Winchester’s Sept. 1 primary: The races that will shape the Nov. 3 ballot
A precinct-by-precinct look at contenders, stakes and choices across federal, statewide, legislative and county contests.
Will Dowd | Staff Writer
Moderators seek evidence as Markey, Moulton trade accusations
The Democratic Senate rivals traded allegations, sidestepped Massachusetts concerns and left several factual disputes unresolved ahead of the Sept. 1 primary.
Winchester resident Tom Hopcroft ends Senate campaign, will remain on ballot
Tom Hopcroft has ended his campaign for the Second Middlesex state Senate seat after eight months, saying he did not have the money or the campaign organization to stay competitive and that he could do more for his priorities by stepping aside before the Sept. 1 Democratic primary. His name
Steel pan’s Trinidadian roots take the stage at Winchester’s AfroCaribe Festival
Inside the Griffin Museum, Debra “Sista Dee” Smith stood in white before a small seated audience, a projected image of a hammered steel drum behind her, and corrected an error she said follows the instrument nearly everywhere it travels. “A lot of people don’t know that it’s from
Winchester monitors West Nile virus risk after nearby mosquito samples test positive
Positive West Nile virus samples turned up this month in mosquitoes trapped in Woburn and Stoneham, prompting Winchester’s Health Department to remind residents to guard against bites as the state’s mosquito season pushes toward its historical peak. The town said the overall risk of West Nile virus, or
Marblehead attorney qualifies for Governor’s Council ballot
Marblehead immigration attorney Diann Baylis says her campaign is moving into a new phase after she qualified for the Sept. 1 Democratic primary ballot for Governor’s Council in the 6th District. Baylis submitted more than 1,380 certified nomination signatures to the Secretary of State’s Office, according to
Winchester charter sets no deadline to fill Bhayani seat, leaving date to Select Board
Winchester’s Select Board dropped to four members July 14, when Paras Bhayani’s resignation took effect, and neither the town charter nor its bylaws set a deadline for filling a seat whose term runs to March 2028. Bhayani served 16 months of the three-year term he won in
Massachusetts sets record-tying nine-question ballot for Nov. 3
Massachusetts voters will need to keep turning the page Nov. 3. Nine statewide questions — enough that most communities expect ballots running two to three pages — ask them to rewrite the rules on government transparency, elections, taxes, conservation, housing, marijuana and guns, tying a modern record set in 1972, 1976 and
Winchester still seeking volunteers for six open committee seats
Six volunteer committee seats remain open in Winchester town government after two application windows closed earlier this month. The Cultural Council and both openings on the Retiree Health Insurance Advisory Committee have finished accepting applications; six postings from the Select Board’s summer recruitment push are still active, with the
Winchester weighs borrowing to preserve 13.7 acres beside the Fells
Michael Creane wants Winchester to save Forest Ridge. He is not sure the town can afford it. “Emotionally, I love this project. I’m concerned that the finance questions might outweigh that desire,” Creane said at the first public discussion of the plan to buy the 13.7-acre property,
Winchester override survey finds support for services, doubt about price of the ask
Some residents who opposed March’s $11.5 million ballot measure still valued schools and municipal programs, but questioned affordability, structure and officials’ case to raise more revenue.
Paras Bhayani leaves Winchester Select Board with seat’s future unsettled
Select Board Paras Bhayani’s last act was a motion to adjourn. It came shortly after 10 p.m. on July 13, at the end of a three-hour meeting that ran through Community Preservation applications, retiree health insurance and a debrief on the override voters rejected in March — the
State budget leaves Winchester about $80,000 ahead of its own estimate
Winchester will collect roughly $80,000 more in net state aid than town officials budgeted, a rounding error against the roughly $5 million structural gap the town’s failed override was meant to close. The governor signed the state budget on July 9 as the Legislature adopted it, without vetoes
Vincent Dixon turned losing campaigns, dead bills and public-access TV into one long civics class
For 35 years, he entered races, filed legislation by request and used local television to keep civics in public view.
Wedge Pond earmark leads unusually long list of Winchester community donations and grants
Select Board accepts outside support spanning water-quality work, youth substance-use prevention, air monitoring, summer concerts, older-adult transportation, police accounts, tennis courts and Town Common seating
Five Democrats pour nearly $500,000 into open 2nd Middlesex race
Campaign finance filings in the five-way Democratic race show who banked a reserve, who out-raised the incumbents and who is betting on each candidate before the Sept. 1 vote