Sports

One of the Best WHS Basketball Players Looking to Play at College’s Highest Level

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Gabe Spinelli returned to Watertown for his senior year. Coach Steve Harrington called him one of the best players he has coached. The pandemic has altered plans for many. While most of those changes fall in the negative column, there was a positive one for the Watertown High School boys basketball team, as it led to the return of a star player who’s looking to take his game to the Division I college level. Gabe Spinelli spent his first two years playing for the Raiders, and got some quality playing time on Watertown’s 2018 State Championship team his freshman year.

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.

Government

Charter Review Committee Takes Straw Poll, Reviews Current Document

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Watertown’s Town Hall. The Charter Review Committee gave a little insight into which way its members are leaning in the question of whether to keep the current form of government or change to one with a mayor. The committee took a straw poll toward the end of Tuesday night’s meeting, in which six of the 15 members said they were leaning toward keeping the current government with a council and strong town manager. None said they were leaning toward a mayoral form, but nine abstained. The vote was proposed by Town Councilor Ken Woodland, who said he wanted to help give the consultants from the Collins Center at UMass Boston an idea of what to work on for future meetings.

Sports

Watertown Boys Hoops Cruises vs. Lexington, Girls Fall & Boys Hockey Triumphs

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Watertown senior Gabe Spinelli scored 39 points in the Raiders’ win over Lexington in the Middlesex League Tournament. Gabe Spinelli’s 39 points led Watertown’s dominating 75-57 win over Lexington in the first round Middlesex League boys basketball tournament game, Wednesday at WHS. The Raiders claimed the second seed in the special tournament organized by the league after the MIAA decided not to hold winter sports tournaments due to COVID-19. After the game, Watertown Head Coach Steve Harrington said he would love to be coaching the team in the State Tournament, but was happy with how his team played in the league tourney. Lexington, the seventh seed, kept the game tight in the first half.