During the week of Feb. 29 and March 3 the March Madness Basketball tournament was held with teams participating from around the region.   For the first time ever, Winchester had a fifth grade girls' team participate in the event and they played against much more experienced traveling teams.  They went 1-2 in the tournament. These girls participated in the  Winchester Basketball Association town league for 5th grade girls and were selected by their peers to be on the March Madness team.

Sgt. Ray Regan of Winchester will run the Boston Marathon route to raise awareness of Question 32E on the Mass. State Tax Form. In the next six weeks, viewers can follow Ray's progress and find out what keeps him motivated to cover the 26.2 mile course in a series of YouTube videos on Military Friends Foundation channel http://bit.ly/yCL3wa.   Regan, who has served for the past five years, will discuss his training for the race along with the programs that Military Friends Foundation provides for military families across Massachusetts. The organization seeks to highlight to the needs of local…

Growing up in a family of four kids with age ranges from four years to eleven years apart can create a challenge when the family wants to do things together. A four year old and a fifteen year old certainly do not want to do the same things. What’s a parent to do? Get creative for one thing and enlist the help of your older children. I know there has been a lot of talk about independent play lately and while I agree with its benefits whole heartedly I also love structured family play time. And when you find what works, we call it our family play time sweet spot; you can all have fun together …

The following was submitted by Al Turco. Al Turco of Wakefield announced his candidacy for re-election to a four-year term on the Republican State Committee. The State Committee election will be held on March 6, 2012, the same day as the Presidential Primary in Massachusetts. Turco currently serves as a Wakefield Selectman. He is a long-time Republican activist who has, as an unpaid volunteer, devoted a tremendous about of time and energy to recruit and support Republican candidates. Turco joined the  Wakefield Republican Town Committee in 2000 and chaired that committee from 2004 to 2009. In…

The following was submitted by Sherry Alpert. It’s been a long wait for Frank Fodera, Jr. since 1997, when he became one of only five athletes in the history of Massachusetts high school wrestling to be voted “Outstanding Wrestler” not once, but twice. Fodera, Principal of East Coast Developments, Inc. of North Reading, will be inducted into the Massachusetts Interscholastic Wrestling Coaches Association (MIWCA) Hall of Fame on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 5:30 p.m., Salem High School, just before the All-State finals. A 1997 graduate of Winchester High School, he was among seven athletes and five …

For over 30 years the Winchester Meals on Wheels program has been serving food to Winchester residents. “We try and meet the needs of citizens who need or want to stay in their homes and be independent, but can’t get out of their home,” said Marie Johnson, Secretary of the Winchester chapter. “We’re able to provide people with healthy food.” The non-profit organization has been providing home-delivered meals to anyone unable to shop or prepare food. The Board of Selectmen recently invited some of the participants of the program in to thank them for their service. “It’s a great civic thing to …

For over half a century Sherman “Whip” Saltmarsh has been in the stands cheering on his Boston College Eagles. And on Monday night, Saltmarsh will be there again, supporting his alma mater, as the Eagles’ hockey team takes the ice against Boston University. The Eagles will be attempting to win their 17th Beanpot hockey tournament. The tournament, which is celebrating its 60th year this season, pits four Boston-area hockey teams – Boston University, Boston College, Harvard University and Northeastern University – against one another in a round-robin tournament. Saltmarsh hasn’t missed a …

The following was submitted by Winchester parent Phillip Stern. Winchester Wrestler, Cam Horsey, is having a great season, winning 33 matches against only six losses. This is quite an accomplishment for someone who had never even heard of wrestling before he came to Winchester High School in 2009.   Horsey is from Atlanta, where he lives with his family during the summer, but for the last four years, he has attended Winchester High School through A Better Chance. He joined the wrestling team as a freshman and impressed with his speed and strength, but with stellar big men like Andrew Moranian…

At one time Charlotte Fazio had 13 cats wondering through her home. That number has since dwindled down to seven. “That’s the limit,” said Fazio. She and her husband had always owned at least one cat, but the lifelong Winchester resident never expected to have more than a couple cats roaming her halls. About a year ago, Fazio, who has always been an animal-lover, wanted to try and give back, to help animals in need. A friend introduced her to the Protection of Animals in Wakefield Society (PAWS) and for the past 12 months she has been one of the organization’s strongest members. “I like …

The following was submitted by Phillip Stern. Winchester improved its record in the Middlesex League to 8-0 by defeating the Melrose wrestling team on Wednesday, Jan. 18. The Sachems won 10 of the 13 contested weight classes, for a final score of 56-12. Jordan Darby got things started for Winchester with a major decision over Ryan Stanton. Co-Captains Steve Spry and Dan Fallon scored technical decisions, while the other seven Sachem victories were pins by Quinn Gregory, Shadi Abujoub, Joe Fallon, Ryan Kelley, TJ Boudreau, and Co-Captains Cam Horsey and Nick Cashion. This was Cashion’s 118th …

The following was submitted by the the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge. Forty Winchester residents raised $292,867 of the $35 million donated by the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC) to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund. They were among 5,169 cyclists who rode up to 190 miles across Massachusetts to raise money for cancer research and treatment. The 2011 fundraising total is $2 million, or 5.7 percent, more than the PMC gave in 2010 and brings its 32-year Jimmy Fund contribution to $338 million. The PMC is the most successful athletic fundraising event in the nation; it raises …

The following was submitted by Winchester Hospital. In celebration of Winchester Hospital’s centennial, Winchester Hospital Our First Century by Ellen Knight, Ph.D., has recently been published. The book chronicles the many triumphs and challenges throughout the hospital’s first 100 years, and the story is told using numerous photos. “Dr. Knight did a masterful job of walking the reader through the hospital’s history and weaving in many interesting and often humorous bits of information,” said Kevin Smith, president and CEO of Winchester Hospital. “It is a nice read for anyone connected to …

Chief John Nash of the Winchester Fire Department announced the graduation of Firefighters Patrick Warren, Thomas Surette, Mark Ricci and Joseph Marashio from the Massachusetts Fire Academy. According to Nash, this rigorous professional training provides Winchester’s newest firefighters with the basic skills to effectively and safely perform their jobs. The 12-week training is provided by the Massachusetts Fire Academy in Stow. Students receive classroom training in all basic firefighting skills. They practice first under non-fire conditions and then during controlled fire conditions. To …

In honor of her exemplary service to the office of the Middlesex District Attorney, Winchester resident Susie Marshall was presented with the District Attorney’s Victim Witness Advocate Award at a ceremony held in Woburn, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone announced today. The District Attorney’s Victim Witness Advocate Award is awarded to a victim witness advocate for demonstrating extraordinary commitment and dedication to serving and protecting those who are most vulnerable in our communities. Marshall is a Victim Witness Advocate with the Family Protection Unit. “Susie is extremely …

Ingrid Li wanted to do something different, something unique at Winchester High School. The junior had interest in clubs and other activities, but she also had a passion for business. And so, Li, with the help of some of her classmates, began the Entrepreneurial Youth Society (EYS). The EYS is a student-organization dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship and leadership among teenagers. According to Li, EYS creates business projects and events with the goal of earning money. All of the money the society raises will be used to promote education as well as entrepreneurship. “The goal is for …

Winchester Hospital volunteer and former employee Nancy Kilker of Winchester recently traveled to Cuba, where she assisted in delivering $500 in medical supplies donated by Winchester Hospital. The trip was a government-sanctioned, humanitarian mission sponsored by Bringing HOPE Foundation, Inc. The 14-member team delivered the supplies to rural schools and the Sisters of Charity, a division of Catholic Charities which operates community-based outreach centers, retirement homes and special needs facilities throughout Cuba. Prior to the trip, Kilker shipped 50 pounds of supplies to Bringing …

A little more than two years ago, Steve Homsey suffered an accident that left him immobile. After a 40-foot fall from an apartment building, it took months of rehabilitation until the Winchester native was able to walk again. The injuries and the impact on Homsey's life was similar, to a degree, to those that suffer from Multiple Sclerosis. Once he began to recover his functionality, Homsey became to learn more about the disease. That's when Homsey decided to take advantage of his second chance and walk across the country. “The fall left me immobile for two months. I was unbelievably …

Over 50 spirited Winchester High Sschool students clad in T-shirts that read "Winchester Walks to Defeat ALS" joined with others in the Massachusetts Chapter of the ALS Association's annual walk. Two groups, Haley's Comets and Team Winchester walked and raised well over $8,000 for ALS research after they were touched by personal accounts of people living with the condition. Haley's Comets is a group from the Winchester Youth Center under the direction of Rebecca Levine, the center's coordinator. "We first got involved with the cause in October 2010 when the dad of one of our peer leaders was …

Winchester native, Mark Milley, a Major General in the Army, took command of the the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) last week. Maj. Gen. James L. Terry relinquished his command to Milley during a change-of-command ceremony. Commanding Soldiers is a special time in a leader’s career, Gen. David M. Rodriguez, commander of U.S. Army Forces Command said. “There is no greater honor and priveledge in the Army than to lead American Soldiers,” he said. “Commanding the 10th Mountain Division is a rare and extraordinary opportunity that comes with a full complement of challenges – operational …

The following was submitted by Michael Regentz. Veterans Day reminds me of good times and some bad times when I was in the US Navy. It was 1965 and I was stationed aboard the USS Sampan, a guided missile frigate out of San Diego. The Vietnam War was in full tilt and we were ordered to relieve the USS Chickabow on station by May 12. We left San Diego to not one dry eye as our dependants on the pier waved us off. It was a cold March morning and we were to steam to Viet Nam via stops in Honolulu, Subic Bay, and then our first stop in China, the Hong Kong harbor.   Little did we know how this …