Around Town

Restaurant Closing After More Than 2 Decades Serving Italian Dishes in Watertown

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Porcini’s restaurant will close in mid-January after over 20 years serving diners in Watertown. The owners for the restaurant on School Street put up a “Closing Letter” on the restaurant’s website announcing the decision. They cited difficulties of doing business during the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the reasons for the decision, in which they thanked their loyal customers and dedicated staff. The letter reads: “It saddens us to have to announce today that Porcini’s Italian Restaurant will be permanently closing our doors after 23 years of service on Saturday, January 14, 2023.” The past 3 years have been devastating to our business, as we have struggled through the results of the COVID pandemic.

Government

State Legislature Allowing Watertown to Charge Developer Fees to Fund Affordable Housing

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Wikimedia Commons / ChensiyuanMassachusetts State House. City officials will be able to charge new developments a fee that would go toward creating affordable housing in Watertown after receiving approval from the state level. The City Council requested special legislation to be passed that allows them to charge linkage fees of up to $18 per square foot for commercial projects over 30,000 sq. ft. that require zoning relief.

Police/Fire

Watertown Man Arrested for Role in Fatal Crash in Rhode Island

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A 25-year-old Watertown man faces multiple charges after he was involved in a motor vehicle accident that killed a man on New Year’s Eve. Christopher Vincent, 25, of Watertown, was driving in Lincoln, Rhode Island, when he lost control and struck an attenuator, according to the report by Boston Channel 25. The accident occurred around 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 31. The passenger in the vehicle, William Molloy, 22, of Ashland, died from his injuries.

Government

Five Members of Residents Advisory Committee Appointed

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown City Hall

The City of Watertown sent out the following announcement:

City Manager George J. Proakis is pleased to announce the establishment of Watertown’s first Residents’ Advisory Committee. The Residents’ Advisory Committee, as required by Section 3-7 of the new city charter, is designed to “assist with recruitment, evaluation and selection of candidates for appointment to multi-member bodies.” As noted in the charter, the committee and the City Manager will work together to “actively encourage a diverse pool of applicants for (these) multiple-member bodies.”

The City Manager has formed a five-member committee to serve in this role. He has appointed the following individuals to this committee. All members of the committee are residents of Watertown:

J. Elizabeth Cremens: Ms. Cremens is a retired Associate Justice of the Massachusetts District Court. Ms. Cremens has served in a number of volunteer roles in non-profits and local government.

Government

Finalists for City Auditor Will be Interviewed at Council Meeting

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Two finalists for the City Auditor will be interviewed by the City Council this week at a special meeting. The Council will hold the interviews at a public meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 6 p.m. The meeting will be both in person in the Council Chamber in City Hall and remote. The finalists are Donna Tuccinardi and Charles Doherty. They will be taking over from long-term City Auditor Tom Tracy, who retired in 2022 after working in Watertown for 30 years.

Around Town

Trash Collection: Christmas Trees, Extra Trash Bags & 2023 Schedule

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Watertown residents will be allowed to put out more trash bags than fit in their toters for one week only, and in January they can put out Christmas trees. The Department of Public Works sent out the following announcements, and also noted that trash and recycling collection will be delayed by a day the first week of January. Extra Trash

We understand that households often generate some extra trash during the holiday season. For this reason, we are allowing OVERFLOW trash bag pickup during the holiday week of Tuesday, January 3 through Saturday, January 7, 2023. Residents may put up to THREE extra bags of household trash out with their trash barrels for collection.

Around Town

Efforts to Start Local Food Co-op Reaches Key Milestone

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The Charles River Food Co-op surpassed the 500 member mark recently, and continues to work toward opening somewhere in or around Watertown. Progress has been encouraging for Nick Quaranto, president of the Co-op’s board of directors. “I haven’t seen other co-ops get to 500 as fast as we have, so I think we are really onto something,” Quaranto said. “People really understand what we are tying to do, which is great. but we are going to need more.”

Schools

Former Basketball Star Tells WHS Students How Drugs Ruined His Career & His Work to Prevent Substance Abuse

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Charlie BreitroseFormer basketball star Chris Herren spoke to Watertown High School students about the pitfalls of drinking and drug use. The entire student body recently squeezed into the Watertown High School gymnasium to hear the story of a basketball superstar from Massachusetts whose career was derailed by his need to drug use problems.

Chris Herren starred at Durfee High School in Fall River before heading to Boston College and Fresno State. He was drafted by the Denver Nuggets, and then was traded to his hometown team: the Boston Celtics. But while it appeared his career was on the rise, his personal life was crashing. Now Herren spends 220 days a year visiting schools, sports teams, and other groups to tell his story, and the pitfalls of drugs and alcohol.