By Tara Hughes July 17, 2023. Monday night’s roughly four hour Select Board meeting consisted of a goal-setting session, executive session and regular business. During regular business, the Select Board was introduced to and heard from three students from our sister town of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. They also heard the town
An occasional column about town activities by Tara Hughes July 20, 2023. Did you know that the town of Winchester has a representative town meeting form of government? It can also be referred to as a limited town meeting. Town meeting is the legislative branch of municipal government that enacts
By Joyce Westner July 17, 2023. Trying to get some inside time during the heat and rain? Alas, you can’t go to The Griffin Museum because it’s closed until September 1 while they renovate the interior but there’s still a lot of art to see. According to
By Jim Hassett July 17, 2023. The artificial intelligence program ChatGPT has been widely publicized for its ability to instantly answer any question you might ask. It can even write marketing brochures, term papers, legal documents, newspaper articles, and more. To test the program for the Winchester News, I typed
By Reed Pugh July 17, 2023. Everyone is having challenges with rabbits in their gardens, and it has gotten worse in recent years. The following is an immersive dive into rabbits and strategies to manage their browsing on plants in your garden. First, there are, for the most part, two
From Town Engineer Matt Shuman July 17, 2023. July 13, 2023 RE: Lake Street Bridge Closure Dear Resident: Later this month, the Town will close the Lake Street bridge to vehicular traffic. The bridge will be closed at all times (24 hours per day, 7 days per week) for the
Special from Jade Scott July 17, 2023. My name is Jade Scott and I am the head of publicity for Winchester Cooperative Theater. Winchester Cooperative Theater would like to inform you of this summer’s production of High School Musical 2, debuting July 27th and 28th at 11 AM and
By Joyce Westner July 15, 2023. Updated on July 17. The body of a 17-year-old boy was pulled from six feet of water in Mystic Lake this evening. According to State Police, he was swimming with a group of people several yards outside the swimming area when they noticed he
By Alison Swallow July 13, 2023. At the most recent meeting of the Conservation Commission on Tuesday July 11th, Behavioral Ecologist Dr. Prassede Calabi addressed the commission on behalf of a group of Winchester residents seeking to discourage the use of Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs). Calabi asked if the
By Peter Cheimets July 13, 2023. A few days ago, my wife Karen Benedek and I were trying to get in a walk between downpours when we came upon a mallard duck standing on Arlington Street quacking at a near hysterical pitch. We quickly determined that the duck was calling
By Joyce Westner July 11, 2023. Updated on July 12. Once again, the state is warning people not to swim in the Upper Mystic Lake’s Shannon Beach, due to a “bacterial exceedance.” The popular beach, with a newly rebuilt bath house, is Winchester’s only public swimming place but
By Joyce Westner July 11, 2023. Residents are invited to donate their used electronic equipment and electric appliances plus old bicycles at St. Eulalia’s 50 Ridge Street parking lot at this Saturday. They’ll be collected for a minimal fee by Green Day Recycling, a company in central Massachusetts
By Jack LeMenager July 10, 2023. In a year that has seen retirements of several long-time Winchester town staff members and managers, yet another one has served his last day. On June 30, veteran Winchester Building Commissioner and Zoning Enforcement Officer Al Wile bid adieu to his department and Town
By Joyce Westner July 10, 2023. Although “shovels were already in the ground,” when the new town engineer was hired recently, Matt Shuman is optimistic that the intersection at Wildwood St. and Woodside Rd. will do a good job of calming traffic. Residents complain on the Winchester Residents Facebook page
By Joyce Westner July 10, 2023. Patrons were startled to hear that The Fuller Cup, the Thompson Street bakery and sandwich shop, will be closing as of this Friday. Owner Laura Fuller sent an email to her followers in which she wrote, “I find myself at a crossroads. This is
By Joyce Westner July 9, 2023. Back by popular demand, both the town’s and Wright-Locke Farm’s evening musical events start this week. The farm offered “Family Farm Night” concerts in the years leading up to Covid, and last year reservations were required to avoid a big crowd. This
