Auditions for musical comedy
Auditions for actors/singers for Ralph Tufo musical comedy I’d Rather Be Lucky Than Good will be held on April 30 and May 2 at WCAT Studio in Winthrop, MA. Character descriptions, synopsis, and audition sign-ups can be found at this link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0a49acaf29a6ff2-auditions.
Book Club discusses ‘Towelhead’
A reminder that the next meeting of the You, Me & Them /One Winthrop Book Club is this Wednesday @ 6:30 p.m. at the Winthrop Public Library.  If you haven’t joined us yet, we hope you’ll come by. Our last meeting was cancelled due to weather, so the book “Towelheadâ€, by Alicia Erian will be discussed.
Please join us even if you haven’t read our current book. The discussion will be lively and eye-opening.
Look ahead to Winthrop Shore Drive work
The following work items are ongoing along Winthrop Shore Drive. Expect to see these activities continue over the next two weeks.
Roadway construction will continue with excavation and grading from Mermaid Avenue to the north.
- Curbing installation on the ocean side will also continue advance to the north.
Detours and setups will be in place during working hours.
Police will be on site to help manage traffic.
Work hours are:
6 a.m. – 7 a.m. for setups and detours
7 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. for construction and
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. for safety breakdown of setups and any patching or a need to make the roadway safe for the travelling public during the down time.
Traffic and Parking Impacts
Parking restrictions will remain in place as posted to allow for construction activities.
Questions or concerns about the project should be directed to DCR Resident Engineer James Caputo, at the DCR trailer behind the DCR bathhouse on Winthrop Shore Drive, by visit or phone (617-846-1489) during regular business hours, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.  In case of an emergency, contact 911 or DCR’s 24/7 emergency hotline at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency at 508-820-1428.
Join us on Twitter @MassDCR – Visit http://mass.gov/dcr
Democratic Town Committee to meet
The Winthrop Democratic Town Committee will meet on Wednesday, April 25th at 7 p.m. at the Robert A. DeLeo Senior Center, 35 Harvard St. The agenda will include a discussion of the statewide elections in anticipation of the 2018 Massachusetts Democratic State Convention on June 2nd and a look forward to planning future local events.
Spring Art Festival
The Winthrop Art Association Spring Art Festival 2018 will be here soon. Come and see the local talent offered by member artists at the Festival & Craft Fair. Festival dates:
Saturday, April 28 – 12 – 6PM, Sunday, April 29Â -Â 11 – 4PM, Artist Reception –Â Sunday, 2PM – 4PM
Winthrop Police Warn of Increase in Scam Related Phone Calls
Chief Terence M. Delehanty and the Winthrop Police Department are issuing a warning about a recent sharp increase in scam phone calls received by residents.
Like similar existing scams, a caller tells residents that they represent a legitimate company or agency, such as a National Grid, the Internal Revenue Service or a computer company and demands payment for overdue bills or taxes, or offers illegitimate repair services for a fee.
In many cases, the scammer demands payment via electronic money order or pre-paid debit card. This should be an immediate red flag. No legitimate company or agency will ever demand money via these means. The IRS will never call you by phone to collect unpaid taxes.
Sending money via money order or pre-paid debit card is as good as sending cash, and if money is sent to a criminal, it is gone forever and cannot be recovered.
Chief Delehanty warns that residents should NEVER give personal information, social security numbers, or credit card numbers to people who call their homes or cell phones unsolicited.
Winthrop public safety officials have placed a recorded call to residents to alert them directly about the increase in scam calls in an attempt to prevent anyone from becoming a victim.
“These types of calls are fake, and the people placing them are attempting to victimize residents by making them fear that their utilities will be shut off, that they will be arrested or that their computers have become infected with a virus,” Chief Delehanty said. “Anyone who receives these types of calls should hang up immediately.”
Common telephone scams that target residents — especially seniors — include:
- IRS Impostors: Callers contact you demanding immediate payment for back taxes.
- Arrested Relative: Scammers contact you claiming that a friend or relative has been arrested and needs bail money.
- Kidnapped Relative: Scammers call to report a friend or relative has been kidnapped and a ransom must be paid.
- Threatened Arrest: Scammers call to tell you that you are subject to arrest (by a variety of different agencies: U.S. Marshals, FBI, local police etc.) and must pay to avoid arrest.
- Utility Scam: Scammers pose as bill collectors from utility companies and threaten to shut off service if you do not pay. These types of scams will often target businesses as well as residents.
- Sweepstakes: Someone calls to notify you that you have won a contest or sweepstakes and must send money to collect any winnings.
- Tech Support/Malware: Someone contacts you claiming your computer needs repairs and to send money for service or asks to connect to your computer. Additionally, a pop-up can appear on your computer, stating that it is infected with malware, and to call a number to pay to remove the virus.
If anyone has questions or feels that they may have been victimized, they are encouraged to call Winthrop Police at 617-846-1212.