The cost of education is going up. The Winchester School Committee voted 4-1 last week to increase the district’s level service budget by 7.15% to bring the newly proposed fiscal year 2026 budget total to $70,870,718. School Committee member Michelle Bergstrom was the lone holdout, but
It was the perfect Election Day — warm and sunny, with a steady stream of residents going into Winchester High School to cast their ballots. Preliminary results for the March 22 townwide election show 17.2 % of residents voted on Saturday. That’s 2,933 votes cast, out of the town’
Winchester voters head to the polls Saturday for municipal elections featuring contested races for Select Board and School Committee alongside an unexpected development — two write-in candidates vying for a Planning Board seat that initially have no contenders on the ballot. The March 22 election will take place at Winchester High
It’s a foregone conclusion. Philip Frattaroli will be Winchester’s next town moderator. Sure, the townwide election is just days away, but Frattaroli is running unopposed for the seat being vacated by Heather von Mering, who has been in the role since March 2020. “I decided to take it
The following was submitted by the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office: The Middlesex Sheriff’s Office (MSO) continues to urge residents to be aware of ongoing scam attempts targeting residents using sophisticated tactics via text, call, email, and online platforms. Among the fraudulent schemes the MSO is warning of are jury
The Winchester Select Board unanimously approved an 8% water and sewer rate increase for fiscal year 2026, pending Town Meeting approval in late April. The board opted for a moderate approach among several options presented during a March 10 public hearing. The approved increase would raise the average residential user’
The following was written by John McConnell, architectural historian, who will be giving the March 27 presentation: The world watched, horrified, as fire ravaged the ancient Notre-Dame Cathedral in April 2019. The very next day the President of France, Émmanuel Macron, vowed that the treasured building — one of the symbols
It has been more than a year since Winchester’s early literacy program came under fire in a big way, but Superintendent Dr. Frank Hackett said change is coming. Albeit maybe not as fast as some would like. An Early Literacy Team made up of educators is looking at seven
The Winchester Select Board revisited a steep health insurance cost increase that threatens to deepen the town’s budget deficit while unanimously approving $61 million in bonds and notes at its March 10 meeting. “The town has received a proposed increase of 18.92% for [fiscal year 2026] on our
The following was submitted by the Office of Sen. Jason Lewis: State Sen. Jason Lewis was reappointed by Senate President Karen Spilka as the Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Education in the Massachusetts Legislature for the 2025-26 legislative session. Lewis will also continue to serve as a member
The following was submitted by the Office of Rep. Michael Day: State Rep. Michael S. Day, D-Stoneham and Winchester, will serve as the House chairman for the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on the Judiciary after his nomination from House Speaker Ronald Mariano and unanimous confirmation by his caucus colleagues.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) estimates that food waste accounts for more than 25% of trash after recycling. That means more than 1 million tons of food waste not even being composted. That’s why MassDEP has been active in promoting programs to eliminate food waste for not
Fiscal trade-offs, literacy, Special Education and “optimizing the relative roles among the Select Board, School Committee and Finance Committee in developing the annual school budget” were all on the table during the School Committee candidate’s debate March 6 at the Jenks Center. The event was sponsored by the League
The finances of the town, specifically how to raise revenue and deal with a looming $3.5 million budget shortfall, was the main topic of debate in a Select Board candidates night forum at the Jenks Center. The March 5 debate was sponsored by the Winchester League of Women Voters
Winchester’s School Committee recently voted unanimously against proposed bylaw changes from the Finance Committee that would ultimately require Town Meeting approval, citing concerns over hasty implementation and potential overreach into school operations. Select Board members expressed similar reservations without taking formal action in a special March 4 meeting. The
The Winchester Select Board on Feb. 24 reviewed draft articles for the Spring Town Meeting warrant, preparing to finalize language before the March 14 warrant closure deadline. Town Manager Beth Rudolph presented several proposed articles without assigned warrant numbers, as these will be determined after formal approval. “The warrant for
