The Waltham Channel

07/31/2025

GROWING THE GAME

Waltham High School football coaches, many former players, held summer skills and drills camps at Leary Field over the last few weeks as part of a talent-building tradition.

Belmont High School head coach Francois Joseph, president of Waltham Youth Football, said gains in flag football at the Waltham youth level are helping ensure continuous streams of talented players at every level, including high school.

It’s paying off. Dozens of Waltham football alumni have played at the college level, including D1.

The non-contact camps represent a collaboration between Waltham Youth Football (WYF) and the Watch City Program, a Waltham-based nonprofit led by WHS alumni.

The program was founded by Viondy Merisma, a former standout WHS offensive lineman and current WHS coach who was once on the practice squad for the Tennessee Titans.

“We’ve been running free football training camps every spring and summer since 2019, with the goal of giving back to the next generation of athletes right here in our city,” Viondy said.

07/31/2025

Chief O'Connell is excited to announce the newest addition to our Police Social Worker Team - Nina Lordi.

Nina joins the PD with an impressive history of helping persons in crisis. For many years, she worked at the Waltham Day Center at 16 Felton Street where she worked tirelessly to assist those in need.

Nina will join the WPD mid-August and will work with our officers and existing social workers to de-escalate persons in crisis, connect individuals to community based resources, and work with persons suffering from substance use disorder with the goal of helping them into long term recovery.

The WPD values EVERY member of our community and is committed to working with ALL persons to improve their lives, safety, and well-being.

Pictured below is Nina receiving a City of Waltham Proclamation from Mayor McCarthy in recognition of her dedication to the unhoused community.

Please join us in welcoming Nina to the PD and the community!

The City of Waltham

To Community

07/31/2025

NEW SALVATION ARMY CAPTAINS

Maine natives Justin and Marsha Barter are settling in as the new leaders of the Waltham Corps.

They’re busy preparing for an annual backpack giveaway event on Monday, August 11 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at 33 Myrtle Street.

Welcome to Waltham!

Video
youtu.be/SYeRYjMvGEw

07/31/2025

REMINDER: MEET THE CANDIDATES SUNDAY

To boost election participation, the Waltham Democratic City Committee (WDCC) will host a Meet the Candidates Forum on Sunday, August 3 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Paine Estate.

All are welcome at this informal event. Light refreshments will be served.

2023 photo: Maureen King

07/31/2025

NEWSIES CANCELED

Reagle’s third production of the summer, Disney’s Newsies, has been canceled.

In a statement on the Reagle website, the board of directors said “the performing arts have faced significant challenges in recent years, and unfortunately, we are not immune to the effects of the broader economic climate. A decline in available government funding grants and ongoing financial strain on our valued donors and patrons has made it increasingly difficult to secure the resources needed to produce a show at the level of excellence our audiences deserve.”

Reagle hopes to stage Newsies at some point in the future, the statement said. Other Reagle productions will carry on as scheduled.

Full statement
www.reaglemusictheatre.org/important-information-newsies.php

07/30/2025

07/30/2025

REMEMBERING SPECTACLE

Waltham artist Shawn Laswell, known for hanging creatively painted vinyl records on utility poles, has passed away.

“He had a wonderful artistic soul,” said Mayor Jeannette McCarthy Wednesday. “My prayers are with his family.”

The son of Waltham artist Donna Laswell, Shawn was known as Spectacle Spectacle.

He specialized in applying acrylic paint to old vinyl albums using a variety of methods, including dripping. Over the years he hung 2,500 LPs on utility poles across the city.

He also worked on public art in Waltham, including a 400-foot spray painted mural leading to the Mary Early Bridge.

The project, like an earlier mural he did with his mom, involved cleaning up a neglected area and using art to give it new life.

Shawn’s work was also displayed at the Waltham Public Library several years ago.

He was a former board member and volunteer for the Waltham Arts Council, which first posted about his passing on Facebook Tuesday.

“It is with tremendous sadness that we must share our very own Spectacle Shawn Laswell has passed,” said the Arts Council. “He was always bringing the arts to life. Thank you, Shawn, for what words cannot express, expressed through your art.”

Stay tuned for more information.

07/29/2025

WPD ARREST FUGITIVE NH EX-COP, CONFISCATE FI****MS

Working with New Hampshire police, WPD arrested a fugitive former Hooksett police officer at a hotel near 128 in Waltham on Monday night.

Schleiden Meneide, 37, of Manchester NH, was wanted in connection with an alleged domestic violence incident earlier Monday in Manchester.

The female victim told Manchester Police that he had threatened her with a shotgun and strangled her to the point of unconsciousness.

When she regained consciousness, Meneide threatened to kill her infant son, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader.

Meneide had also allegedly made threats against law enforcement.

Manchester PD investigators alerted Waltham PD that Meneide was likely armed and dangerous and possibly staying at the Best Western Plus at 380 Winter Street.

SWAT officers from the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC) were summoned to arrest Meneide on a fugitive from justice charge, according to a Waltham Police release.

After NEMLEC crisis negotiators spoke with Meneide for roughly an hour, he surrendered peacefully.

Waltham Police said a search of his hotel room uncovered an AR-15 rifle and a Sig Sauer 9mm handgun, magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

The incident led to multiple fi****ms charges and one count of being a fugitive from justice. He also faces multiple charges in New Hampshire.

Meneide was a Hooksett Police officer from 2019 to 2023.

In 2023, he agreed to permanently leave the force to avoid prosecution over the illegal misuse of state police telecommunication technology, according to The Union Leader.

Back in February, he was charged with attempted larceny from a Target store in Hooksett.

07/29/2025

07/29/2025

NEWS RELEASE -- July 28, 2025 Waltham Police Arrest Suspect, Recover Loaded Firearm Following July Shooting

WALTHAM-On July12,2025, Waltham Police responded to a report of a shooting on Lexington Street in the area of the Government Center. The investigation revealed the incident began as a financial dispute and escalated into an attempted extortion when a firearm was brandished. The victim sustained a gunshot wound and was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital.

Following an extensive investigation, detectives identified a suspect and sought an arrest warrant for multiple offenses, including Assault and Battery with a Firearm, Discharging a Firearm within 500 Feet of a Building, Carrying a Loaded Firearm without a License, and Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon.

On July 27, 2025, officers located the suspect in the area of Weston Street near the Rotary and took him into custody without incident. During the arrest, a loaded firearm was recovered from the suspect's waistband. Additional fi****ms charges were filed.

Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, the suspect's name is not being released at this time. This appears to be an isolated incident with no on-going threat to public safety.

07/28/2025

LOST PARAKEET

This bird was spotted near 114 School Street around 1:00 p.m. Monday. Emily Szczypek, who shot the photo, put out some water and bird food. Contact us if you are the owner or know the owner.

Photo: Emily Szczypek

07/26/2025

Press release: Scooter Crash in the area of 545 Main St.