Development

ZBA Hearing Two Big Projects, Council Subgroup Looks at Police Services & Other Meetings

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Plans for converting the Tufts Health Plan building into life science labs and offices will be heard by the Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday. The Watertown Zoning Board has several projects on its agenda, including renovations of the Tufts Health Plan building and a biotech project proposed on Elm Street. The ZBA gives final approval for these projects and the meeting begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24. Spear Street Capital, the new owner of the Tufts Health Plan site at 705 Mt.

Basketball

Watertown Claims League Basketball Crown by Beating Winchester

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The Watertown boys basketball team poses after winning the Middlesex League Tournament by beating Winchester, 64-57. An empty Watertown High Gym does not have the same feel as a rowdy TD Garden, but Saturday’s Middlesex League Boys Basketball Championship on Saturday had a special feel for the victorious Raiders. The league tournament was the only postseason on offer during COVID-19, and senior Gabe Spinelli put an exclamation mark on the win by dunking the ball as time ran out in Watertown’s 64-57 defeat of Winchester. “It’s not the state championship but it’s something,” Spinelli said. “The fact that we had (a game with) a postseason feel is huge, and that helped us a lot in this game.”

Entertainment

Oscar Winner Spotted Filming in Watertown Neighborhood

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Hollywood star George Clooney was spotted in Watertown this week working on his latest film. The two-time Oscar winner was seen near Bemis Park, off Waltham Street on the Westside of Watertown, on Thursday, according to WBC Channel 4. View this post on Instagram A post shared by WBZ-TV 4 (CBS Boston) (@wbztv)

Clooney is directing the Amazon Studios film The Tender Bar, whose stars include Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan (Cyclops in X-Men: Dark Phoenix) and Lily Rabe, whose credits include American Horror Story, according to IMDB. IMDB describes the plot as: A boy growing up in Long Island seeks out father figures among the patrons at his uncle’s bar. The screenplay was written by William Monahan, who also wrote The Departed.

Government

Health Director Rips Governor’s Decision to Take Vaccinations Away from Local Health Departments

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Watertown Health Director Larry Ramdin said he was “extremely disappointed” with Gov. Charlie Baker’s decision to remove local health departments from the COVID-19 vaccination process and handing it to privately run vaccination sites. Ramdin told the Board of Health that received word of the change on Wednesday, the same day that the Watertown Health Department gave vaccines to 100 residents age 75 or older. He said health departments have better training and can administer more doses than pharmacies and other vaccination sites. “We have been going through this. Every one of the clinics we host is a drill for an emergency dispensing site.

Sports

Girls Hoops Coach Thanks Team After Challenging 2021 Season, Boys Hoops Makes League Final

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Three seniors on the Watertown girls basketball team closed out their career this week, from left, Leah D’Amico, Morgan Beirne and Christina Zouein. The season ended Wednesday for the Watertown High School girls basketball team with a loss in the first round of the Middlesex League playoffs, but Head Coach Pat Ferdinand still called it an “incredible season.” The Raiders had to adjust to the season shortened by COVID-19, and the safety guidelines put in during the pandemic, including having to wear masks while playing and not having fans in the stands. The team even had to find ways to work on their game even when they couldn’t practice in person, Ferdinand said. He particularly thanked the three seniors, Leah D’Amico, Morgan Beirne and Christina Zouein.

Schools

Applications Being Taken for 53rd Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship

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Lt. Paul Sullivan of Watertown, killed in Vietnam in 1968, will be remembered during the 50th Annual Scholarship Awards in June. Each year, the Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship and other awards go out in memory of a Watertown native who was killed serving in Vietnam in 1968. The following information was provided by the Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship Committee:

Announcing the 53rd Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship

The Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship is now on line:https://sites.google.com/view/lt-paul-j-sullivan-scholarship

The application deadline is April 16, 2021. The top scholarship is $5,000. Additional scholarships will be awarded.