Police, DA Investigating Alleged Fatal Road Rage Incident On Upland Road

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A 54-year-old Hudson, Mass man will be arraigned Wednesday, Jan. 20 in Cambridge District Court charged in an alleged road rage incident that turned deadly on a quiet Belmont side street on Tuesday afternoon.

According to a joint announcement by the Belmont Police Department and the Middlesex District Attorney, Dean Kapsalis is facing at least one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, his pickup truck, after he struck an unidentified 35-year-old Boston man who had just “engaged in a verbal altercation” with Kapsalis on Upland Road at approximately 4:22 p.m.

Upland Road runs from Slade Street to Beech Street at the entry of the Beech Street Center.

The investigation found that the two men got out of their vehicles and began verbally sparing after some kind of traffic dispute. Police said during the clash of words, Kapsalis reentered his Dodge Dakota and allegedly struck the victim as he was heading to his Honda Civic. Police reported Kapsalis then fled the scene.

Belmont Police responded to a 911 call and located the victim suffering from life threatening injuries in the roadway near the driver’s side of his vehicle. First responders provided emergency assistance to the man who was transported to an area hospital where he later died from his injuries, according to the announcement.

The identity of the victim is being withheld pending next of kin notification.

Approximately 30 minutes after the incident, Kapsalis arrived at the Belmont Police Department. Police and the DA said this is an active and ongoing investigation and additional charges are possible.

Public Interview Of Three Finalists For Fire Chief Post This Thursday, Jan. 21

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Photo: Belmont Fire Department

The Belmont Select Board will conduct public interviews the three finalists to replace David Frizzell as the town’s fire chief.

The board will conduct the one-hour interviews on Thursday, Sept. 21 beginning at 6 p.m. The candidates will be interviewed in this order:

  • 6 p.m.: Wayne Haley, Belmont acting Fire Chief
  • 7 p.m.: James Peplau, Battalion Chief,Waterbury Conn.
  • 8 p.m.: David DeStefano, Battalion Chief North Providence RI

After the interviews have taken place, the Select Board will discuss the candidates and possibly take a vote on an appointment.

Sports: Holiday Near Sweep Dampened By Season Ending Loss of Girls’ Hockey Captain

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Photo: Emma O’Donovan with Belmont High Head Coach Ken Murphy

Belmont High sports teams came out of the Martin Luther King Day holiday on the right foot as all four teams took away points in their reverse fixtures against Winchester on Monday, Jan. 18.

But a dark cloud ascended over the day’s good results as the Belmont High Girls Ice Hockey program lost its most dynamic player for the remainder of the shortened season.

Senior captain and offensive powerhouse Emma O’Donovan suffered a serious injury in the final five minutes of the Marauders 3-2 victory over the Sachems in a game played at Woburn. While picking up a puck behind the Winchester’s net, O’Donovan – who scored a pair of goals in the game – was pushed into the end boards by a Sachem defender. O’Donovan went directly to the ice and stayed there for nearly 10 minutes.

The Winchester player was issued a game misconduct for a boarding infraction – it’s unknown if the penalty was reduced post game – as O’Donovan was taken for medical care. A number of individuals with direct knowledge of the injury said the senior captain suffered a broken leg in two places.

O’Donovan’s line mate senior Sam Rocci scored the Marauders other goal as Belmont saw its record rise to 3-0-1.

The loss of O’Donovan is especially hard for the team and community knowing how the senior has struggled and succeeded to stay on the ice and the field hockey pitch. A first-year phenom, O’Donovan missed her sophomore year in 2018 after it was discovered she was suffering a aneurysmal bone cyst in her left ankle, result in her missing that year and required multiple operations. An article in the Boston Globe (“Belmont’s Emma O’Donovan has been the epitome of perseverance” Jan. 13), detailed her effort to getting back on the ice at the same high standards as before the diagnostic.

O’Donovan was seeking to reach the 100 point career mark and was 21 points from that goal after scoring eight goals and one assist this season.

Senior Caleb Christensen put in an offensive rebound with 14 seconds remaining to give Belmont Boys’ Basketball a 62-61 over previously undefeated Winchester (3-1) at the Wenner Field House. The victory marks the second time the Marauders (2-2) lost the first game of a series only to take the second, having lost to Winchester by three, 52-49, on Saturday.

After rolling past Winchester in the first game three days earlier by 28 points (80-52), Belmont Girls’ Basketball had a bit of a tighter game against the Sachems but came out on top, 42-34, as the team goes to 3-1 in the season.

Boys hockey fell behind twice only to rally with two goals in the second to earn the tie against the Sachems to remain undefeated. Senior Ben Fici and sophomore Peter Grace tallied for the 3-0-1 Marauders as sophomore goalie Ryan Griffin posted 34 saves.

Belmont, US Remembers Lives Lost To COVID On Tuesday

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Photo: Chairs will be placed in honor for those who died of COVID-19

On Tuesday, Jan. 19, the town of Belmont joins the country in remembering and honoring the lives lost to COVID-19 by placing 74 empty chairs – for the number of deaths in Belmont – on the property of First Church in Belmont, Unitarian Universalist, 404 Concord Ave.

Belmont will be joined by cities and towns across the country at 5:30 p.m. at a brief ceremony that will conclude with the ringing of church bells.

The town hopes you might observe this from a safe distance and wearing a mask while walking by the intersection of Concord Avenue and Common Street.

What’s Open/Closed on Martin Luther King’s Birthday

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Photo: Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. is a federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January.

King was the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. The campaign for a federal holiday in King’s honor began soon after his assassination in 1968. President Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years later. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

What’s opened/closed on Monday:

Town and state offices: Closed

Trash pickup: Monday pickups are delayed by one day.

Registry of Motor Vehicles: Closed.

Federal offices: Closed.

Banks: Closed, but individual branches in other retail operations, such as supermarkets, may be open.

Post offices: Closed; no regular mail delivery.

Retailers: Open

Liquor Stores: Open

MBTA: Subways, buses and The Ride in Greater Boston will operate on a Saturday schedule. MBTA commuter rail and ferry service will run on a regular weekday schedule. Details are available at mbta.com/events.

Belmont World Film’s Family Festival Set To Start Jan. 15

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Photo: Scene from The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily

The 18th annual Belmont World Film’s Family Festival will take place completely online, enabling audience members to view these wonderful films in the comfort and safety of their own homes.

Fifteen different film programs, three workshops on model making of either Gromit or Shaun the Sheep, and a Junior Film Critic Workshop led by Joyce Kulhawik and the Boston Globe’s Ty Burr, plus several live Q&A’s with filmmakers! Check out the entire festival at www.belmontworldfilm.org

The 2021 Belmont World Film’s Family Festival

Once you start a film, you will have 48 hours to finish it. All but three film programs (“Fahim, the Little Chess Prince”, “Forward” and “Hungry Bear Tales”) are available for streaming for the full 10 days – Friday, Jan. 15 at 10 a.m. to Sunday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. The only other timed events are the workshops and the Q&As with filmmakers.

Space is limited in the workshops, so make sure you sign up in advance.

A scene from “Jackie & Oopjen” (2020)

The Family Film Festival – held around the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in mid-January – is a must-attend event for families with children ages 3-12, offering some of the world’s most significant films for children that provide a window into the lives of children around the world as well as filmmaking workshops that will entertain and enrich your children’s lives. Since most films are based on international children’s books and feature subtitles, it helps children develop a love of books and helps increase reading fluency.

Residents Bring Tons of Cardboard During Saturday’s Drop Off Event

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Photo: Cardboard drop-off remains a popular event in Belmont

The line of cars and other vehicles stretched down C Street and out onto Waverley Street this past Saturday, Jan. 9, all driven by Belmontians with a single goal in common: take our cardboard – PLEASE!

With holiday shopping favoring the use of online sites, residents were undeterred by a first-time ever fee or the anticipated long waits to have someone to take away all the empty boxes and packages that were piling up in garages and basements.

In just five hours on Saturday morning into the afternoon, the Department of Public Works’ Highway Division collected 22 tons of cardboard filling five 40-yard long containers, two truck bays and six 6-wheel dump trucks, said Jay Marcotte, Belmont’s director of public works to the Select Board at its Monday, Jan. 11 meeting.

In total, 348 vehicles came through the DPW Yard at the new year’s first drop off event and the town’s inaugural fee-based service. Marcotte said 211 residents paid the $5 fee using the on-line registration (another 20 paid early but didn’t show up) resulting in the town pocketing approximately $1,750. With cardboard selling for something like $50 a ton, Belmont’s coffer will all told take in about $3,000.

With expenses such as a police detail and overtime for DPW personnel, the revenue taken in meant that “we’ll break even,” said Marcotte.

“So you’ll be off the hook,” said Select Board member Adam Dash referring to Select Chair Roy Epstein’s pledge to pay off any deficit saying he was confident that people would not be troubled by a small fee.

For Epstein, the more important outcome of Saturday’s event is that it has “shown its proof of concept.”

FBE Virtual Spelling Bee & Trivia – Saturday, February 6, 2021

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Photo: The bee and trivia event will be held virtually

The upcoming Foundation for Belmont Education Spelling Bee & Trivia event promises to be an afternoon and evening of fun from the comfort of your own home on Saturday, Feb. 6.

The Bee & Trivia format will utilize both Zoom and Kahoot! and will be divided into two fun-filled segments: a Family Bee from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and a Teen and Adult Bee from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. While there will still be spelling, both Bees will now include trivia questions too, with surprise hosts, half-time entertainment, and both segments will be eligible for an assortment of fun prizes!

Registration opens on Jan. 19-29, at www.fbe-belmont.org/bee

One member of your team should register the entire team – you will need all the names of the team members and your team name upon registration. We ask that teams be limited to four or the size of your family. The fee per team is $40. Scholarships are available, please contact The Bee Keeper at beekeeper@fbe-belmont.org for information.

For additional information about the FBE Virtual Spelling Bee & Trivia and the FBE, please visit www.fbe-belmont.org. Thank you for your continued support of the Foundation for Belmont Education. Together, we are making a difference in the Belmont Public Schools.

Questions? Email beekeeper@fbe-belmont.org

After Year End Review, Belmont Records 13 ‘Extra’ COVID-19 Deaths, 10 Since Thanksgiving

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Photo: COVID-19 deaths in Belmont is higher than originally thought.

A year-end review of official death records maintained by the Belmont Town Clerk’s Office revealed 13 additional Belmont deaths attributed to COVID-19 in 2020, according to the Belmont Health Department.

The revised total brings the town’s total COVID-19 death count since March 2020 to 74 resident including a death since the beginning of the new year, said Wesley Chin, Belmont’s Health Department director in his weekly health report dated Friday, Jan. 8.

And the Belmont health director is anticipating more cases and possible deaths in the near future.

“It’ll be a tough winter,” Chin told the Select Board last week due to the record number of COVID cases and deaths in the US and state over the past five weeks, as residents traveled to see relatives and were more likely to be at social events during the holiday season.

According to Chin:

  • Ten Belmont residents – all living outside long-term facilities – have died from COVID-19 since Thanksgiving.
  • COVID-19 deaths have disproportionately older residents, with the average age of death being approximately 85 years old.
  • 22 of these all deaths occurred among community members who were not residing in a local long-term care facility.

Belmont has 737 cumulative confirmed cases of COVID-19, which is an increase of 48 cases since a Jan. 4 report.

Due to the new case count over the past two weeks, this puts Belmont in the state’s “yellow” zone according to the new color designation metrics; lower than 10 average cases/100,000 or five percentage positivity, as reported in the last two weeks.

The Town Clerk’s Office will continue to provide information for COVID-19 death statistics; the data will contribute to the town’s COVID-19 dashboard on Fridays.

The COVID-19 Vaccine

The Belmont Health Department is monitoring the availability of COVID-19 vaccines and preparing for the eventual vaccination of the general public. The Town is updating plans for large-scale vaccination of residents to ensure that doses of the vaccine are given quickly and efficiently when they arrive in Belmont.

At this time, Massachusetts is currently in Phase 1 of its vaccine distribution plan, and vaccines in Massachusetts are reserved for healthcare workers doing direct and COVID-facing care as well as employees and residents of Long-Term Care facilities. Vaccine requests for these groups are being
approved and overseen by the state.

Belmont is participating in a regional collaborative to administer vaccinations to first responders, the third priority group within Phase 1 of the Commonwealth’s vaccine distribution timeline. First responder vaccinations will begin on Tuesday, Jan 12.

At this time, the Belmont Health Department does not currently have access to COVID-19 vaccine, other than the vaccine that has already been allocated to the Town’s first responders, Chin said. Currently, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has not determined that local health departments will be involved with additional vaccine administration prior to the general public in Phase 3 of the State’s distribution plan, but that is subject to change.

Boston Globe’s Renee Graham To Speak Virtual At Belmont’s Annual MLK Breakfast

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Photo: Martin Luther King Breakfast

Belmont’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Breakfast will be held virtually on Monday, Jan. 18, at 9 a.m. through the Belmont Media Center.

The featured speaker, Renee Graham, Boston Globe associate editor and Op Ed columnist, will address the question: Rejecting ‘Normal’, Embracing Radical Change: Can we build a democracy that finally lives up to its ideals?

Graham reflects articulately and powerfully in her column on many contemporary issues – from voter suppression, to institutional racism, to LGBTQ issues, to politics, and to other social justice issues.

The event is co-sponsored by the Belmont Human Rights Commission, Belmont Against Racism, and Belmont Media Center.

To register, go to Eventbrite at: bit.ly/Register-2021MLK  For more information, contact Belmont Human Rights Commission or by email to Belmont.hrc@gmail.com or call 617-993-2795.

The event is free of charge but donations to the Belmont METCO Support Fund are greatly appreciated. Contributions may be made by cash or check to Belmont Against Racism, re:METCO Support Fund, PO Box 649, Belmont 02478 or on line at belmontagainstracism.org at the “donate” button.