Leigh Blander - Marblehead Current

Marblehead native credits Glover School teacher with start in movies

22Mar

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Marblehead native credits Glover School teacher with start in movies

Marblehead native Ethan Feldbau may have been at an Oscar watch party in Los Angeles when his movie “Everything Everywhere All at Once” won seven Academy Awards, but he was thinking about his hometown and former Glover School teacher Jane Graham. “I owe a lot to my third grade teacher. She took our class to the magic show ‘Le Grand David’ in Beverly and I became infatuated with magic and special effects. She started me on a path toward theater, movies and art.” Ethan Feldbau grew up in Marblehead making movies with friends. Feldbau was the lead visual effects artist and visual designer on “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” a sci-fi multiverse movie that dominated the Oscars, winning Best Picture, Best Film Editing, Best Director and several other top awards. “This was a very...

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: Remembering the donkey games at Seaside

21Mar

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Community resources, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Top Stories

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: Remembering the donkey games at Seaside

Name: Liz Michaud Born: I was born at the old Mary Alley Hospital on Franklin Street. Age: 81 How long have you lived in Marblehead? My entire life. Liz Michaud with her husband, Bert, at the Council on Aging. COURTESY PHOTO What are your fondest childhood memories? I grew up on Bubier Road near Seaside Park. Seaside Park was always a big part of my childhood.My brother and I would go watch baseball games there with my dad. We loved the donkey baseball games when the team would be riding donkeys. The hitter would ride a donkey. Sometimes the donkey would go to third base instead of first base. All the neighborhood kids would go. I remember the year we lost all the willow trees at Seaside in a bad storm. They were replanted. Behind Seaside Park there were great blueberry ...

Moulton wants GI benefits for families of Black WWII vets

15Mar

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Local News, Politics, Top Stories

Moulton wants GI benefits for families of Black WWII vets

Local social justice and affordable housing advocates are praising Congressman Seth Moulton’s bill to restore GI Bill benefits to surviving Black World War II veterans and their descendants who did not benefit equally after the war due to systemic racism. Congressman Seth Moulton: ‘While our generation didn’t commit this wrong, we should be committed to making it right.’ COURTESY PHOTO / OFFICE OF REP. SETH MOULTON “We at the Marblehead Racial Justice Team applaud this effort as an attempt to make up for a historical wrong that perpetrated a legacy of segregation,” said Rev. Jim Bixby with the MRJT. “It is unfortunate that even this kind of legislation is too little too late. The Black GIs missed out on investment opportunities during our most productive years of economic deve...

High wind warning, coastal flood advisory for Marblehead as storm moves in

13Mar

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Local News, Public safety, Top Stories

High wind warning, coastal flood advisory for Marblehead as storm moves in

The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for eastern Essex County, including Marblehead, from Tuesday 8 a.m. to Wednesday 8 a.m. North winds of 25 to 35 miles per hour are expected, with gusts up to 55 mph. "Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines," reads the NWS warning. "Risk for power outages. Travel will be difficult. The NWS has also issued a coastal flood advisory for Wednesday 3 a.m. to 8 a.m., forecasting "flooding of lots, parks and roads with only isolated road closures expected." There is also a winter weather advisory for the area, with one to five inches of snow possible. The Marblehead Police Department posted advice to its Facebook page. "You will need to secure property that could be blown about in the wind and if the the storm...

School Committee votes to move ahead with leaner budgets, warns of layoffs, cuts to sports

13Mar

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Top Stories

School Committee votes to move ahead with leaner budgets, warns of layoffs, cuts to sports

The School Committee voted Monday morning to abandon its original FY 2024 budget proposal of about $49 million, which represented a 7.9% increase and included funding requests from principals and directors. Instead, it will present two much smaller versions at a public hearing next week. The School Committee will move forward with what it calls an “austerity budget” of $44.7 million, which includes a 1.8%, or 800,000, increase recommended by the Select Board. That budget will lead to 30 staff members being cut and freshmen sports being canceled, according to Superintendent John Buckey and School Committee Chair Sarah Fox. The School Committee will present a second “level funded” budget with a 5%, or $2.2 million, increase that covers contractual obligations for FY 2...

On net, a good day: Pickleballers swing back into action at Seaside courts

9Mar

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Community resources, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Sports, Top Stories

On net, a good day: Pickleballers swing back into action at Seaside courts

Pickleballers were back playing on courts — with their own portable nets — at Seaside Park on March 8 and 9, the first days the courts have been open since mid-January. The Recreation and Parks Commission agreed to open the Seaside courts in good weather after two sometimes-heated meetings in February. All smiles on the courts: Pickleballers Randy Shefshick, Betty Lonergan, Lisa Spinale and James Slavet. Pickleballers take to the courts at Seaside on March 8. "I am so grateful to be able to play pickleball on a beautiful March day," said James Slavet. "Thank you to Marblehead Pickleball for providing access to such a fun and healthy activity that has been missing from my life lately." At a Feb. 28 meeting, Rec and Parks agreed to reopen the Seaside courts immediately (give...

After personal battle, Marblehead woman launches wellness business

8Mar

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Local News, Top Stories

After personal battle, Marblehead woman launches wellness business

On the outside, Wendy Tamis Robbins of Marblehead appeared to have the perfect life. An Ivy League graduate and successful lawyer, she had a new husband, new home and two lovely step-children. But on the inside, she was still battling the anxiety, OCD and panic disorders that had plagued her for 40 years. “I was functioning at a very high level,” Robbins said. “I had learned a lot of tricks. I had a lot of tools in my toolbox. But I wanted to know if I could step fully outside that box.” Through years of therapy, workshops and what she calls “self-discovery work,” Robbins has learned to live outside the box that anxiety had trapped her for decades. Wendy Tamis Robbins offers support to men, women and children struggling with anxiety and other mental health challenges. COURTESY...

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: Town historian was nation’s ‘outstanding teacher’

7Mar

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Local History, Local News, Top Stories

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: Town historian was nation’s ‘outstanding teacher’

Name: Don Doliber Age: 78 Birthplace: I always say I was born in an alley — Mary Alley Hospital. Have you lived in Marblehead your whole life? Not yet. [Doliber laughs.] But yes, I’ve always lived here. What jobs have you had and what was your favorite? As a teenager, I worked at the Lee Mansion as a brass boy, polishing brass. I got to know a great deal about the Lee Mansion and got to research family records. After that, I worked at Boy Scout summer camps in Alfred, Maine, and Orford, New Hampshire. I worked as a counselor and camp director. For my full-time occupation, I worked as a history teacher at Masconomet Regional High School from 1967 until I retired in 2009. I was a teacher and then assistant principal and acting principal. That was my favorite job. Becau...

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: All Chic 152 sells clothing and accessories

4Mar

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Business, Local News

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: All Chic 152 sells clothing and accessories

The following is an interview with Siobhan Phelan, Owner/Buyer of All Chic at 152, conducted by Discover Marblehead. To learn more about the business, stop by the store at 152 Washington St. or check out their website at allchicat152.com. All Chic 152 owner Siobhan Phelan: ‘I love all the customers and their pets who pop in’ COURTESY PHOTO Tell us about All Chic at 152. All Chic at 152 is a boutique with clothing from the U.S., Canada and Europe. We sell trendy and affordable clothing and accessories for women. One of my favorite things to do is shop for unique pieces for my customers/clients. We have new merchandise arriving daily and I love every minute of it! What made you decide to open your store? I started in business in 1992 with my first store, Rags to Riches, which I ow...

3Mar

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Public safety, Top Stories

BREAKING NEWS: Missing MHS girls back home

At approximately 2 a.m. Friday morning, the two Marblehead High School students missing since early Wednesday were reunited with their parents, one of the mothers alerted the Marblehead Current. The Marblehead Police Department also posted the news on its Facebook page. METCO students Janeiry Nicole Torres, 14, and Zaira Randall, 15, arrived at Marblehead High School Wednesday morning, but never entered the building. Instead, police say they boarded an MBTA bus back to Boston. Marblehead police worked closely with Boston police to search for the girls. Details about where the girls were or how they were found are not known at this hour. But Nicole Mejia, Torres' mother, tells the Current that the girls are "OK." "Our community once again demonstrated our ability to come together...