News Briefs

Town candidate events set for next week

Winthrop voters will have several opportunities to hear directly from the candidates running for office in the Nov. 4 municipal election next week.

On Monday, Oct. 6, there is a debate scheduled between the two Town Council President candidates, incumbent President Jim Letterie and current council Vice President Hannah Belcher.

The debate will take place in the WCAT Studio from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and will feature a panel with representatives from Winthrop High School, the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce, and the Winthrop Sun-Transcript. The event will be moderated by John Macero.

The candidates will also have the opportunity to ask each other questions.

The studio will be closed to the public, but the debate will be broadcast live on WCAT Channel 22 and livestreamed on the WCAT website. The debate will be rerun on WCAT and available for viewing on the WCAT YouTube page after the event.

On Thursday, Oct. 9, the Winthrop Republican Town Committee is hosting the Meet the Candidates Night, which will feature all candidates running for office this year and will be open to the public.

The Meet the Candidates Night was created in 2017 by former Selectman and former WRTC member Marty O’Brien. Since then, it has provided an important opportunity for residents to hear directly from those running for office.

This year’s Meet the Candidates forum will be held on Thursday, Oct. 9, at 6:30 p.m. at the Winthrop Senior Center (doors open at 6:00 p.m.), hosted by the Winthrop Republican Town Committee. All Winthrop candidates are invited to participate, answer questions, and then meet individually with voters.

The evening is open to everyone, is nonpartisan in nature, and will be broadcast by WCAT with coverage in the Sun-Transcript.

Blessing of the Animals at St John’s Episcopal

St John’s Episcopal Church, 225 Bowdoin Street, Winthrop will host a Blessing of the Animals at 5:30pm on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. The Blessing celebrates the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. All pets and people are welcome to attend. Animals must be leashed or in carriers. For pets unable to attend, their owners may bring a photograph for a blessing.

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