Will Dowd - Marblehead Current

30 Jul

LIVING ARCHIVE: For a lifetime of stories, Marblehead says thank you

Will DowdTop Stories

On a warm July 29 afternoon, the Select Board Room at Abbot Hall filled with residents who had come to honor one of Marblehead’s most beloved figures. Town Historian Emerita Bette Hunt, seated, with the members of the Marblehead Forever Committee, holds her 2025 citation following a ceremony in her honor at Abbot Hall on July 29. Hunt was recognized for decades of service and her role in preserving Marblehead’s cultural and historical legacy. CURRENT PHOTOS / WILL DOWD Town Historian Emerita Elizabeth “Bette” Hunt,…

30 Jul

Local lawmakers: Changes to MBTA zoning law unlikely to pass

Will DowdTop Stories

Dozens of bills filed on Beacon Hill this session seek to modify or repeal the MBTA Communities Act, though Marblehead state legislators say the measures face long odds as the vast majority of communities have achieved compliance with the housing law. State Sen. Brendan Crighton and State Rep. Jenny Armini say proposed changes to the MBTA Communities Act are unlikely to pass, citing widespread compliance across Massachusetts and strong legislative support for the housing law. The proposed legislation comes as Marblehead grapples with the loss…

30 Jul

Teen photographer to debut solo show at Marblehead Arts Association

Will DowdTop Stories

Grey Collins was just 14 when he captured his first great photograph — two mule deer gazing at each other on a ridge in Yosemite National Park. Now 17, the Marblehead High School senior will showcase that image alongside dozens of others in his first solo exhibition at the Marblehead Arts Association in August. A marmot perches on a rock in Mount Rainier National Park. “This marmot just posed for me,” said teen photographer Grey Collins, who captured the moment during a family hike. The…

30 Jul

SUSTAINABLE MARBLEHEAD: Ditch the Jug

Will DowdColumns, Opinion

Take a quick spin around your home. Do you see giant plastic laundry jugs squatting next to the washing machine? Disposable soap dispensers on every sink? Spray bottles, detergent pods, stain removers — each in its own plastic shell? Now, think about what happens to all that plastic once it’s empty. (If you’re tempted to say “recycled,” hold that thought.) There’s good news, better options and a growing movement toward ditching the jug — without sacrificing clean clothes or sparkling counters. Myth or fact: Is…

29 Jul

LETTER: Authoritarianism threatens individual autonomy

Will DowdLETTERS, Opinion

To the editor: When does authoritarianism suffocate self agency? When do we lose our autonomy, or is autonomy just an illusion? Who gets impacted? How does it happen? What makes one population more vulnerable than another? The color of their skin, the language they speak, the job that they have, their nationality or their economic status? Self agency is critical to one’s sense of control and self-esteem. Self agency allows one to choose the food they eat, the doctor they see, the car they drive,…

29 Jul

LETTER: MoFA president expresses thanks

Will DowdLETTERS, Opinion

To the editor: My sincere thanks to the community for the unprecedented turnout at the Marblehead Festival of Arts this year. The energy throughout the four days was inspiring to all who came and volunteered. I’m deeply grateful to the Select Board and its executive assistant, Kyle Wiley, for granting the use of town property, to Chief of Police Dennis King for approving the race route and helping to coordinate the logistics of our events, and to Fire Chief Jason Gilliland and the Emergency Medical…

29 Jul

LETTER: Government agency cuts threaten disaster response

Will DowdLETTERS, Opinion

To the editor: As we read and watched the footage of the floods in Texas, we are all horrified and saddened by the devastation. The suddenness and ferocity seemed like another once-in-100-year phenomenon, but we are hearing this explanation all too often. How could we be prepared for and minimize such a disaster? We frequently count on public government agencies to predict and give timely warnings. In this case it fell to National Weather Service (The National Weather Service is part of National Oceanic and…

29 Jul

LETTER: 3A zoning unfair to lower-income areas

Will DowdLETTERS, Opinion

To the editor: Here is why 3A was not democratic and not fair to voters of lower-income areas in the town: The three zones that were expanded for 3A are areas of affordable housing, elderly housing, congestion, dump construction and density issues in the town already. Fair would be to make the whole town zoned for two- or three-family units without special permit. By doing this you will allow seniors who are struggling to stay in their small homes to be able to add a…

29 Jul

EDITORIAL: Measles vaccine policy, public health prudence

Will DowdCurrent Editorials, Opinion

At one point in our nation's history, measles infected millions of Americans. Later, in the year 2000, the U.S. declared a milestone success in effectively eradicating the disease. In 2025, according to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the U.S. is seeing the most reported cases in decades. As of July 15, the Centers for Disease Control identified 1,309 confirmed cases in 39 states, including our very own New England neighbors, Rhode Island and Vermont. To put this in context, the CDC identified…

29 Jul

Marblehead urges residents to cut power use during peak hours

Will DowdTop Stories

Marblehead Municipal Light Department officials are asking residents to reduce electricity consumption from 5 to 8 p.m. today as hot, humid weather is expected to peak across New England during that three-hour window. General Manager Joe Kowalik said in a recorded message that lowering energy use during high-demand periods benefits residents’ wallets, the electrical grid’s reliability and the environment. The department issued the advisory as temperatures soar throughout the region. “Today’s energy use may represent our July transmission peak, which is then used to calculate…