Police/Fire

Police Log: Man Arrested After Bumping Officer with Car, Multiple Attempted Vehicle Break-ins

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. July 24, 7:19 p.m.: A man entered Target and went to the men’s clothing area and put items into two reusable shopping bags he was carrying. Then he put household goods and groceries in the bags before leaving without paying. He had $107 worth of merchandise. July 25: A resident discovered her bank account had been hacked.

Around Town

Power Outages Around Watertown After Sunday Thunderstorm

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Power went out for many Watertown residents Sunday afternoon after a thunderstorm rolled over the City. Eversource reports electricity should be restored by Sunday night. The outage began about 4:45 p.m. in some places and shortly after 5 p.m. in other spots and most of the outages are on the Westside of town, according to the Eversource website. UPDATE 8 p.m. Sunday: Power has been restored for all but a handful of customers. An outage affecting 423 customers was fixed before 8 p.m. and was caused due to damage by a tree limb in the area Waverley Avenue.

Around Town

Longtime Employee Named Watertown’s New Recreation Director

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Ernie Thebado was named Watertown’s new Director of Recreation. (Photo by Peter Centola)

The City of Watertown provided the following announcement:

Congratulations to Ernie Thebado, the City of Watertown’s new permanent Recreation Director effective Monday, July 29, 2024. Ernie has been a pillar of the Watertown Recreation Department since he was hired as the Assistant Director in 2008. In this role Ernie oversaw the Department’s programs, services, and events; expanded programming; cultivated strong partnerships between the City and community groups like Wayside and the Boys and Girls Club; and served as a trusted point of contact for the community and City staff. Prior to joining the City, Ernie worked for the Watertown Boys and Girls Club for 20 years, most recently as the Assistant Executive Director, where he oversaw all programming as well as the day-to-day operations of the organization and the facility.

Police/Fire

Watertown Police Seeking Man Seen Stealing Packages from Doorsteps

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Police seek to identify a man who they believe has been going around town taking packages soon after they were delivered to homes in Watertown. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male, 20 to 30 years old, 5-foot-8-inches tall, with a beard. Three time over the past week packages were taken by a man fitting that description, said Watertown Police Lt. Ken Swift. On July 25 at 10 a.m., a woman on Emerson Road heard her dog barking and she looked out the window to see a man talking to a FedEx driver. “She realized it was her package that was being given to the man by the FedEx driver,” Swift said.

Around Town

Retired Recreation Director Thanks Mentors, Reflects on Nearly 50 Years Working for City

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Recreation Director Peter Centola celebrates his retirement with his family. Pictured from left, daughter Leanne, mother-in-law Irene Samourian, Peter, wife Karen, daugther Tory, and son Philip. (Contributed Photo)

Recently-retired Recreation Director Peter Centola likes to tell people worked in Watertown for 48 years. He got his start in the mid-1970s but had a break in the middle, and at one point didn’t expect to return. Following his retirement at the end of June after 15 years as Recreation Director, Centola spoke recently with Watertown News about his time as Recreation Director, his mentors, the programs and facilities he helped build, and things left unfinished.

Around Town

Podcast Focuses on People, Places & Stories of Watertown

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Matt Hanna has spent the last several months getting to know people living and working in Watertown, and has produced more than 20 episodes of Little Local Conversations. He provided the following information about his ongoing project:

Hi there! I’m Matt Hanna, a Watertown resident of 14 years now, and I want to share with you a little project I’ve been working on to dig a little deeper into the people, places, stories, and ideas of Watertown. Matt Hanna

I’ve always enjoyed living here and over the years in the city I’ve gotten married, had a kid, been a stay-at-home parent, sheltered in place, worked, and volunteered and I’ve experienced the city in all the ways those different life stages and points of view have brought me. But it wasn’t until quite recently that I started to truly appreciate how wonderfully unique Watertown is and especially how many amazing people have shaped and are shaping the city, in big ways for everyone to see, and in smaller, but no less important ways within smaller communities.

Around Town

Local Man Hopes to Find a Kidney Donor for Himself or Another Person in Need

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James Pagounes, second from right, seeks an organ donor before his kidneys fail. He is shown here with his family: wife, Joanne, and sons Othon, Kimon, and Iraklis. (Contributed Photo)

James Pagounes first learned he had something wrong with his kidneys when he got an abdominal ultrasound 15 years ago. “The doctor said, your stomach looks fine, but the guy looks and finds that my kidney has a problem,” he recalled. “It’s been declining ever since then.

Schools

Wage Increases, Bonuses Proposed for Staff of Extended Day Program

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The Extended Day program run at Watertown’s elementary schools serves 400 students, but officials have struggled to find and keep staff to run the after-school program. Extended Day is operated by Watertown Community Education, which is a self-sustainingdepartment of Watertown Public Schools. Its funding comes from tuition and fees, rather than from taxpayer dollars. The program is able to accommodate more than 90 percent of the demand, but there is a waiting list of 38 students for this fall. In a memo to the School Committee, Debi Cornelius, Director of Community Education, wrote:

“The challenges our community faces with after-school care are not unique to Watertown.