Arrests

Police Log: Shoplifter Caught With Items from 2 Stores, Parts Taken from HVAC Unit

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

Sept. 9, 2:49 p.m.: A shoplifter was spotted at Home Depot, and when police arrived security pointed out a man riding away on a bicycle with a trailer attached. When they stopped the suspect police found the suspect had $226 worth of items from Home Depot as well as $704 in merchandise from Target. Officers also found that he had two arrest warrants in his name.

Business

New Cafe in Watertown Square Serves Coffee from Local Roasters, A Variety of Teas and House Made Baked Goods

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Coffee and tea lovers have a new option in Watertown, O’Some Cafe, where you can also grab a freshly baked treat. Owner Ricci Cheng has turned a former vape shop into a cafe right in Watertown Square (100 Main St.) across from the Fire Station. O’Some Cafe opened in mid-August. Before that, Cheng worked at Cupcake City in Reading for about five years. She moved the the United States from Hong Kong a dozen years ago.

Schools

New School Director Begins Work to Make Watertown Schools More Equitable and Inclusive

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Dr. Kimberlee Henry, the Watertown Public School’s Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. In her first few months in the Watertown Public Schools, the new Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has met with a wide range of people in town to become familiar with the school district and the community, and to build relationships with other departments and organizations in Watertown. The district created the new position in response to reports of students who had experienced racial bias and/or bullying in the Watertown Schools. One such incident was reported on by a local TV news station. The Watertown Schools have hired an outside group to conduct an equity audit, and hired Dr. Kimberlee Henry as the first Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Government

Council Honors Resident Who Served in Afghanistan, Discuss Creating a Memorial for Veterans of War on Terror

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Watertown Town Hall

The Town Council honored Watertown residents who served in the War in Afghanistan with a proclamation, and the idea was raised to create a memorial to those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. On Tuesday night, the Town Council read and approved a proclamation “Honoring Those Watertown Citizens Who Served in The War in Afghanistan.” The proclamation acknowledged the “new generation of service members who joined the military in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001.” Also, adding that Watertown has over 700 residents who are veterans of the military.

Schools

Watertown Students Excited to Return to School, District Has COVID-19 Testing Policy in Place

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The Watertown Public Schools opened last week and welcomed back full classes of students, with only a handful of COVID-19 cases, and plans to keep as many students in class as possible during the pandemic. The freshman class at Watertown High School is one of the largest in recent years, with 212 students, making the total enrollment at WHS 716, said Superintendent Dede Galdston. The kindergartens in Watertown also got a big group of students. There are 12 classes across the three elementary schools, with a combined 336 students. Watertown High School students were greeted by posters, streamers and banners when the school year started, said Senior Class president Emma Fallon.

Around Town

Local Dance Studio Survives the Challenges of the Pandemic, Uncertainty About Home at Watertown Mall

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The Watertown Mall recently changed owners when Watertown Mall Associates Limited Partnership sold it for $130 million to Alexandria Real Estate Equities on April 21. Business owners in the mall spent much of the early summer wondering what the new changes would mean for them, including Maria Zullo, owner of Miss Maria’s School of Dance. Miss Maria’s School of Dance (MMDS) was founded 10 years ago in Watertown and has grown into a thriving local business. The studio was originally located on Waverley Avenue in the current location of Suzyn Day Spa, and has since moved three times, growing larger with each move. 

The first location had a single dance room, and after two years, MMSD expanded into a three dance room location on Main Street. In its eighth year of business, Zullo was able to secure a lease at the Watertown Mall in the location where the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) used to be.

Arrests

Police Log: Stolen Bikes Found in the Woods, Shoplifter Caught with Nearly $1K of Items

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

Aug. 30, 1:43 p.m.: Employees at Vero Watertown on Coolidge Hill Road spotted some suspicious people in the woods behind the senior assisted living home. Some men were walking in the wooded area between Vero and Filippello Park. Police located three men who had several bikes in the trees.