News Briefs

Fall Clothing AND Costume Swap with Project Play

Get the kids ready for fall an Halloween by rounding up those costumes and outgrown clothing & bringing them down to the swap shop! No need to buy new- just shop the swap!

 Accepted items include ages 0-12+ clothing, accessories, and costumes. No equipment please. Swapping is not required for shopping! Remaining items will be donated to local charity. Kids welcome!

The event will be held on Saturday September 28 from  10:00 am to noon. 

Drop-off items will be accepted from 9:00-10:00 am at Saint Johns Episcopal Church, 222 Bowdoin St, Winthrop.

Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel planned

Saint Michael’s parish picnic takes place this Sunday, September 29.  In place of the 11:00 and 12:00 Masses, there will be a special 11:30 Mass which will be followed by festivities.  There will be live music by John Polino, face painting, crafts, games and a bouncy house.  There will be a barbecue with cold drinks, fresh popcorn, cotton candy, desserts, and slush.  

The picnic will take place in the parking lot on the corner of Winthrop Street and Ocean View Steet (Saint John the Evangelist Church), but will be moved inside the parish center if it rains.  Donations of soda and Capri-Suns are being accepted and can be dropped off in advance.

Tickets are $5 per person or $20 a family and can be purchased at the door or by using Venmo @StMichaelParish.  All are invited to enjoy fellowship, food, and fun! 

Blessing of the Animals and Shelter Pet Supply Drive at St John’s Episcopal Church

St John’s Episcopal Church of Winthrop will host a Blessing of the Animals at 5:30pm on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. The Blessing celebrates the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. All pets and people are welcome to attend the event at 225 Bowdoin Street. Animals must be leashed or in carriers. For pets unable to attend, their owners may bring a photograph.

At the same time, the church is holding a shelter pet supply drive to benefit local animal shelters. Donations of the following items may be dropped anytime inside the front porch of the St. John’s Rectory at 231 Bowdoin Street, next to the church:

– Canned dog & cat food

– Cat litter

– Used but cleaned towels and blankets

– Dog beds

– Cat trees

– HE laundry detergent

– Paper towels

– Trash bags

– Bleach

– Pet store gift cards

Climate Expert holds talk in Winthrop

A leading climate expert visited Winthrop to warn that the low-lying town faces not only rising sea levels but a dramatically increased risk of damaging storms due to planetary warming.

The expert, Kerry Emanuel, is an emeritus professor of meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He led a public presentation arranged by Winthrop Working Together in partnership with Mothers Out Front, two local groups focused on community improvement. Those attending included members of the town’s new Citizens Advisory Commission on Climate.

Professor Emanuel described for the audience at the EB Newton School the centuries-long history of studying the Earth that has made clear that the planet is warming significantly due to human burning of fossil fuels, with disastrous effects already becoming evident.

The MIT professor acknowledged that there’s many questions about how fast the planet is actually warming and how quickly sea levels will rise. But he affirmed that there’s no doubt the problem is profound, that it will keep accelerating decades into the future, and that it will get even worse the longer humans make routine and extensive use of fossil fuels.

In the Boston area, the average sea level is up about a foot over the past century, and it’s expected to rise at least another two feet in just the next 50 years.

On top of that, Professor Emanuel made some calculations specific to Winthrop, and found that planetary warming is bringing the town dramatically increased risks of highly damaging storms and rainfall. While a storm with 70 mile-per-hour winds – enough to cause major damage to houses – was calculated to be likely every 218 years in Winthrop, the odds of that happening in the world’s current warmer environment has now increased to about once every 46 years, Professor Emanuel estimated.

And a storm bringing at least 3 inches of rain, which in the past would happen about once every 577 years in Winthrop, is now looking likely to occur once every 38 years, he said.

Health Officials Announce 12th Human Case of West Nile Virus

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) today announced the twelfth human case of West Nile virus (WNV) in the state this year. The individual is a man in his 50s exposed in Essex County.

As a result, WNV risk levels in the following communities are being raised to moderate: Beverly, Danvers, Essex, Manchester, Peabody, Salem, and Wenham in Essex County.

“This has been an active year for mosquito-borne disease, including West Nile virus,” said Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD. “The risk for disease will continue until the first hard frost, so we continue to recommend that people take steps to protect themselves.”

There have been 330 WNV-positive mosquito samples so far this year detected from Barnstable, Berkshire, Bristol, Dukes, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, and Worcester counties. Last year, there were six human cases of WNV and no animal cases. No animal cases of WNV have been detected so far this year.

Starting this week, DPH will update the public on WNV cases in Massachusetts via weekly press releases each Friday as necessary if new cases are confirmed. Surveillance information, including cases, will continue to be updated on a daily basis and posted online at Massachusetts Arbovirus Update. DPH encourages everyone to use this online resource regularly to stay up to date on risk levels in their community and around the state.

People have an important role to play in protecting themselves and their loved ones from illnesses caused by mosquitoes.