Sports

Gold Kings Win First Game of PPSHL Final, Can Clinch Championship at Ryan Arena

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The Boston Gold Kings need to win one more game to capture the PPSHL Championship after beating the Salem Sasquatch 5-2 on Saturday. The semi-pro team, which plays its home games at John A. Ryan Arena in Watertown, hosts game 2 of the finals against the Sasquatch on Saturday, March 29 at 8:10 p.m. If game 3 is necessary, the teams will play on April 5 at 7 p.m. in Salem, New Hampshire. The Gold Kings finished the regular season in third place in the Power Play Senior Hockey League, with a record of 8-9-1. The team dropped the first game of the semifinal series to the No. 2 sed Holyoke Papermen on March 1, but the Papermen had to forfeit the game after it was discovered they used an ineligible player.

Police/Fire

10 More Accused Customers of Busted Brothel Ring Revealed, Including Cambridge Councilor

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The identities of 10 more men who allegedly bought sex through a local brothel ring that operated out of luxury apartments, including in Watertown, were revealed on Friday. One of the men, Paul Toner, is a Cambridge City Councilor, according to WBUR. The multi-state prostitution ring used apartment buildings in Watertown, Cambridge, Dedham Virginia and California, including Blvd & Bond apartments located in Arsenal Yards in Watertown. The 10 defendants revealed on Friday were: Toner, of Cambridge; James C. Cusack, of Concord; Anurag Bajpayee, of Cambridge; Jeffrey Henry, of Exeter, N.H.; Steven Riel of Laconia, N.H.; Howard Redmond, of Tewksbury; Frederick G. Rosenthal, of Marblehead; Timothy Ackerson, of Waltham; Matthew Ellis Fulton, of Belmont; and Nathaniel Welch, of Concord. Last week, the first dozen suspects were revealed.

Around Town

Watertown Schools Close a $495K Gap for FY26, Superintendent Will Present Budget March 24

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Watertown school officials closed a budget gap of nearly half a million dollars without cutting staff. On Monday night, Superintendent Dede Galdston will present the Fiscal Year 2026 Watertown Public Schools budget at a public hearing. The budget hearing will take place during the March 24 School Committee meeting, which will be at Lowell School beginning at 7 p.m. While the FY26 Budget of $61.9 million, which will cover the 2025-26 School Year, was a challenge, Galdston said, Watertown is in a better position than many other communities. “In the relative scheme of things, it was a more challenging budget for Watertown, not quite as challenging as Brookline or Newton or Lexington or some of the people who have experienced pretty dramatic decreases in their budgets,” Galdston said. Coming into the budget making process, Watertown knew it would be facing a $1.1 million increase in special education tuition for out-of-district placements, but the district also saved about $227,000 in staff turnover savings that occurs when a veteran staff member retires and someone with a lower salary replaces the person.

Government

Watertown Must Decide What Kinds of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) Should Be Allowed

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Watertown has a decision to make about what kinds of accessory dwelling units the City will allow to exist. A discussion about ADUs (also known as in-law units or granny units) will be held on Monday, March 24, where residents can learn more about what they are and give input about what kinds they would like to see. The State’s Affordable Homes Act, passed into law in 2024, requires cities and towns to allow certain kinds of ADUs, said Cliff Cook, a member of the Watertown Affordable Housing Trust, when he appeared on the Watertown Cable show “Inside Watertown.” For the past few years, the subject of ADUs has been brought up by City Councilors and others in Watertown. “They are a way of giving the property owner, the homeowner, some additional flexibility in how to use their property,” Cook said.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Suspect Arrested After Taking Items from 2 Stores, Man Refused to Leave Nursing Facility

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. March 8: Police responded to Best Buy for a shoplifter. They got the man’s description and located the suspect near Hampton Inn & Suites. The man admitted to shoplifting from Best Buy and had two speakers in a bag. When he took the speaker he removed the “spider” anti-theft devices.

Around Town

Watertown Cable Show Focuses on Accessory Dwelling Units & Upcoming Community Dialogue

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Cliff Cook (far right) from the Watertown Affordable Housing Trust, and Allison Eck, of Watertown Community Converstations, talked about the upcoming ADU Community Dialogue with Inside Watertown hosts Bob Airasian (left) and Charlie Breitrose. (Screenshot from Watertown Cable)

The latest episode of Inside Watertown focused on the discussion over accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which are sometimes called in-law units or granny units. The guests on the Watertown Cable show talked about the upcoming community dialogue

Cliff Cook, a member of the Watertown Affordable Housing Trust, explained what ADUs are, and how Watertown has complied with the State’s recently added zoning requirement to allow the units. However, the input from the dialogue will help City officials decide if Watertown wants to go farther and allow ADUs in more situations. The Community Dialogue on Monday, March 24 will be led by Watertown Community Conversations (WCC), explained Allison Eck, a facilitator with WCC.