 12 Watertown girls (then fifth graders), teamed up to make a difference in Watertown, learn important leadership skills, and see how their seemingly small actions can make a big difference to their community. All their work together over a period of 18 months helped the girls earn the Girl Scout Bronze Award — the highest award a Junior can achieve. In thinking about what project they wanted to take on to earn their Bronze Award, the girls discovered a shared interest in protection of water resources, and taking care of the Charles River, an important recreation and nature area in our town. The girls started by working with an all-female team of water resources engineers from VHB, a local engineering firm, to learn about water pollution and how difficult it is to “depollute” water. They collected almost 30 pounds of trash along the Charles River, recruiting family and friends to help them in this effort. Next, they worked with the VHB engineers to learn about the science behind water filtration and built their own mini filters at home over zoom using materials provided by VHB. The troop then met with VHB in person to inspect the large-scale water filtration systems in place on the Charles River in Brighton. Finally, they worked with WCA-TV to produce a public service announcement educating the community and their peers about the importance of taking care of our natural water resources in town. 

Girl Scout Troop 82131The local Girl Scouts removed trash from a section of the Charles River.