Government

Watertown Receives Some Strong Candidates for City Manager, Screening Committee to Narrow Pool

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Watertown City Hall

The pool of candidates applying for the Watertown City Manager position includes some strong applicants, according to the consultant hired to help with the process. The Ad Hoc City Manager Screening Committee met Thursday night to start the process of reviewing resumes of the applicants for City Manager. They are being assisted by Bernie Lynch of Community Paradigm Associates, who said the number of hopefuls is pretty typical. “In the end we had 23 candidates apply for the position, which is consistent with where we are with many of our communities: somewhere between 20 and 30 candidates,” Lynch said. City Council President Mark Sideris, the chair of the Ad Hoc City Manager Search Committee, said there are also some who will not likely make the list.

Around Town

Five Years Later, Memory of Fallen Watertown Firefighter Lives in Colleagues’ Hearts

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown Firefighters place a wreath at the memorial to Joseph Toscano, who died fighting a fire five years ago. March 17, 2017 was one of the darkest days for the Watertown Fire Department. They lost a beloved colleague, Joseph Toscano, during the aftermath of a fire on Merrifield Avenue. On Thursday, Watertown Firefighters showed up in large numbers to remember Joe on the fifth anniversary of his death. Current and former WFD personnel, on-duty and off, lined up several rows deep at the corner of Merrifield and Bigelow avenues at the time of his passing to salute Toscano.

Football

Watertown’s Hairston Looks to Keep His Pro Football Dreams Alive at Upcoming Pro Day

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Bridgewater State AthleticsWatertown’s T.J. Hairston will take a shot at the NFL at a Pro Day on March 22. Here he carries the ball for Bridgewater State. Watertown High School grad and standout wide receiver T.J. Hairston hopes to take his football career to the next level, and keep his dream of playing in the NFL alive this month when he attends an NFL tryout. He has been invited by two teams to participate in the Pro Day at Holy Cross on March 22. Hairston also has lined up a tryout for a Canadian Football League (CFL) team in early April.

Adam Patterson

Watertown Boys Basketball Team Holds On to Beat New Mission, Heads to Final Four

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown’s boys basketball team celebrates booking a trip to the MIAA Div. 3 Final Four after beating New Mission 64-57. After watching a 20 point lead whittle down to five, the Watertown High School boys basketball team kept its cool and finished off New Mission in the MIAA Div. 3 Round of 8 State Tournament game Saturday night, 64-57. Seventh- seeded New Mission (11-4) dug a little into the lead in the third quarter which ended with the Raiders holding a 15 point lead, (47-32).

Around Town

Watertown Library Now Offering Pickup from Lockers 24/7

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Watertown LibraryWatertown Library staff show off the new lockers available to patrons. They can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Watertown Library provided the following announcement:

Lockers at the Library? That’s right. The Watertown Free Public Library (WFPL) is launching a new outdoor pickup option which will make it easier for anyone to pick up materials twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Basketball

Frantic Comeback Gives Watertown Girls Basketball Team Victory in Tourney Over Norton

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown senior Sophia Garapetian celebrates after hitting the go-ahead layup with under eight seconds left in the State Tournament game against Norton. A State Tournament game that was neck and neck most of the way appeared to be slipping away for the Watertown High School girls basketball team, falling behind six points with about two minutes left. But, the team and the WHS Gym came to life as the Raiders closed the game and senior Sophia Garapetian completed the comeback with a drive straight down the lane. When the final buzzer sounded, Watertown’s players came together on the court to celebrate their 54-52 win over Norton in the MIAA Div. 3 Round of 16 game, and kept their season alive.

Schools

School Committee Approves Making Masks Optional in Watertown Schools

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Almost two years to the day after schools shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Watertown students will be able to go to class without wearing a face mask. Monday night, the School Committee approved Superintendent Dede Galdston’s plan to make masks optional and a set of metrics to decide if they will be required in the future. Galston noted that March 13, 2020 was the date that school in Massachusetts closed in the beginning of the Pandemic, and two years later students will be able to choose not to wear a mask. She also stressed that teachers and staff will emphasize that students will be respected and accepted regardless of whether or not they choose to wear a face mask. The change in mask rules will be finalized this week, Galdston said, after the latest student and staff testing results are received.

Arrests

Police Log: Driver Strikes Building & Faces OUI Charge, Arrested Shoplifter Had Multiple Warrants

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

Feb. 18, 9:32 p.m.: An officer patrolling on Arsenal Street near the Watertown Mall spotted a bus with the “Call Police” sign flashing on it. The bus was pulled over and the officer spoke to the driver, who explained there had been a verbal disturbance between two passengers. One of the passengers had gotten off the bus, but police got a description.