By Jaclyn Reiss, Town Correspondent

Locals who want to celebrate Mother's Day next week are invited to the Arsenal Mall in Watertown's national "Mom's Nite Out" event on Thursday, which features an evening of free pampering, food, and giveaways, according to organizers.

The event, which will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on May 9 near Old Navy, will also feature beauty advice and makeovers, fragrance samples, fitness demonstrations, food and drink tasting, shopping discounts, a prize giveaway, and more, organizers said.

The first 100 moms who register at the event will also be given free "swag bags" filled with goodies.

For more information on the event, visit the mall's Facebook or Twitter.

--
Follow us on Twitter: @yourwatertown, @jaclynreiss

Jaclyn Reiss can be reached at jaclyn.reiss@globe.com

By Brock Parker, Town Correspondent

Road closures and traffic delays are expected in Cambridge and Boston and several neighboring communities Sunday as more than 40,000 people are expected to participate in Project Bread’s 20-mile Walk for Hunger.

The walk to raise money for hunger relief and prevention will start Sunday, May 5, at 7 a.m. at the Boston Common, and will lead to several road closures in the area, including the closing of Charles Street between Boylston and Beacon streets between 6 a.m. and 6.p.m. The outbound side of Commonwealth Avenue from Arlington Street through Kenmore Square will be closed from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m., and other streets around the Boston Common and Kenmore Square will also be closed. The route map can be found here and a full list of the street closures and traffic restrictions can be found here.

In Cambridge, Memorial Drive will be closed between Fresh Pond Parkway and Western Avenue from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, and other closures, parking restrictions and traffic delays are expected.

In Brookline, the outbound side of Beacon Street will be closed between St. Mary’s and Carlton streets from 7 a.m. to noon.

In Newton, Exit 17 from I-90 Westbound will be closed from 10 a.m. until the heavy flow of walkers subsides around 2 p.m. and other closures and delays are expected.

In Watertown, Greenough Boulevard will be closed between North Beacon and Arsenal Streets will be closed to vehicles from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A Watertown man says he is the figure leaning forward against a car in this photo, taken the night of the manhunt for the Marathon bombers. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

By Lisa Kocian, Globe Staff

His photograph was seen around the world: palms pressed against a police cruiser, a gun pointed at the back of his bowed head, standing in the darkness of a night illuminated only by lights from emergency vehicles.

On his way home from work some time after 12:30 a.m. on April 19, the 42-year-old Watertown resident found himself commuting through the largest manhunt in New England history.

Phil, who asked that his full name not be used because he doesn’t want the attention, had no way of knowing that the two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings had aimed their stolen Mercedes toward Watertown, after allegedly killing an MIT police officer.

At 12:42 a.m., a Watertown dispatcher warned officers that the stolen SUV was in the area of 89 Dexter Ave., about two blocks from Phil’s home. The infamous shootout followed and at 12:48 a.m., according to authorities, Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev sped away after driving over his older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who died from his injuries.

Despite being grabbed from his car, searched, and finally released by police, Phil said he is thankful for their vigilance that terrifying night.

“They were rough, understandably, but they didn’t hurt me,” he said in an interview with the Globe. “I’m thankful for them. They were protecting my neighborhood and protecting my family. I have zero ill will at all.”

Phil had finished his shift at a West Newton restaurant and was heading to his home near the corner of School and Boylston streets. As he approached Watertown Square, he saw a crush of police vehicles. Perhaps, he thought, police had set up some sort of sobriety checkpoint.

He drove down Arsenal Street, past several police cars that appeared to be converging there, and turned onto School Street.

Phil made it about three blocks, when police officers noticed him and started yelling. “They were like, ‘Get out! Turn around, get out of here!’ I turned around not knowing what’s going on.”

He reversed direction thinking he could get home via Cypress Street, but as he followed that residential road, he ran into a scene unimaginable in a normally peaceful town.

SWAT teams and state troopers had convened on Cypress, near its intersection with Walnut Street, and Phil apparently took them by surprise, he said. With guns pointed at him, Phil recalled a blur of uniforms and weapons.

Two men in military armor wielding what looked like assault weapons approached his Subaru Legacy. One of them pulled him out of the car.

“Who are you? Who are you? What are you doing here,” he recalled hearing.

He told them he lived around the corner and was just trying to get home, he recalled in the interview. A law enforcement officer, he said, came over, grabbed him, and pulled him over to his cruiser, where the photo, which ran on the front page of the Globe as well as in other media outlets, was snapped. The officer put him against the cruiser and frisked him.

Only later would he learn that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was on the run, searching for a hiding place, around the time Phil was trying to get home.

“I believe he was probably running through that same neighborhood at the same time I was driving,” he said.

Phil said he is grateful to authorities for their actions that night. The same police, who were there to hunt down a suspected terrorist and to prevent any more people from being injured or killed, appeared themselves to be terrified.

“I could see how scared they were in their eyes,” he said. “The military gentlemen, the policemen, everyone was scared.”

After Phil was frisked, an FBI agent, identifiable because of his jacket, told troopers to get him out of there.

The same law enforcement officer who had patted him down grabbed Phil by the belt and shirt collar.

“We’re going to run right now,” the officer told him.

The officer took Phil to Randy’s Car Wash, leaving his car and identification.

The police still wanted information so Phil offered up his social security number, and he sat on the back bumper of an ambulance with his hands up, while another officer ran his number.

After apologies, an officer said, “There’s some severe stuff going down,” Phil recalled.

“I was so scared and discombobulated, I didn’t know what was going on,” he said.

He estimates he stayed at the car wash for about 45 minutes. EMTs tried to talk to him, but he found himself unable to speak. He thought about his wife and his two-and-a-half-year-old son just a few blocks away. Scared and confused, he was thankful nothing had happened to him. “I just wanted to get home,” he recalled.

Finally, he approached an FBI agent and asked if he would walk him home. He did.

It wasn’t until Phil got home and turned on the television that he found out he had been in the middle of the manhunt, which finally ended Friday evening when Dzhokhar Tsarnaev surrendered after he was spotted hiding in a boat, a few blocks from the car wash.

Phil’s wife, wearing earplugs, was still asleep when he walked in.

“I got home and said, ‘You’re not going to believe what just happened to me.”

Jaclyn Reiss for Boston.com

By Jaclyn Reiss, Town Correspondent

A nonprofit foundation has been created this week to fund supplementary programs for the Watertown Police Department not covered by their town-dictated budget, as well as local community efforts, foundation organizers said.

The fledgling Watertown Police Foundation, Inc. will be headed up by Jay Darby, who formerly worked on the Boston Police Foundation.

The Watertown Police Foundation has already collected about $3,000 in donations this week, Darby said, and profits from the "Watertown Strong" shirt sales will also be donated to the fund.

Already, hundreds of the shirts, which feature a Watertown Police insignia, have been sold nationwide in the last 24 hours, organizers said.

"We know people are trying to find a way to express gratitude to the police department," Darby said. "There has been an outpouring of support."

The foundation will use its donations to fund programs for Watertown officers focused on issues like suicide prevention and helping police through traumatic events.

"First responders face a tremendous amount of stress in their job, and have higher-than-average rates of suicide, alcohol abuse, or other stress-related issues," Darby said. "Watertown police were involved in a huge shootout. People going through that experience might be traumatized. We want something in place to give them a sense of support."

Darby said funds could also be used for the local community, citing a Boston Police Foundation program that helps give local teens paid summer internships to keep them off the streets.

As the Watertown foundation leaders work to set up the organization, anyone wishing to make a donation can do so at Watertown Savings Bank, or by buying a "Watertown Strong" shirt, Darby said.

--
Follow us on Twitter: @yourwatertown, @jaclynreiss

Jaclyn Reiss can be reached at jaclyn.reiss@globe.com

Photo by Joshua Touster//2013

Watertown Police Chief Ed Deveau proudly displays a 'Watertown Strong' shirt, given to him by the Watertown Police Foundation, Inc. The T-shirts are now on sale for $20, and profits from the sales will benefit the Watertown Police Foundation, a nonprofit organization that funds supplemental programs for the Watertown department.

By Jaclyn Reiss, Town Correspondent

As the national spotlight continues to shine on Watertown, the suburban town now known for the Marathon bombing manhunt that unfolded late last week, residents are feeling a newfound pride in their hometown.

“Whenever we used to go out of town and people asked us where we’re from, we used to say Boston,” Watertown police chief Ed Deveau said at Wednesday’s Town Council meeting to hearty laughter from councilors and attendees. “Well, no more. Everyone knows where Watertown is now.”

After the violent shootout early Friday between police and the two suspected Boston Marathon bombers, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, and then a day-long citywide manhunt for Dzhokhar, Americans across the country now recognize the town and the important role it played in the drama.

Deveau said that although the recognition for his officers came at a gloomy expense, he feels proud that his department has been receiving applause from nationwide dignitaries, beloved local sports teams, and the residents they serve.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has called the Watertown Police Department, asking for Watertown police hats for his team to wear during the NFL draft this week.

Belichick specifically asked for an oversized Watertown police sweatshirt, Deveau said.

“That’s no joke,” the chief said after the meeting, clearly amused.

An official "Watertown Strong" shirt is being screenprinted by Three Twins Productions, a Watertown-based screen-printing company, and sold online only, with funds benefiting the recently-established Watertown Police Foundation, Inc.

Watertown police officers were also among those honored at a recent Red Sox game and were invited to a Bruins game.

Police officers from Watertown also met with Vice President Joe Biden at MIT earlier Wednesday, Deveau said. The officers directly involved in the violent shootout were given the most time with the vice president.

“He was a real gentleman,” Deveau said of Biden. “He told the officers that he followed events on TV, heard how the situation was described, and commended them on how they handled it.”

At the meeting, Town Council president Mark Sideris also praised the first responders, including fire chief Mario Orangio and public works director Gerald Mee.

“We as a town will have an appropriate ceremony at an appropriate time,” he promised the room. “We’re extremely proud of your efforts, and we’re all proud to call Watertown our home.”

--
Follow us on Twitter: @yourwatertown, @jaclynreiss

Jaclyn Reiss can be reached at jaclyn.reiss@globe.com

Photo by Joshua Touster//2013

Watertown Police Chief Ed Deveau proudly displays a 'Watertown Strong' shirt, given to him by the Watertown Police Foundation, Inc. The T-shirts are now on sale for $20, and profits from the sales will benefit the Watertown Police Foundation, a nonprofit organization that funds supplemental programs for the Watertown department.

By Jaclyn Reiss, Town Correspondent

This article was updated April 25 to define how the shirt profits will benefit the Watertown Police Department.

Anyone who wants to support the Watertown Police Department - and look trendy while doing so - can now buy an official "Watertown Strong" shirt, which are being screen printed by Three Twins Productions, a Watertown-based screen-printing company, and sold online only.

The shirt specifically celebrates police, substituting the "o" in "Proud" with a Watertown Police insignia.

Watertown resident Anne-Marie Aigner said she approached Mike Gilarde of Three Twins, and they have since teamed up with Wired Blue, the police department's website company, and T.R. Miller Company in Walpole, who set up the online payment system.

"In 24 hours, this group came together and the shirts are now selling like crazy," Aigner said in an email. "Everyone wants to honor the little town where this nightmare came to a happy conclusion and the local officers who helped to make that happen. As a Watertown resident, to think that my little town is now so much on the map – [it's] kind of mind boggling."

The profits of the T-shirt sales will be donated to the Watertown Police Foundation, a nonprofit organization started this week that will fund supplemental programs for the Watertown department.

The shirts are also advertised for purchase on the Watertown Police Department's website.

"All of America watched as they kept us safe," the t-shirt website reads. "Their courage made us proud. They never backed down."

The shirts cost $20, plus shipping and handling.

To view a sample of the shirt, visit the store's website.

--
Follow us on Twitter: @yourwatertown, @jaclynreiss

Jaclyn Reiss can be reached at jaclyn.reiss@globe.com

By Jaclyn Reiss, Town Correspondent

In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings and other violent events that unfolded locally last week, the Watertown Community Foundation is reminding residents that the organization reimburses up to $200 for charitable block parties in Watertown.

The 10-year-old program offered by the foundation reimburses Watertown block party organizers up to $200 for new parties, and up to $100 for recurring events, so long as each party also seeks to raise funds and awareness for a philanthropy.

The reminder comes after a violent gunfight occurred in the wee hours of last Friday morning on Laurel Street, followed by an extensive day-long, citywide manhunt for a Boston Marathon bombing suspect that ended on Franklin Street.

"The Watertown Community Foundation urges Watertown residents to get together in neighborhood gatherings to talk about the events, express their sadness and support for the victims, and share their thanks for our first-responders as well as their appreciation for one another," foundation leaders said in a statement.

The organization also said locals who apply for block party funding and needed philanthropic ideas could consider focusing their event on raising money for One Fund Boston; Watertown's local food pantries; or the foundation's Fund for the Most Vulnerable.

For more information on holding a WCF-sponsored neighborhood gathering and to receive funding, go to the foundation's website or email mschade@watertownfoundation.org.

--
Follow us on Twitter: @yourwatertown, @jaclynreiss

Jaclyn Reiss can be reached at jaclyn.reiss@globe.com

By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent

Donations are being collected online and via mail to help Transit Police Officer Richard “Dic” Donohue Jr., who was shot and critically injured during a violent exchange of gunfire with the two men suspected of bombing the Boston Marathon.

The MBTA Police Association Benevolent Fund has launched a website, www.officerricharddonohue.com, to collect money to aid the 33-year-old officer and his family as he recovers from wounds that left him in critical condition. Donohue, a Woburn resident and Winchester native, is married with a 7-month-old son.

He was one of numerous officers who chased two men – who allegedly killed an MIT police officer Thursday night and orchestrated the deadly marathon bombing Monday – to the corner of Dexter and Laurel streets in Watertown where a gun battle broke out early Friday morning.

During the mayhem, Donohue was shot. A bullet ruptured an artery and vein in his right thigh causing him to lose nearly all of his blood and his heart stopped beating, doctors have said.

Donohue remains in critical but stable condition at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, T spokesman Joe Pesaturo said Tuesday.

Transit Police patrol Officer Bob Marino, who is president of the MBTA Police Association, said the donation website for Donohue launched on Monday afternoon.

As of noon on Tuesday, about $15,000 had been raised, according to Marino.

"We just got the site up there and hadn't really done any advertising until this morning," he said by phone Tuesday afternoon. "So I feel really good about that start."

Marino said that the MBTA is helping to spread awareness about the fund, including by prominently displaying a link to the donation website and a photo of Donohue on the homepage of the T's popular MBTA.com website. The association is also reaching out to police departments nationwide and others to seek donations.

He said the money will go to help pay for Donohue's medical expenses and his family's day-to-day bills.

"It’s so early in the game and we don’t know how long it’s going to take and how the recovery process will go," Marino said. "He's showing positive signs so far -- knock on wood -- but it could take a significant amount of time before he returns to work."

He said he and Donohue work different shifts, but the two have worked together occasionally. Marino described Donohue as a "great, intelligent guy" who is a "hard worker," a good friend and colleague who is missed around the department.

The donation website said Donohue joined the Transit Police department three years ago. A graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, he served as US Navy officer before joining the Transit Police.

“The MBTA Police Association Benevolent Fund, Inc. extends its deepest sympathy the victims of the Boston Marathon Bombings and their families,” the site said. “Our thoughts and prayers are also with the family of our brother, Officer Sean Collier of the MIT Police,” a 26-year-old who died after the two bombing suspects allegedly shot him Thursday night.

Collier was a friend of Donohue. They attended the Transit Police Academy together.

Donations to Donohue and his family can be made at www.officerricharddonohue.com, or by mailing checks payable to the “MBTA Police Association Benevolent Fund, Inc.” and mailed to: MBTA Police Department, c/o Officer Donohue Fund, 240 South Hampton Street, Boston, MA, 02118.

To read more about Donohue, click here and here.

For the latest and complete coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings, visit Boston.com.

E-mail Matt Rocheleau at mjrochele@gmail.com.
--
For more news and stories about the MBTA, follow @LifeontheMBTA on Twitter, here.
For the latest updates about your community, follow some of our local neighborhood, city and town Twitter accounts, here.

By Jaclyn Reiss, Globe Correspondent

The sounds of rumbling traffic and a whistling wind filled the parking lot of the Watertown Police Department as officers and other department employees filed out of the police building on Main Street at 2:45 p.m., quietly chatting among themselves about the day's work.

Police Chief Ed Deveau joined officers in uniform, women in pantsuits and heels, and some men dressed in khakis and collared shirts. The small crowd of about 20 effortlessly arranged themselves in a rigid line in front of two flagpoles - one flying America's flag, the other, a Watertown Police Department flag. Both were lowered to half mast.

Over an officer's radio, a female voice rang out: "We are now observing a moment of silence for the victims of the Boston Marathon victims. The time is now 14:50 hours."

And exactly a week to the minute after the first of two terrorist bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon on Boylston Street, Watertown police - who themselves experienced terror in their own community Thursday and Friday - fell silent in an observance to honor those killed and injured in the Marathon attack.

Joining in the nationwide tribute, some officers saluted the flag with a hand to their forehead; others placed their hands firmly over their hearts as they gazed up at American flag.

Afterwards, Deveau stepped aside as his employees quietly shuffled back into work.

"We're tired, but I think it's good to be among everybody," he said of the moment of silence. "It's just been so crazy here in Watertown for the past 72 hours. I think it's right to take a moment to reflect on all we lost on Monday."

Deveau and his officers have a right to be exhausted: as the bombing suspects' pictures were distributed Thursday and other events unfolded in Cambridge and Watertown, the police department here had its fair share of involvement.

Of the 65-person Watertown police department, 10 officers were involved in a shoot out near the center of town last week involving up to 300 shots fired, with multiple explosions and grenades aimed directly at law enforcement, officials said.

Bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in the firefight early Friday and his brother Dzhokhar, the second suspect, was wounded in the gun battle and captured by police in Watertown Friday night.

"Those 10 officers are relieved of duty for now to spend time with family and recover," Deveau said today. "But there's still a lot of work to do for the rest of us."

And even though Watertown sees its fair share of criminal activity during a normal week, Deveau said the events of last week were unprecedented in town.

"Absolutely nothing like this has happened here, or in our country for that matter, ever before," Deveau said.

He said a spike in police presence in Watertown will likely stay for the next day or two as officials continue their investigation.

"We'll see how it goes," Deveau said.

Watertown resident Brian Currier, 33, said he was driving his daughter Sadie, 9, to drop off a thank you letter for the department when he saw the moment of silence being honored.

"It was very poignant," he said outside the Watertown Police station. "I thought it was a special way to honor the people who were killed."

His daughter Sadie, 9, said she wanted to show her gratitude to the officers.

"I was really scared and worried about my family," she said. "My grandma was right where it happened. I wanted to thank them for keeping everyone safe.

"They (the officers) were really happy to see my letter. They kept saying thank you."

Her father smiled. "To bring her down here was important," he said.

(Imgur.com)

By Andrew Ba Tran and Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondents

First responders in dozens of Boston-area communities are getting free shipments of food – primarily pizza – sent by people from across the globe who are eager to show their admiration and gratitude for the tireless work of the past week to treat victims, secure neighborhoods and track down two men who allegedly bombed the Marathon.

The meals and other treats are being delivered to Boston, Watertown, Cambridge, and other local police officers, State Police troopers, FBI and other federal officials, area EMTs and emergency dispatchers, nurses and doctors.

Much of the effort has been coordinated online, through social media and websites like Reddit.com. The campaign has been nicknamed “Random Acts of Pizza,” which has its own website, www.randomactsofpizza.com, which is described as a “sub-community” of Reddit.

Ben Schimizze, a 26-year-old engineer from Cincinatti, said he saw visitors r/RAOP asking for some organization. “I’m pretty handy with spreadsheets as part of my day to day, so I thought I’d contribute that way and it’d be a good collaboration,” he said.

He created the public document Friday night and left for a day trip the next morning. When he checked it later, he saw the online community had refined the approach with hundreds of contributors. More delivery venues were added, as well as different emergency response agencies and all the different offices.

“We just wanted to make sure to spread the wealth around and get people covered: Police departments, dispatch, hospitals,” said Schimizze. “Boston people added better pizza places than Dominos.”

The MIT Police Department has had pizza deliveries from people as far away as California, Florida, and Northern Ireland.

FULL ENTRY