More than 200 residents and visitors filtered in and out of the town common Tuesday night as music pounded, rainbow flags waved and a feeling of community brought those who attended the fourth annual PRIDEfest celebration a sense of togetherness. “I’m happily surprised,” said Rebecca Slisz, interim director of
Winchester is joining the Nicotine Free Generation, thanks to a new Board of Health regulation that bans anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2004 from buying tobacco/nicotine products within town limits. The new regulation, passed unanimously on May 16, will take effect Jan. 1, 2025. BOH Chair Dr.
Winchester residents and visitors alike enjoyed a sunny and very successful Town Day on June 1, as the downtown filled up with hundreds of people enjoying the informational booths, food, music and activities provided by vendors, local organizations and businesses. Check out the Winchester News staff’s photos, as well
What does the face of the trans and non-binary community look like? A new exhibit at Ripley Chapel hopes to answer that question and more. “Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families,” is on view at the First Congregational Church, 21 Dix St., weekdays, 9 a.m.
Winchester Police are still investigating several fights that broke out during the final hours of the En Ka Fair on Saturday night. Lt. Ed Donohue said detail officers responded to between two to three incidents between 8:10 and 8:30 p.m. on May 18. Some calls, he said,
If you were looking up into the sky over the weekend, you may have notices strange lights. That’s because the Northern Hemisphere was treated to an unusually strong solar storm that produced some stunning displays of light and color across the night skies. The U.S. National Oceanic and
Mai Harrison is always willing to lend a helping hand. After all, she’s been a bee, a flamingo, a shark and even a hot dog — all in the name of supporting her community. So it was no surprise that when her friend, Dot Butler, asked Harrison to come to
Spring Town Meeting is over. In the final, and longest, of the four nights, the body wrapped up the fiscal year 2025 budget, created a new bylaw and approved a new gym floor at Winchester High School. Despite the passage of Article 9 last week in a landslide vote that
Town Meeting pulled out its checkbook Monday night, passing articles from the spring warrant focusing on Winchester’s fiscal and capital needs. The evening marked the first time the Capital Planning Committee has submitted separate articles to Town Meeting that are not included in the “yellow sheets” in order to
The first hurdle in the passage of the Community Preservation Act was cleared Thursday night as Town Meeting voted overwhelmingly 132 to 21 to place the measure on the ballot in November. The town’s adoption of the Community Preservation Act — a state law passed in 2000 that enables Bay
It’s bigger on the inside — and residents who have stepped into Rouvalis Flowers and explored the newly opened shop have pretty much had the same reaction. “It’s beautiful, stunning,” said Becky Kuhlman, who was in the store for the first time on a sunny morning. “I love to
The question of will they or won’t they vote to adopt the MBTA 3A Overlay District or put it off until the fall is now moot. On Monday night, Town Meeting voted to approve the zoning bylaw 129 to 31, with two 2 abstentions. The zoning proposal is intended
With just days before the start of Spring Town Meeting, Winchester officials are holding public hearings to give residents the opportunity to ask questions or comment on the 37 articles on the warrant. Town Manager Beth Rudolph held a hearing April 24, addressing the articles on the warrant with the
The yearly rankings of America’s best high schools are out and Winchester has placed 23rd among the 351 Massachusetts schools to make the U.S. News & World Report list. Winchester High School comes in 610 in the national standings, which ranked 17,660 schools across 50 states and
“Frustrating, disturbing and offensive.” That’s how Rev. Heather Janules describes the ongoing vandalism of the Black Lives Matter flag at the Winchester Unitarian Society, where she has been pastor since 2015. The church first raised the BLM flag in 2018 following a special meeting held by the entire congregation
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following are unofficial election results provided by the Winchester Town Clerk’s Office: It was a cold and rainy Tuesday, with few voters turning out to cast ballots for their candidates in the annual town election. About 18.3% of the town’s 16,824 registered
