Leigh Blander

Editor Leigh Blander is an experienced TV, radio and print journalist.
2634 Posts
‘He was the one who lit that flame.’ Marblehead pays tribute to Henry Dembowski, beloved educator, director
03 Oct

‘He was the one who lit that flame.’ Marblehead pays tribute to Henry Dembowski, beloved educator, director

Leigh Blander0 CommentsCulture, Entertainment, Life Style, Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Obituaries, Top Stories
Henry Dembowski going through newspaper clippings and posters for his past productions PHOTO: Leigh Blander Henry Dembowski, the educator and theater director who changed lives and launched careers, passed away Sept. 25. He was 83. “Henry was such an enormous presence in my personal and professional life,” said Charlie Semine, who starred in two theater productions at Marblehead High School directed by Dembowksi in 1999. Semine is now a professional actor living in New York City, appearing in several TV series. “Henry fostered an environment…
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Marblehead Light Department: Brace for higher electric bills this winter
23 Sep

Marblehead Light Department: Brace for higher electric bills this winter

Leigh Blander2 CommentsLocal News, Top Stories
Just a few days after National Grid made headlines that its prices will jump more than 60 percent this winter, Marblehead Municipal Light Department is also warning about the possibility of higher electric bills. “Not at any time in my career have predictions been this dire,” said Joe Kowalik, who has managed the MMLD since 2014. “We should all be hoping for a mild winter. A winter with extended cold could really be a problem because of the shortage of natural gas.” The war in…
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Honoring Agnes: Special dedication on Old Burial Hill for enslaved woman
19 Sep

Honoring Agnes: Special dedication on Old Burial Hill for enslaved woman

Leigh Blander1 CommentCulture, Local History, Local News, Municipal Matters, Religion, Top Stories
The new, historically accurate gravestone for Agnes, an enslaved woman in Marblehead More than 300 years after she died, a new gravestone will be dedicated at Old Burial Hill for Agnes (or Agnis, see below for an explanation of the two spellings), an enslaved woman who lived in Marblehead at the turn of the 18th century. The Marblehead Racial Justice Team (MRJT) will lead the ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 25, after raising $7,000 for the project. “We know that Agnes’ grave is an emblem,” said…
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Swastikas, racial slurs spray-painted on Marblehead’s Hamond Nature Center
09 Sep

Swastikas, racial slurs spray-painted on Marblehead’s Hamond Nature Center

Leigh Blander0 CommentsLocal News, Public safety, Top Stories
Marblehead's Hamond Nature Center Marblehead Police are investigating antisemitic and racist graffiti discovered Thursday, September 8, at the Hamond Nature Center, 30 Everett Paine Blvd. The property is owned by the town's Recreation and Parks Department, which runs programming there. It's also the site of the former Camp Shore Lea. “The whole back of the building was covered with bad stuff,” said Rec and Parks Dir. Peter James. He discovered the graffiti yesterday when he went to the building to check on its new roof.…
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Marblehead Police continue to investigate latest instance of racist, homophobic vandalism
08 Sep

Marblehead Police continue to investigate latest instance of racist, homophobic vandalism

Leigh Blander0 CommentsLocal News, Public safety, Top Stories
Chief reports uptick in graffiti Marblehead police are continuing to investigate a case of racist and homophobic graffiti discovered July 26 in a vacant Marblehead Housing Authority apartment on Barnard Hawkes Court.  Barnard Hawkes Court “Somebody used a marker to go throughout the apartment and write different things. There were about a dozen markings on the wall -- homophobic and racist comments,” said Chief Dennis King. There were also comments targeting a person at the Housing Authority, King added. He declined to elaborate because the…
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Touring The Mariner, one year into construction
07 Sep

Touring The Mariner, one year into construction

Leigh Blander1 CommentLocal News, Top Stories
It has been one year since The Mariner assisted living project broke ground at 265 Pleasant St., and construction is speeding toward a May 1 opening. Developers Heather Cairns and Michael LaFayette, who are married and live in town, led Marblehead News on a tour through the sprawling, 83,000-square-foot building that will soon be home to more than 100 seniors.  Developers Michael LaFayette and Heather Cairns stand at the entrance to The Mariner, which is set to open May 1. PHOTO: Leigh Blander “We get…
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Marblehead kids, parents excited on rainy first day of school
06 Sep

Marblehead kids, parents excited on rainy first day of school

Leigh Blander0 CommentsLocal News, Marblehead Public Schools
Share your first day of school photos with us on the Marblehead News Facebook page. Ayden Sanchez and his dad, Junior, walked to the Brown School this morning. PHOTO: Leigh Blander It was a rainy first day back to school, but that didn't dampen the excitement for students and their parents at drop-off this morning. After a bowl of Fruit Loops, Ayden Sanchez walked to the Brown School with his dad, Junior, for his first day as a third grader in Ms. McMahon's class.  "I'm…
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Marblehead school superintendent reports ‘astronomical’ increase in enrollment
01 Sep

Marblehead school superintendent reports ‘astronomical’ increase in enrollment

Leigh Blander0 CommentsLocal News, Marblehead Public Schools, Top Stories
Marblehead School Superintendent Dr. John Buckey Enrollment experienced an “astronomical” 6-percent increase over the summer, with 131 new students set to star the year in Marblehead public schools next week, Marblehead School Superintendent John Buckey announced at the Aug. 29 meeting of the Marblehead School Committee.  “We’ve had an increase in enrollment in every grade level except at grade 4, and it was static at grade 10,” Buckey said. “We’re fortunate to have the staffing that we do, and we’re fortunate that we didn’t make…
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<strong>Warwick Cinema reinventing itself post pandemic, launching Warwick TV</strong>
29 Aug

Warwick Cinema reinventing itself post pandemic, launching Warwick TV

Leigh Blander1 CommentBusiness, Culture, Entertainment, Local History, Local News, Top Stories
The Warwick circa 1945. Courtesy Marblehead Museum Warwick Cinema, a landmark in Marblehead for more than 100 years, has survived the pandemic and is reinventing itself again. “We're thinking outside the box,” said Johnny Ray, who co-owns the Warwick and the adjoining restaurant ,The Beacon. “We’ll be doing events other than movies. Of course, we still do first-run movies all the time.” COVID-19 shut down cinemas for months and slashed profits as people shied away from public indoor spaces. The pandemic also prompted big changes…
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