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Unfortunately, there have been many false things said about the present pandemic, and these continue to be spread even at the highest levels of our government, so it seems a good time to call these out.The present pandemic is, unfortunately, still spreading like wildfire. It is NOT under control in the U.S. A quick look at the curve of cases compared to what is going on in the European Union (EU) illustrates this point; for example see [...]

According to the USDA, in 2018, 88.9% of U.S. households were food secure throughout the year. The remaining 11.1% of households were food insecure at least sometime during the year, including 4.3 percent (5.6 million households) that had very low food security.In 2019, statistics indicate that approximately one in six Americans experience food insecurity.The Town of Winchester has its share of families with those insecurities, and one church is trying to make a difference. [...]

Editor’s note: The Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC), a bike-a-thon that raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraising event in the country, is adapting its 2020 ride to maintain its commitment to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute while prioritizing the health and safety of its riders and volunteers. The organization’s traditional ride, which typically includes 12 routes spanning 25 to 192 miles over the first weekend of every August, will be transformed into [...]

Thirty-two Winchester businesses received tens of millions of dollars in checks from the US Paycheck Protection Program coronavirus-relief loans from the federal Small Business Administration, according to numbers the U.S. Treasury made public on July 6.The checks were given to businesses by the end of June and the U.S. Treasury gave out detailed information about the various businesses that received the loans. Nationwide, 4,885,388 loans totaling $521.5 billion were approved under [...]

Five registered voters who hold no other town office are sought for a Finance Committee term to expire in 2023. The Finance Committee annually reviews the town manager’s proposed budget.After review and public hearing, the committee prepares its recommended budget for town meeting action. The committee also prepares recommendations on all town meeting articles involving expenditure of town funds.A major time commitment is expected of the members from mid-February to May. [...]

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association is making plans for a fall season, with the Board of Directors voting July 21 to delay the start of from late August until Sept. 14.But the board also repeatedly acknowledged the possibility of high school sports being played in the coming months is dependent on the directives of, among others, the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.As [...]

The weekend work for the MBTA station renovation will occur throughout construction, the Winchester Select Board announced during its July 20 virtual meeting.According to the MBTA, depending on the work happening that weekend, it may be the full duration of the weekend, or it may not. Single track and track shutdowns need to be coordinated with other work happening along the Lowell Line, which is coordinated weekly through the MBTA.The station site is any work that does not [...]

Sports teams at all levels have recently been discussing possibly changing their mascots if they’ve been deemed racist.Even the Washington Redskins, whose owner Daniel Snyder for years has vowed to keep the name, has made concessions.Now, the Town of Winchester is making strides into possibly changing its mascot, which is currently the Sachems.The Select Board and School Committee agreed during their July 20 and 21 virtual meetings, respectively, to hold a joint [...]

JULY 23, 2020.....Lawmakers and local officials from Cape Cod reminded the public to cooperate with contact tracing efforts and to maintain commitment to public health precautions after a slight uptick in new COVID-19 cases over the past week.A growing total number of infections alone does not indicate a reversal of substantial progress that both the Cape and Massachusetts as a whole have made, Sen. Julian Cyr said during a Thursday conference call, but the growth in cases in [...]

Your chances to spot Comet Neowise are fading fast, just like the comet itself."Discovered on March 27, 2020, by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) mission, Comet Neowise is putting on a dazzling display for skywatchers before it disappears, not to be seen again for another 6,800 years," NASA said.After being visible only in the early morning sky through the first half of July, the comet is now a feature in the evening sky, [...]