Around Town

Watertown Police Take Children to Shop With a Cop at Target

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Charlie BreitroseMembers of the Watertown Police Department took a group of kids from the Watertown Boys & Girls Club shopping at Target. One afternoon last week, the aisles of Target were filled with children looking for toys, clothes and other gifts. The kids were accompanied on their holiday shopping trip by members of the Watertown Police Department as part of the annual Shop with Cop program. The children, who came from the Watertown Boys & Girls Club, anxiously awaited the trip, said Peter Gardula, Director of Mission Advancement at the Watertown Boys & Girls Club. “They’ve been looking forward to doing this the last three or four days,” Gardula said.

Around Town

See What Book the Library Chose for This Year’s One Book, One Watertown

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Watertown LibraryMecca Jamilah Sullivan’s “Big Girl” is this year’s One Book, One Watertown title. The Watertown Library will host a series of events associated with the book and its themes. The Watertown Free Public Library announced this year’s One Book, One Watertown selection. Find out details provided by the library below:

This year’s One Book, One Watertown selection questions who is permitted to take up space. Big Girl by Lambda Literary Award-winning, Harlem native Mecca Jamilah Sullivan, is a lyrical and tender coming-of-age story set to the rich soundtrack of 1990s Harlem. 

Big Girl is Mecca Jamilah Sullivan’s first novel and has been lauded by reviewers and readers, earning a place on the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize shortlist. Her previous books include the short story collection Blue Talk and Love, which earned her the Judith Markowitz Award for Fiction from Lambda Literary.

Around Town

City Council Urges State to Remove Watertown Dam

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Charlie BreitroseThe Watertown Dam near Watertown Square slows the flow of the Charles River. A group is advocating removing the dam. The City Council sent a letter to State officials in support of removing the “Watertown DCR Dam” from the Charles River, near Watertown Square. The Council cited climate resilience, rebuilding the population of fish species in the Charles, and the opposition of the dam by indigenous people in the letter. While the dam is located on a stretch of the river in Watertown’s city limits, the Charles and its shores are controlled by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).

Sports

Watertown Girls Basketball Looks to Build on Foundation Set by Prior Teams

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Catherine WilliamsThe 2022-23 Watertown High School girls basketball team. Watertown High School’s girls basketball team will have to replace a couple big contributors from last season, but Head Coach Pat Ferdinand said he wants to build on the foundation the team built last year. Gone are 1,000+ point scorer Taylor Lambo and long-time starter Ellie Monahan, who were part of last year’s team that won a State Tournament game before falling to the eventual State Champion, St. Mary’s. The 2022-23 season got off to a good start on Tuesday night.

Government

Watertown Will Buy Walkers Pond Property After Council Approves Deal

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Leo MartinWalkers Pond, on the Westside of Watertown, will be purchased by the City of Watertown for open space. Watertown will expand its public open space and take control of one of the few wetlands in the city limits after the City Council voted to approve the acquisition of the Walkers Pond property. The vote came Tuesday night, and City Manager George Proakis said the deal to buy the property on the Westside of town could be completed within the next week. The 6.67-acre parcel will be purchased for $11.25 million. Leo Martin, chair of the Watertown Conservation Commission, thanked the Council for the final approval, adding that Council President Mark Sideris and former Town (and City) Manager Michael Driscoll “put up with him” as he continued to push for the acquisition of the property.

Sports

New Crew Looks to Continue Watertown Boys Basketball’s Success

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Catherine WilliamsThe 2022-23 Watertown High School boys basketball team will look to continue its sucess. During introductions at the Raiders Hoop Night on Saturday, the Watertown High School boys basketball team had a new cast of headliners, but they hope to build on the success of last year’s State Finalist team. All five starters from a year ago graduated, but Watertown Head Basketball Coach Steve Harrington believes the 2022-23 Raiders will have success. The Raiders tip off their season Tuesday night when they host Arlington at 7 p.m.

“We lost ton of experience, leadership, playing time — the whole ball of wax,” Harrington said. “Luckily, we are filling it with a great group of guys who waited their turn.”

Police/Fire

Father and Son from Watertown Convicted of Lottery Scheme

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The following announcement was provided by the U.S. Department of Justice:

A father and son were convicted by a federal jury Dec. 9 in connection with a “ten-percenting” scheme in which they cashed winning Massachusetts state lottery tickets on behalf of the ticket holders to avoid taxes and receive tax refunds.    

Ali Jaafar, 63, and Yousef Jaafar, 29, both of Watertown, were convicted of one count of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count each of filing a false tax return. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for April 11, 2023 and April 13, 2023 for Ali Jaafar and Yousef Jaafar, respectively. Mohamed Jaafar, another of Ali Jaafar’s sons, who was also involved in the scheme, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service on Nov.