https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefsThe daily local brief for Belmont, MA.en-ushttps://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-09-02https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-09-02Wed, 02 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000Belmont voters backed incumbent State Sen. Will Brownsberger over challenger Daniel Lander 3,974 to 1,793 in Tuesday's state primary, a better than two-to-one margin, with turnout at 33 percent, Town Clerk Ellen Cushman reported. State Rep. Dave Rogers also drew strong local support. Brownsberger, however, was being edged out elsewhere in the district, including in Watertown and in early Boston returns where Lander held Mayor Michelle Wu's endorsement; speaking to supporters at Donahue's in Watertown before 10 p.m., he said the results were "not looking that good tonight." Final district results are expected soon.https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-09-01https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-09-01Tue, 01 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000Polls are open today, Tuesday, September 1, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. across eight precinct locations: the Belmont Public Library's Morrissey Hall (Pct. 1), Town Hall Auditorium (Pct. 2), Beech Street Center (Pcts. 3 and 5), Butler School gymnasium (Pct. 4), Belmont Fire Headquarters (Pct. 6), Burbank School gymnasium (Pct. 7) and Winn Brook School gymnasium (Pct. 8), with Winn Brook voters entering at Cross Street. Sample ballots and full voting information are posted at belmont-ma.gov/2026Primary.https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-31https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-31Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Select Board takes up a proposed stormwater utility fee structure tonight, Aug. 31, at about 7:25 p.m. The board may vote on the proposal at that meeting.https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-30https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-30Sun, 30 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000Superintendent Geiser's welcome letter sets the 2026-2027 calendar: doors open Sept. 2 for grades 1-12, Sept. 3 and 4 for kindergarten, and Sept. 8 for preschool. Geiser writes that district teams have spent the summer preparing for the year ahead and are ready to welcome students back.https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-29https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-29Sat, 29 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Imagine Together Festival runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at the Barrett Community Center, organized by the Belmont Community Foundation and its partners. The schedule includes classes, food, tours, games, craft vendors and more than 30 community groups. Organizers say attendees can also learn from community partners how to prepare for possible emergencies.https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-28https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-28Fri, 28 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Town Clerk's office will carry out the advance opening and deposit of September 1 primary ballots today, Friday, August 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Town Hall, 455 Concord Ave. Members of the public are welcome to observe the process from designated areas.https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-27https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-27Thu, 27 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000Belmont DPW plans to apply permanent roadway markings on Concord Avenue overnight on Aug. 30 and Aug. 31, following a temporary layout applied overnight Wednesday. Markings will remain the same as existing conditions except for four new crosswalks at the Post Office, the Library, Louise Avenue, and Underwood Street. The Select Board has approved the plan, and DPW says it is working to have the project substantially completed before the start of school.https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-26https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-26Wed, 26 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee meets tonight, Aug. 26, from 7 to 9 p.m. to discuss revisions, next steps and scope for the draft of Belmont's master plan. Meeting details are posted on the town calendar, where residents can subscribe to notifications about upcoming events.https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-25https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-25Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000Incumbent Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, a longtime Belmont resident, and challenger David Solet outlined their records in a League of Women Voters forum recorded earlier this month and premiered Aug. 20. Solet, a Cambridge resident who led the county's Cold Case Homicide Unit and was named Middlesex County Prosecutor of the Year in 2025, criticized Ryan's record on violent crime and victim advocacy and called for "bold" leadership and greater efforts to reduce gun crime. Ryan has served as district attorney since 2013 after working in the office her entire career; the Democratic primary is Sept. 1.https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-24https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-24Mon, 24 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000In-person early voting for the Sept. 1 state primary is open today, Aug. 24, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Ballots are being cast in Conference Room 1 at Belmont Town Hall, 455 Concord Ave.https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-23https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-23Sun, 23 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, 80, spoke Saturday with five Greater Boston nonprofit news outlets, outlining his views on affordability, health care, housing and immigration ahead of the Sept. 1 Democratic primary, in which he is challenged by Rep. Seth Moulton of the state's 6th District. On housing, Markey pointed to the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act he worked on with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, along with Warren's $500 billion bill to create 3.5 million new housing units nationwide. Belmont voters will also weigh contested state races, with Sen. William Brownsberger and Rep. Dave Rogers facing challengers Daniel Lander and Nomita Ganguly.https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-22https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-22Sat, 22 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000Residents have until 5 p.m. today, Saturday, Aug. 22, to register to vote or update a registration — name, address or party — ahead of the Sept. 1 state primary. Changes can be requested through the Secretary of the Commonwealth's online form. Any requests received after the deadline will not be processed until after the election is certified. Polls on Sept. 1 are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. across Belmont's eight precincts.https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-21https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-21Fri, 21 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000Town officials confirmed that the Belmont Center Overlay and the companion Center Gateway Overlay District cleared their final administrative hurdle with approval from the Massachusetts Attorney General's office, which found the articles do not conflict with state law. Both were passed at the March 4 Special Town Meeting, with the Center Overlay approved 165-87 with 10 abstentions. The zoning allows a base of 2 1/2 stories on the northwest side of Leonard Street, up to 3 1/2, and 3 stories rising to 4 on the southeast side, with a maximum of 5 stories on portions of Claflin Street and Concord Avenue.https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-20https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-20Thu, 20 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000U.S. News & World Report has ranked Belmont High School the second-best public high school in Massachusetts, behind Boston Latin School, and 138th nationally, in results published this week. The rankings cover more than 27,000 public high schools and weigh class offerings, state standardized test and college-level exam scores, graduation rates, and how effectively schools serve Black, Latino and low-income students. School Committee Chair Meghan Moriarty called it "a wonderful milestone," while Superintendent Jill Geiser said the recognition reflects the work of students and staff and that "our work continues."https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-19https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-19Wed, 19 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000State Sen. William Brownsberger, a Belmont resident who has held the Suffolk and Middlesex seat since January 2012, faces a Democratic primary challenge from Daniel Lander of Boston on Sept. 1, with the general election Nov. 3. It is his first contested election since the 2020 redistricting, which shifted the district to include west Cambridge, Brighton and the rest of Allston alongside Watertown and Belmont. Brownsberger told The Voice that protecting residents from federal agency overreach, including ICE, is a key issue, citing a civil rights provision he authored in the Senate's PROTECT Act.https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-18https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-18Tue, 18 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts, headquartered in Belmont, is among the plaintiffs in a complaint filed today in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts challenging a Department of Homeland Security rule ending the Duration of Status framework for international students. The coalition also filed a motion for a preliminary injunction. Co-plaintiffs include NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, the American Federation of Teachers, the UAW and The NewsGuild-CWA.https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-17https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-17Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000The four-day Jumpstart Basketball Clinic begins Monday at Grove Street Park, with sessions at 8, 9:30 and 11 a.m. for students in grades 3-8. Coaches will work on shooting, passing, footwork, rebounding and ball handling for boys and girls looking to make a team or simply learn the game. Players are encouraged to bring bottled water and a basketball.https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-16https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-16Sun, 16 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000Farmer Tim Carroll sets up his weekly organic produce pickup and farm stand outside the Beech Street Center at 266 Beech St. today from 2 to 6 p.m., with off-street parking available. This week's stand features a "Tomato Palooza" of slicing, heirloom and cherry tomatoes plus boxes of sauce tomatoes at $2 a pound, along with melons, broccolini, potatoes, lettuce, salad greens, peppers and squash. Farm fresh eggs and pasture-raised chicken and pork are also for sale; all vegetables and herbs are grown following organic practices.https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-15https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-15Sat, 15 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000Leader Bank paid $2,825,000 for the vacant former Bank of America building at 72 Leonard St., with the sale announced Friday by Newman Properties, which bought the property in 2023 while seeking a tenant. The deal fills the last vacant storefront on Leonard Street, meaning every Belmont Center storefront is now occupied. Select Board Chair Taylor Yates said vacancies hurt both the streetscape and the town budget, and Belmont Center Business Association President Deran Muckjian noted the space has always been a bank and will remain one.https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-14https://nanopress.net/belmont-ma/briefs/2026-08-14Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Select Board voted Monday night on five separate land-rights matters for Phase 1 of the Belmont Community Path, which officials described as acquiring the "last 5%" of land needed. Select Board member Matt Taylor said school, state and town land — including a donation from the Belmont Citizens Forum — account for the other 95%. Taylor said bids are set to be advertised Sept. 5, with the state expected to select a winner in late fall or early winter; Phase 1 will run from the Fitchburg Cutoff Path at the Cambridge line to the Clark Street bridge.