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Joyce Westner | Staff Writer

Helpers among us — collecting for the homeless

Helpers among us — collecting for the homeless

Second in a series of articles about residents helping those in need. By Joyce Westner | Winchester News Staff Writer Jan 11, 2024 On a cold, clear Wednesday evening, Mary Carroll Monteiro and her husband Fred loaded their truck with clothing donated by Winchester residents. They stopped to pick up a

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Planning Board refines MBTA zones

It was a busy night for the Planning Board Tuesday night with the Waterfield design, affordable housing and state zoning on the agenda. The board voted to remove one area from the state-required rezoning near MBTA stations.  Planner Taylor Herman told the board Jan. 9 the discussion would be limited

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News hires Editor Nell Coakley

News hires Editor Nell Coakley

By Joyce Westner Jan. 4, 2024  Thanks to generous donations from the community, Winchester News has hired Nell Escobar Coakley as part-time editor.  A Malden resident, Coakley is already familiar with Winchester, having been a reporter for the Winchester Town Crier, a newspaper started by Bill Cummings back in the

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How well do you know Winchester?

How well do you know Winchester?

By Joyce Westner  Jan. 4, 2024  Third in the series.  Retired photographer Frank Siteman has taken photos of places downtown, and your job is to guess where they were taken.  Send an email to editor@winchesternews.org if you know the answer.  Last week we had two winners--George Wood and

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How well do you know Winchester?

How well do you know Winchester?

By Joyce Westner Dec. 28, 2023 Third in the series.  Retired photographer Frank Siteman has taken photos of places downtown, and your job is to guess where they were taken.  This time there's only one photo and no answer key.  Send an email to editor@winchesternews.org  if

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GoFundMe started for WHS grad

GoFundMe started for WHS grad

By Joyce Westner Dec. 27, 2023 A GoFundMe was started on behalf of Aidan McElhinney who was injured last Wednesday in a Lockeland Rd. car accident and is suffering life-threatening injuries.  McElhinney graduated from Winchester High School in June, and is in the ICU at Lahey Medical Center.  According to

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Helpers Among Us--collecting for Ukrainians

Helpers Among Us--collecting for Ukrainians

First in a series of articles about residents helping those in need. By Joyce Westner Dec. 20, 2023 When Russia invaded Ukraine back in February of 2022, like most Americans, Arlington St. resident BonnieJean Butler was infuriated.  “I knew I needed to do something,” she says.  “They were targeting Ukrainian

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How well do you know Winchester?

How well do you know Winchester?

By Joyce Westner Dec. 20, 2023 Here's the second in the series.  Retired photographer Frank Siteman has taken photos of places downtown, and your job is to guess where they were taken.  The answer key is below, but no peaking.  A graduate of Tufts, Frank has taught photography

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How well do you know Winchester?

How well do you know Winchester?

By Joyce Westner Dec. 16, 2023  A new feature starts today!  Retired photographer Frank Siteman has taken photos of places downtown, and your job is to guess where they were taken.  The answer key is below, but no peaking.  A graduate of Tufts, Frank has taught photography at many institutions

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Resident starts “True Local Heroes” website

Resident starts “True Local Heroes” website

By Joyce Westner Dec. 9, 2023 When Lara Pienaar, a decade long-resident of Winchester in the Muraco school district, was looking for help raking leaves, she needed help raking leaves but she didn’t know how to hire someone.  “I put an ad on Craigslist,” she said.  “But I got

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Lynch School rebuild contract awarded

Lynch School rebuild contract awarded

By Joyce Westner Dec. 5, 2023 Brait Builders of Marshfield was awarded the contract to build the new Lynch School on Monday night for $65.7 million.  The Education Facilities Planning and Building Committee chose Brait, whose proposal, according to vice-chair Chris Nixon, was “sufficiently under the cost estimate for

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Waterfield project redesigned

Waterfield project redesigned

By Joyce Westner Dec. 2, 2023 Tuesday’s Planning Board meeting included a report on the design changes to the proposed apartment project on Waterfield Road.  The Select Board already approved the changes at their meeting, but this was a full discussion of the differences.  Town Planner Taylor Herman told

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Winchester News mentioned by Globe columnist

Winchester News mentioned by Globe columnist

By Joyce Westner Nov. 28, 2023 Today the Boston Globe’s business editor Shirley Leung mentioned the Winchester News in an article about worthy non-profits to keep in mind on Giving Tuesday.  She wrote that today is also “Giving News Day,” and suggested local non-profit news outlets, including Winchester News,

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Orphan parcel purchase gets TM nod

Orphan parcel purchase gets TM nod

Monday evening’s Town Meeting voted to buy the so-called “orphan” parcel from the MBTA for $155,000.  The parcel is the driveway running from Waterfield Rd. into the parking lot next to the T station.  According to Planning Board Chair Diab Jerius, the lot is essential if the town

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Fire destroys home on Lebanon Street

Fire destroys home on Lebanon Street

A quick-moving fire destroyed a two-story house on Lebanon Street Wednesday afternoon leaving two families displaced.  A Medford Armstrong crew driving by noticed the fire on the second floor back porch and eventually firefighters from six surrounding towns came to the Winchester Fire Department’s mutual aid, according to Winchester

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