https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefsThe daily local brief for Winchester, MA.en-ushttps://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-09-02https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-09-02Wed, 02 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000Paras Bhayani's resignation took effect July 14, leaving the five-member Select Board with four members and more than a year left on a term that runs through March 2028. As of Aug. 26, the board had not taken up the vacancy at a public meeting or announced a special-election date; Winchester News requested comment from Chair Anthea Brady on Aug. 25 and is awaiting a response. Neither the town charter nor its bylaws sets a deadline for filling the seat, leaving the timing to Brady, Vice Chair William McGonigle, Michelle Prior and Michael Bettencourt.https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-09-01https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-09-01Tue, 01 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000Three months after Town Meeting rejected a $3 million borrowing, Conservation Commission Chair Tracy Olson returned to the Select Board on Aug. 24 with a June appraisal valuing the 13.7 acres at $2.85 million, about $780,000 below the October 2025 figure. Olson said that when the commission contacted the landowner in June, it learned the property was under agreement with developer Bell Point LLC; the Winchester portion could still be taken by eminent domain, which would require a two-thirds Town Meeting vote for both the taking and the borrowing. The Select Board took no action, and the request is moving through the Winchester Committee on Community Preservation, which was set to deliberate on fall applications Aug. 26.https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-31https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-31Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Educational Facilities Planning and Building Committee meets today at 6 p.m. at Lynch Elementary School, 10 Brantwood Road. A Zoom link is also available for residents who cannot attend in person. The meeting is listed on the town's community calendar as open to the public.https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-30https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-30Sun, 30 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000Former state Rep. Edward J. "Ned" Dever Jr. died Aug. 27 at age 90, according to an obituary published Aug. 29. Services are announced at St. Eulalia Church, with a visitation scheduled for Sept. 3 from 5 to 7 p.m. Arrangements are being handled by Brown & Hickey Funeral Home on Trapelo Road in Belmont.https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-29https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-29Sat, 29 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000Winchester closed its fiscal 2026 books with $600,090 encumbered for electricity the town has used but has not been invoiced for, Comptroller Stacie Ward told the Select Board on Aug. 24. Ward said Eversource has not produced bills since about December 2025, leaving roughly six months of unbilled usage on the town's accounts, and the real total is still unknown. If the bills come in higher, the town would need fall or spring Town Meeting to appropriate money for a prior-year bill; if lower, the unused balance closes to fund balance.https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-28https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-28Fri, 28 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Select Board voted 4-0 by roll call on Aug. 24 to exercise the one-year renewal option in Town Manager Christopher Senior's employment agreement, keeping him through Dec. 31, 2027, with a 2.5% pay increase. Vice Chair William McGonigle made the same motion that died for lack of a second on Aug. 10; this time Michelle Prior seconded it, and Chair Anthea Brady and Michael Bettencourt also voted yes. Nothing in the contract changed between the two meetings; Senior's filed evaluation showed section ratings ranging from 3.3 for planning and organizing to 3.8 for leadership and budget management, above the contract's average-of-3 standard.https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-27https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-27Thu, 27 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000Winchester's Repair Café returns Saturday, Aug. 29, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Chidley Hall at First Congregational Church, where volunteers help residents repair household goods, clothes and toys at no cost. The Repair Café Foundation frames the events as a way to keep repair skills alive locally and to bring neighbors of different backgrounds together. Residents can join the organizers' email list to be notified when signups are published.https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-26https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-26Wed, 26 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000Under a policy the Select Board approved Aug. 24, town employees must retire by June 30, 2027, to remain eligible for Winchester's Medicare Part B premium reimbursement in retirement. Roughly 88 employees are eligible to step away. The town has no estimate of how many will go, or of what unused vacation payouts could do to the spring budget.https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-25https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-25Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000In-person early voting for the Sept. 1 state primary continues through Friday, Aug. 28 at Town Hall, 71 Mt. Vernon St. Today's hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Winchester Room, according to the Town Clerk's office.https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-24https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-24Mon, 24 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Comptroller's FY26 financial update, dated Aug. 24 and covering the year through June 30, puts operating reserves at 17% of total revenue and transfers in — above the town's 10% policy target but down from 18% a year ago, a decline attributed to revenue growth against a relatively flat reserve balance. The town used $5.9 million of operating reserves and generated $5.7 million, including $3.445 million in surplus revenue and $2.248 million in turnbacks, which came largely from staff vacancies in Police, Fire and DPW. The report also notes that local receipts came in strong across categories and that FY27 revenue estimates will need adjustment based on FY26 results.https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-23https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-23Sun, 23 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000Winchester Unitarian Society presents "Filk Music as an Expression of UU Values" this Sunday, Aug. 23. Filk is the folk music of science-fiction fandom, a community of songwriters, composers, musicians and listeners writing new lyrics to popular songs and original melodies. The society says the music's themes and community align with Unitarian Universalist values; a Sunday worship livestream and order of service are available online.https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-22https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-22Sat, 22 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Select Board endorsed seven Community Preservation applications covering town land under its care, including Packer-Ellis tennis and McDonald Court resurfacing, a Leonard Field Pavilion master plan, a Nutile Field master plan, Greenway safety work and 140 balcony seats in Town Hall. The vote awarded no money; it sends the applications as written to the Winchester Committee on Community Preservation, which decides what to recommend. Anything recommended would still need approval at fall Town Meeting.https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-21https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-21Fri, 21 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000Superintendent Frank Hackett says the district is ready for the Sept. 2 first day for grades K-12, with staff reporting Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 and K-5 students on an early release at 11:25 a.m. that first day. Enrollment came in higher than expected after this spring's $3 million in budget cuts, prompting the district to restore three classrooms and hire paraprofessionals for newly arrived students with special needs. A new elementary Arts & Letters literacy program starts in 2026-27; there is no school Sept. 4 or Sept. 7, with all students back full-day Sept. 8.https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-20https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-20Thu, 20 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000Town Clerk MaryEllen Marshall says in-person early voting for the Sept. 1 State Primary begins Saturday, Aug. 22, in the Winchester Room on the first floor of Town Hall, with an ADA entrance and designated ADA parking at the rear. Hours run 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m.-noon Friday, Aug. 28. Aug. 22 is also the deadline to register to vote, at 11:59 p.m.; the state primary warrant is being mailed to every Winchester household.https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-19https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-19Wed, 19 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Chinese Culture Connection hosts "State Senate Race: Know Your Candidates" on Zoom Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., with the room opening at 6. Candidates Kate Lipper-Garabedian, Carey McDonald and Ryan O'Malley are scheduled to take part in a live question-and-answer session on housing, education funding and the state budget. The Fifth Middlesex District covers Winchester along with Malden, Melrose, Reading, Stoneham and Wakefield; registration is required and the session will offer multilingual subtitles.https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-18https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-18Tue, 18 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Winchester Planning Board meets tonight, Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 6:45 p.m. in the Select Board Room of Town Hall. The agenda covers Special Permit and Site Plan applications, and the meeting is open to the public.https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-16https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-16Sun, 16 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has closed several beaches, including Winchester's, after tests found high bacteria levels in the water. Winchester is among 42 beaches closed statewide this weekend, according to The Patriot Ledger. Swimming is barred at the affected sites while the closures remain in place.https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-15https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-15Sat, 15 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Winchester Farmers Market is open today, Saturday, Aug. 15, from about 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the Town Common, with local produce, baked goods, prepared foods and live music. Today's market also includes the Art in the Park festival. The market runs from the second Saturday of June through the last Saturday of October, rain or shine.https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-14https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-14Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000Town Manager Christopher Senior's first formal evaluation returned overall category ratings above the "satisfactory" mark his contract requires, and board members' completed forms indicated support for extending him through Dec. 31, 2027. But when Vice Chair William McGonigle moved to exercise the one-year renewal option, no one seconded, pushing the decision to late August. Michelle Prior said she wanted the board's February goals for Senior, his self-assessment and a proposed set of new goals in one packet before voting; McGonigle argued the contract conditions renewal on the evaluation alone.https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-13https://nanopress.net/winchester-ma/briefs/2026-08-13Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000At an Aug. 8 Democratic forum at Stoneham Town Hall, state Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian and Malden city councilors Carey McDonald and Ryan O'Malley agreed on most yes-or-no questions but differed over how hard the state should be fighting on issues including its 287(g) deportation agreement. The three are competing in the Sept. 1 primary for the 5th Middlesex District seat, which covers part of Winchester along with Malden, Melrose, Reading, Stoneham and Wakefield; Sen. Jason Lewis is not seeking re-election. The League of Women Voters of Winchester prepared the questions and co-sponsored the forum, which can be viewed on Stoneham TV.