By Brock Parker, Town Correspondent

A federal jury has found two more men guilty in a case of an organized drug operation that had a hub in Watertown and spanned across the country and into Canada.

Wednesday, Ronald Martinez, 27, of Dorchester, and Karapet Dzhanikyan, 33, of Watertown, were convicted by a jury of drug charges in U.S. District Court in Boston, according to U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz’s office. They are two of 20 people who have been caught up in the federal probe.

Martinez was convicted of conspiracy to collect debt by extortionate means and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. Dzhanikyan was convicted of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, according Ortiz’s office.

The two men were charged as part of the federal investigation that accused Safwan “Sammy” Madarati, 38, a Watertown resident, of being the ringleader of a drug operation that conspired to distribute 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, cocaine, and oxycodone.

Investigators seized more than $3.3 million, seven gold bars, weapons and 80 pounds of marijuana during the investigation.

Madarati pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the investigation on June 13 and is due back in court in Boston to be sentenced on Sept. 5, according to Ortiz’s office.

His plea came shortly after a former Watertown police officer, Roberto Velasquez-Johnson, 45, pleaded guilty in federal court in late May to tipping off Madarati to a federal investigation and providing him sensitive information, including the home addresses of two fellow officers. Madarati was fired by the Watertown Police Department in November 2010 for unrelated misconduct issues.

Another man charged with money laundering in connection to the case, Nicholas Anthis, is scheduled for trial in October and five other men caught up in the investigation are now fugitives, according to Ortiz’s office.

Forecasters issued severe thunderstorm warnings Monday for various areas of Massachusetts as powerful storms swept east across the state.

Here are some images of the storm shared on Twitter by Boston-area residents.

By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent

The MBTA says it will make its 15 busiest bus routes faster, more reliable, and more accessible through a series of changes this summer, which include relocating some stops and eliminating others.

Construction on some of the bus routes will begin this week and upgrades to all of the effected routes are expected to be made by the end of August, officials announced Monday.

The 15 “key” routes carry about 40 percent of the T’s total bus ridership. The routes run more often than other bus routes to serve high-density travel corridors, primarily in Boston, but also stretching to Arlington, Belmont, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Newton, Revere, and Watertown.

The T hopes to make each route about 10 to 15 percent faster by moving some stops and removing others. The goal is for there to be a bus stop every 750 to 1,320 feet, or about four to seven stops per mile. Many stops now are as close as 200 feet.

The agency also hopes to run more reliable bus service by better adhering to schedules and by trying to reduce “bunching,” when two or more buses on the same route are traveling close to each other.

More “passenger amenities,” including new bus shelters at 85 stops, as well as benches and trash barrels, will be installed. Some sidewalks will be improved and some curb extensions will be built.

New signs and pavement markings will be installed to provide better route-related details and to keep drivers from stopping or parking at bus stops.

Traffic signal improvements are expected to be made along some routes.

Work will include bringing bus stops into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act to improve accessibility for seniors and people with disabilities, officials said. In some cases, that will mean lengthening the bus stop area.

The T also plans to install new "Park and Pedal" bike parking cages at Alewife Station and the Beverly Garage in July and at Wollaston, Back Bay, Dudley Square and Wonderland stations in August.

Funding for the program includes $7 million in federal stimulus money and another $3 million in federal transportation funding.

Over the past two years, more than 50 public meetings have been held about the “Key Bus Routes Improvement Program.”

“The MBTA is looking forward to improving the quality of amenities and service on some of our most utilized services,” General Manager Beverly Scott said in a statement Monday. “This aggressive and ambitious project will reduce trip times, enhance customer comfort, accessibility, convenience and safety, and make service more reliable and cost-effective.”

A list of the 15 routes and projected timelines for construction are as follows. The schedules are subject to change, T officials said:

Key Bus Routes
Route 1 – July 1st – July 25th
Route 15 – June 24th – July 12th
Route 22 – June 17th – July 17th
Route 23 – June 17th – July
Route 28 – June 17th – August 30th
Route 32 – June 24th – August 8th
Route 39 – July – August
Route 57 – July 15th – August 30th
Route 66 – June 24th – August 1st
Route 71 – August 1st – August 30th
Route 73 – August 1st – August 30th
Route 77 – July 25th – August 26th
Route 111 – August 9th – August 30th
Route 116 – July 19th – August 30th
Route 117 – July 19th – August 30th

For more information on the bus improvement program, click here.

E-mail Matt Rocheleau at mjrochele@gmail.com.
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By Jaclyn Reiss, Town Correspondent

A 23-year-old Waltham man was struck and killed in Maine Friday morning while riding his bicycle with co-workers as part of the American Lung Association's Trek Across Maine 180-mile bike tour, said Maine State Police.

Police said David LeClair was cycling along Route 2 in Hanover, Maine just before 9 a.m. with a group of employees from Watertown-based athenahealth -- where he also works -- when the rear part of a tractor-trailer truck hit LeClair, killing him instantly, according to a statement.

The truck did not stop, police said, although it is unclear from the statement if the driver knew his vehicle struck LeClair.

LeClair's companions stopped to try and help him, also calling police with the description of the truck.

Police stopped a driver operating a truck matching the given description a short time later in the nearby town of Rumford.

Police said they are interviewing the driver and examining the vehicle.

No more details could be released due to the ongoing investigation of the crash, police said. Representatives from the Oxford County District Attorney's office said the office was involved in the case.

The three-day bicycle tour began Friday at 7 a.m. near the Sunday River mountain, located in Newry, Maine -- a short distance from where the fatal accident occurred. The bike tour ends in Belfast, Maine.

Jeff Seyler, American Lung Association CEO and president, said the bicycle tour would continue despite the fatal accident.

"All of us at the American Lung Association express our profound sadness at this tragic loss of life and offer our deepest condolences to the family," Seyler said in a statement. "With heavy hearts, the Trek is continuing."

LeClair was biking as part of the 140-person athenahealth team. LeClair has worked at the Watertown-based medical billing company for two years, officials said.

Holly Spring, an athenahealth spokeswoman, said LeClair -- a Naples, Fla. native -- joined the company after he graduated from Bentley University in Waltham. Bentley spokeswoman Helen Henrichs said LeClair was an honors student while in college, and that his younger sister is a rising senior at Bentley as well.

This year was LeClair's second time biking in the Trek Across Maine, Spring said in an email, adding that LeClair "was very much looking forward [to] and excited about the Trek."

"We’re heartbroken," Spring said in a statement. "David LeClair was a bright light at athenahealth. He was loved by all -- known to be incredibly social, he loved the outdoors, and was a friend, beyond just a co-worker."

Spring said LeClair's position had him helping doctors and physician practices communicate with insurers.

The company has called grief counselors into Watertown and Maine, and officials are planning to hold a memorial event for LeClair, Spring said.

"The entire athenahealth community is deeply saddened by what can only be described as a terrible and shocking accident," she said. "Our deepest sympathies go out to David’s family and loved-ones as we all mourn together."

Athenahealth also has an operational site in Belfast, the ending site of the Trek Across Maine, according to the company's website.

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By Terri Ogan, Globe Correspondent

Montserrat College of Art is featuring the work of Watertown artist David Curcio this month at its Essex Street gallery.

A reception for the exhibit, which is entitled "A Bad Dream...or Not," will be held on Thursday June 20 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Carol Schlosberg Alumni Gallery at 23 Essex Street in Beverly.

Curcio combines fiber arts, drawing and traditional printmaking methods to create deeply personal images, according to an announcement from Montserrat. Curcio’s formal background is in printmaking, but he is self-taught in both stitching and embroidery and combines these techniques in his works.

The pieces featured in "Bad Dreams…or Not" reference the difficult struggles Curcio has faced both in his personal and professional life. Although highly personal in content, the pieces are illustratively detailed and pay homage to the rich history of both New England and the US.

Curcio currently lives and works in Watertown. He received a bachelor's degree in art history from Boston University and a master's in fine arts in printmaking from Pratt Institute. Curcio's work has been featured in many galleries throughout New England and across the country. 

The exhibit at Montserrat College of Art will remain on view through Friday June 28. Viewing hours are Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

By Jaclyn Reiss, Town Correspondent

Officials from Watertown-based Tufts Health Plan announced today that the company has created a new position dedicated to overseeing their clients' workplace wellness services, and has hired Mari Ryan, previously CEO and co-founder of Advancing Wellness, for the job.

The newly-created position of director of population health and wellness also includes overseeing health programs for customers, from disease management to encouraging healthy lifestyles, according to a statement from the company.

Ryan has had more than 15 years of professional experience and an expertise in creating and installing effective wellness and incentive-based programs in the workplace, officials said.

“Mari will provide our members and employers with comprehensive wellness programs that will make our members healthier while reducing costs for employers,” said Paul Kasuba, chief medical officer at Tufts Health Plan. “Mari is an excellent addition to our team of directors and we are very pleased to welcome her to the Tufts Health Plan team.”

Aside from co-founding Advancing Wellness, which focused on health programs at various worksites, Ryan has also served as a consultant to the state's health department on such programs. She chairs the Board of Directors of the Worksite Wellness Council of Massachusetts, and sits on the board for Health Promotion Advocates. Ryan has also written articles published in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

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By Jaclyn Reiss, Town Correspondent

Watertown Police Chief Edward Deveau said the roughly $250,000 cost racked up by the department for its post Marathon bombing activities on April 19 will plummet after the town's insurance agreed to reimburse officials for three totaled police cruisers.

The insurance reimbursements equal about $105,000, Deveau said today, and will cover two Ford Taurus sedan cruisers and one Ford Expedition sport utility vehicle cruiser that were ruined in the Watertown gunfight between police and bombing suspects.

Deveau previously told the Globe that he hopes the federal and state emergency management agencies would reimburse the whole $250,000 amount so no cost would burden the town. Now, he said that amount has dropped down to about $145,000 due to the insurance reimbursements.

"It definitely puts a big dent in the amount we’re seeking from MEMA and FEMA," Deveau said.

The three police cars were damaged beyond repair after the two bombing suspects, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, engaged police in a shootout on Laurel Street.

"The cars looked like how you would imagine: There were bullets in and through the vehicles, and at least one had its windows blown out from the explosions," Deveau said. "They were unrepairable."

One of the sedans, which was brand new and had only 1,000 miles on it,was driven that night by Watertown Sgt. John MacLellan, one of the first officers on the scene of the gunfight.

At a recent community forum, MacLellan and Deveau recalled the strategy that annihilated the cruiser, but saved MacLellan's life.

MacLellan said in a interview after the forum that during the gunfight, he reached for his patrol rifle but couldn't manage to use it -- "Your dexterity is shot because of adrenaline," he said.

As the Tsarnaev brothers kept shooting at the front of his car, MacLellan had to think quick. So he put his foot on the brake, threw the cruiser into "drive," and let it ride forward as he used the cover of nighttime darkness to jump out and escape the gunfire.

"I sent it towards them, and they just kept wasting ammo on it," he said. "Then, they had a bomb, and as it got closer they threw it at the car, blowing out the windows on the passenger's side."

However, MacLellan said he was nervous to tell the chief what happened -- "Under normal circumstances, I could be fired for that," he said.

But during the forum, Deveau laughed as he recalled when MacLellan confronted the chief about what happened, fearing disciplinary action for abandoning and ruining the car.

"I said, 'John... that was brilliant,'" Deveau told the crowd. "He said, 'You're not mad at me?' and I said 'No, I want to hug you!' They don’t teach that at the academy, but they will now."

And even though the cost of the events left the department with a mortgage-sized debt, both Deveau and MacLellan agreed that it was worth it.

"It could have gone so much worse," MacLellan said.

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By Jaclyn Reiss, Town Correspondent

The Watertown Community Foundation gave $47,490 to 21 nonprofits serving Watertown last week as part of their spring grant cycle, the organization announced last week.

The grants are from the foundation's Arsenal Education Income Fund and will help support local educational programs and institutional proceedings, officials said.

However, the grants given out were nowhere close to fully funding all the proposals the foundation received this season, said executive director Michael Schrade.

“This spring WCF received proposals requesting over $85K in grants," Schrade said in a statement. "Unfortunately, we had to turn away several worthy applicants because our budget is limited. However, WCF’s board was pleased to award 21 grants to these wonderful organizations to help fund their important programs here in Watertown."

The WCF Board of Directors awarded grants to local nonprofits as follows:

• Armenian Library and Museum of America: to help fund oral history workshops for high school students and adults that will result in multi-media events and exhibitions for the community. The workshops will provide an opportunity to explore many stories that families and individuals of all backgrounds bring with them and create together in this community.
• Arsenal Center for the Arts: to help provide art education for Watertown children and adults to inspire them to create and grow through the arts. Along with contributions from other sponsors, WCF’s funding helps make over 75 classes free of charge to children from low-income families.
• Beaverbrook STEP: to help fund Beaverbrook’s Strategic Plan, “New Directions: Providing Quality Services within Managed Care Models.” It will allow STEP to advance its infrastructure to meet new managed care service delivery models. Over 170 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are served in Watertown and surrounding communities.
• Charles River Conservancy: to support its volunteer workdays program in the 400 acres of urban public parklands along the Charles River from Boston Harbor to the Watertown Dam. CRC volunteer events provide maintenance and environmental stewardship activities in the parks as well as important civic and community engagement opportunities for participants.
• Easter Seals of Massachusetts: to help fund transportation for Watertown youngsters to Easter Seals Youth Leadership Programs for Youth with Disabilities. Objectives are to increase confidence and self-esteem of youth with disabilities. Easter Seals mission is to provide services to ensure that children and adults with disabilities have equal opportunities to live, learn, work and play.
• Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery: to help fund a series of family-focused, self-guided activities for children, designed to engage the many families who visit Mt. Auburn. The activities will be geared toward various age groups, cover a range of topics, and will be tied to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
• Friends of Project Literacy: to help Project Literacy serve over 300 adult learners enrolled in classes or matched with trained volunteer tutors. Project Literacy assists basic education learners, both speakers of other languages and English speakers to help them improve their English skills for employment, parenting, preparation for higher education or self-improvement.
• Historical Society of Watertown: to help fund the publication of student coloring books and teacher’s kits, “Early History of Watertown 1630-1776” which will be provided to every third grade class in the Watertown Public Schools. The coloring book is aligned with Massachusetts 3rd Grade Curriculum Frameworks.
• Hosmer Elementary School: so all third grade students can attend a hands-on program at the Gore Estate that focuses on habitats, soil, composting and farming to help bring science to life. By piloting this program, Hosmer 3rd grade teachers will give feedback to the Gore Estate in hopes that this will become a yearly field trip for all third graders in the Watertown Public Schools.
• Hosmer Elementary School's PTO: to help fund an art project and communal green space in the school. It will include artwork and live plants. During Hosmer Family Green Days, students and parents will design, build, and paint the planters and mosaic installations. Students will create and display their artwork as part of the project.
• Improbable Players: to collaborate with teachers and counselors at the Watertown Middle School to facilitate theater workshops about substance abuse prevention and healthy choices. The Improbable Players has a six-plus-year track record of bringing prevention performances to Watertown Middle School.
• Metro West Collaborative Development: to allow it to take 1,000 phone calls annually, meet with Watertown low-income tenants in crisis, and help them find stable places to live. Also, it will help fund a monthly “affordable housing” bulletin mailed to housing seekers. MWCD offers tenant training programs, counseling and housing search assistance in Watertown.
• New Repertory Theatre: to help expand New Rep’s impact on Watertown residents, businesses, schools, and other non-profits, including the Arsenal Center for the Arts, Watertown Library, and Perkins School for the Blind. New Rep produces plays that speak powerfully to the essential ideas of our time. It is about to celebrate its 30th season.
• Parent Child Home Program: to extend home visits to three additional Watertown families for 30 weeks. Priority will be given to families on the waiting list having multiple risk factors for school readiness. PCHP provides early learning and parent support to educationally at-risk families. These home visits have proven to be an effective way to empower parents in their role as a child’s first teacher.
• Springwell, Inc.: to help Springwell continue delivering hot, nutritious meals to low-income and at-risk older and disabled adults in Watertown. In 2012, Springwell delivered more than 28,200 meals to almost 200 Watertown older adults. Government funding pays for less than half the cost of Springwell’s home delivered meals.
• Watertown Boys and Girls Club: to help the Club pay the many expenses associated with pool, gym and game-room programs. The Watertown Boys and Girls Club’s mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need the Club most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
• Watertown Council on Aging/Senior Center: to continue its writing workshops at the Watertown Senior Center where older adults are taught and guided in writing and sharing their life stories. This program was funded by WCF in 2012 and is being repeated because it was so popular not everyone could be accommodated the first time around.
• Watertown Family Network: to help fund the WFN Center where Watertown families with young children can come together to receive information, referrals, education, support and care from facilitators as well as from their peers as they rear the next generation. WFN provides a welcoming, accessible space for families to build community, strengthen parental instincts and skills and experience the joy of taking care of their young children in a community setting. WFN is free for Watertown residents.
• Wayside Multi Service Center: to provide after-school enrichment programming at Watertown’s low-income housing complex Willow Park Learning Center for community youth ages 6 to 16. The money is used for art and cooking supplies, nutrition education, program management and supervision.
• World in Watertown: to help fund Watertown’s first naturalization ceremony and voter registration drive, which took place on May 17. The event highlighted the positive face of immigration and demonstrated that Watertown is a welcoming and tolerant community. Almost 200 immigrants, surrounded by family and friends, became United States citizens at the event.
• World in Watertown's 2014 Unity Breakfast: to help fund the upcoming 14th annual Martin Luther King Day breakfast, a Watertown tradition. It brings together hundreds of people representing Watertown’s diverse population. The breakfast program includes a keynote speaker, recognition of a community leader, student essays and chorale presentations.

The Watertown Community Foundation has awarded over $410,000 in grants since it was founded in 2003.

Anyone interested in supporting the foundation should contact Schade at 617-926-1500 or at mschade@watertownfoundation.org.

For more information, visit watertownfoundation.org.

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The Armenian Library and Museum of America will host a performance of Classic Groove, an ensemble with a wide-ranging repertoire from smooth jazz to Latin and Middle East fusion, on Friday June 14 at 8 p.m., according to a press release.

The concert will be held in the third floor gallery of the museum, which is located at 65 Main Street, Watertown,

Leader Steven Tashjian (saxophone & clarinet) will be joined by lead vocalist Alissa Coates, Ed "Face" Corman (keyboard & vocals), Dave Dillon (drums), and Ross Hahn (guitar & vocals) for a entertaining evening of jazz and contemporary standards.

Tickets, which can be purchased at the door, are $12 for members, $15 for non-members and include museum visit and refreshments.

By Jaclyn Reiss, Town Correspondent

The Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown will formally merge with the Watertown Children’s Theatre beginning July 1.

The change means the children's theater will be fully integrated in to the Arsenal Center's educational programs, and will allow for joint programming expansion and combined membership outreach.

Certain administrative functions for the two entities will also be combined where possible, according to a joint statement from the organizations.

The Arsenal Center, started in 2005, will preserve the 30-year-old Watertown Children’s Theatre name under its umbrella, and will continue offering the same programming geared towards kids that it already features.

“The merger is a natural outcome of the long-standing partnership between our two institutions," said the children's theater founding artistic director, Dinah Lane. "Each has particular strengths in the areas of creativity and educational resources, which, combined, will create expanded opportunities for artists of all levels and interests.”

The Watertown Children’s Theatre offers local residents theater education programs, from full-scale musical productions to improv workshops to dance, voice, and theater tech lessons, Lane said.

Meanwhile, the Arsenal Center for the Arts offers gallery exhibits, art classes and workshops for all ages, musical concerts of all genres, and literary and art discussions.

The center's space at 321 Arsenal St. houses the 380-seat Charles Mosesian Theater and the 90-seat Black Box theater. The space is also shared by a fine arts and crafts retail shop, artist studios, the Quilters’ Connection organization, and the resident theater group, called the New Repertory Theatre.

Sharon Glennon, the center's executive director, said the decisions to merge the two organizations is an advancement for the greater arts community.

“I am excited that our singular mission will yield lasting positive cultural impact, and will allow the seed of the creative vision that was planted over 30 years ago by Dinah Lane to grow and flourish in the years to come," Glennon said. "This synergistic collaboration will present the best of what each organization has to offer to an expanded group of students and arts patrons.”

John Foote, the center's Board of Directors president, said the integration has been discussed for a year and a half.

“As we explored the possibility of this merger over the past eighteen months, we collectively arrived at the same conclusion - that together we are better able to support and serve our community,” Foote said.

The children's theater played a seminal role in the creation of the Arsenal Center and has continuously provided year-round programs to the community, officials said.

For more information, visit the Arsenal Center's website.

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