Kris Olson - Marblehead Current

18 Sep

State’s highest court rejects latest MBTA Communities Act challenge

Kris OlsonTop Stories

The state’s highest court on Sept. 18 has denied the latest legal challenge to the MBTA Communities Act, brought by Marshfield and its select board. Marshfield Town Meeting voters twice rejected zoning amendments that would comply with the law, G.L.c. 40A, §3A. The Marshfield Select Board then voted not to submit an interim action plan or take further steps towards compliance with the law. Instead, Marshfield joined several municipalities that took the state to court in litigation consolidated before Superior Court Judge Mark C. Gildea.…

27 Jul

NEWS IN BRIEF: ‘Marblehead’s Liquor War,’ food drive and more

Kris OlsonAbbot Public Library, Community Resources, Culture, Food, Local News

The Current welcomes 150- to 200-word submissions to News in Brief. Send them to info@marbleheadnews.org. Museum presents ‘Marblehead’s Liquor War’ On Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 7 p.m., the Marblehead Museum will host a lecture featuring new research on the history of drinking in Marblehead. Jarrett Zeman, the museum’s associate director, will present “Marblehead’s Liquor War: The Temperance Movement, 1840-1930.” Zeman will showcase how Marbleheaders fought each other for the right to buy alcohol. Fed up with their unruly men, the local temperance movement made Marblehead…

10 Jun

Marblehead Current public notices, issue of June 10, 2026

Kris OlsonMunicipal Matters

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08 Jun

REALITY CHECK: Why is Retirement Board meeting Wednesday?

Kris OlsonLocal News

You may have seen the anti-override citizens group Better Way Marblehead calling attention to a meeting of the town's Retirement Board, which is scheduled for Wednesday, June 10, the day after the town election in which voters will decide the fate of a tiered set of general overrides to fund town services and a fourth override question related to trash collection. "The very first item on their agenda for June 10th — the day after you vote on a permanent tax increase — is a…

07 Jun

Current denied request to attend health board member’s info session

Kris OlsonMunicipal Matters, Top Stories

Tom McMahon, a candidate for re-election to the Board of Health, has denied the Current's request to attend his information session on the override vote and the town's new trash collection program scheduled for Sunday afternoon. Tom McMahon Asked whether the press would be welcome to attend, McMahon first asked the Current to prove its lack of bias by demonstrating that it understood the formulas underlying the two override calculators created by the citizens' groups For Marblehead and Better Way Marblehead. After a response was…

01 Jun

Signs point to… not the whole story

Kris OlsonMunicipal Matters, Top Stories, Town Election Guide

By now, you likely have seen them on lawns throughout town: the anti-override group Better Way Marblehead’s signs, which read “$7,500+ Per Home Every 3 Years, Forever!” Some residents may have wondered, “Is that true?” Here’s our assessment. WHAT THE SIGN GETS RIGHT: The overrides the town will be voting on June 9 are, in fact, “forever.” They are general overrides that remain part of the tax rate rather than exclusions that drop off the tax levy when the bonds issued to finance a particular…

12 May

Town’s 3A plan: What happens next?

Kris OlsonMunicipal Matters, Top Stories

With their vote under Article 4 on May 4, Town Meeting voters amended the town’s zoning bylaw to adopt a multifamily overlay district designed to meet the town’s obligations under the MBTA Communities Law (G.L.c. 40A, §3A). But Marblehead is not yet technically “compliant” from the state’s perspective. Marblehead can achieve “interim compliance” with the law by submitting a complete application package for review to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, a spokesperson for the office explained. That package will include the town’s…

26 Feb

And the answer is… Marblehead: Town appears in ‘Jeopardy!’ clue for first time in 17 years

Kris OlsonEntertainment, Top Stories

Marblehead "Jeopardy!" enthusiasts may have done a double take during the Feb. 26 Double Jeopardy round when host Ken Jennings read a clue that referenced the town. The $1,200 clue in the "Geography" category was: "A tombolo is a sandy or pebbly one of these connecting an island to the mainland, like in Marblehead, Massachusetts." (We'll give you a minute to come up with the answer.) Marblehead appears in a clue in the Double Jeopardy round of the Feb. 26 episode of "Jeopardy!" COURTESY PHOTO/LISA…

19 Jan

Marblehead Current public notices, issue of Jan. 21, 2026

Kris OlsonMunicipal Matters

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19 Jan

Headlight: Jan. 21, 2026

Kris OlsonEducation, Headlight

Check out the latest issue of Marblehead High School’s Headlight. In this edition: Sophomore reporter Anna Baughman writes about a student art installation at National Grand Bank. Sophomore reporter Jack Buckley documents the success of the undefeated junior varsity boys basketball team. Freshman reporter Sophie Li reports on the business competition in which members of DECA, a club that prepares students to practice leadership and entrepreneurship skills, recently took part. Headlight January 21, 2026Download