Current Editorials

Consider two Marblehead residents walking into Town Meeting. One has spent the past several months following a local elected official's detailed dispatches in a private Facebook group — long, passionate posts about the budget, the proposed override, increased fees and what's going on behind the scenes. The other doesn't use Facebook and has no idea those posts exist. Both residents will cast votes that impact the town. One of them recognizes some of the names, has followed some of the arguments and thinks they know…

On Thursday, April 9, newsrooms and communities across the country will mark Local News Day — a national day of action celebrating the trusted local news and information that helps communities stay informed and connected. Local News Day is built around a simple idea: Start Local. At a time when national headlines dominate our feeds, it’s easy to overlook the news taking place outside our doors. But the most important news is close to home: the decisions affecting local schools, the businesses opening downtown, the…

After 15 years of leading MHTV, Executive Director Joan Goloboy has retired, and we are taking this moment to both recognize and thank Joan for her many contributions to local access public television in Marblehead. Cable television came to town in the mid-’80s, with Continental Cablevision being the first of many cable companies to provide such service to homeowners looking to abandon their roof-top antennae. From the beginning — as part of their franchise licenses with the town — cable companies have dedicated at least…

Why are the core principles embedded in two of our country’s foundational documents — the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution — up for discussion at this year’s Town Meeting? And how does Marblehead’s historic role in fighting for these inalienable rights figure in how the town might vote, considering our current political climate? We don’t know how Article 40 will fare. But its timeliness should resonate with most if not all voters, however symbolic its likely passage would be in terms of town governance.…

There was laughter and there were tears as family and friends of Ed Bell came together at the Boston Yacht Club last week to celebrate Ed’s legacy. Longtime colleague and friend Susan Wornick and Ed’s daughter, Andrea Bell Bergeron, co-hosted the first of what we anticipate will be an annual event. Love was in the air as Wornick and Bergeron regaled the crowd with stories about Ed’s past accomplishments and fun-filled anecdotes. The crowd sat in rapt silence (for the most part) as they viewed…

“Winter forms our character and brings out our best.” — Tom Allen Punxsutawney Phil, everyone’s favorite furry weatherman, predicted on Feb. 2 that there would be six more weeks of winter rather than an early spring. He was right! Nearly 30 inches of snow fell in Marblehead in February alone. Total snowfall this winter has been close to 60 inches, according to some accounts. How does Marblehead handle so much snow? What do we do? Who’s responsible? What does it cost, and where does it…

Last week, the Marblehead Current published the latest letter from perhaps the town’s biggest — or at least most vocal — supporters of President Trump. As has happened when we have published previous missives from that same writer, the Current received criticism. We were already considering using this space to address that criticism. Then immigration agents shot and killed a second American citizen in Minneapolis this past weekend. Now, it seems all the more urgent to do so. There are some who think that, as…

On this page last week, we looked back at many of the stories upon which we have reported and opined in 2025. Now, as we publish our final issue of the year, we turn our eyes to 2026 to anticipate what may be some of the major events to come. We start with town financial matters. The budget: Town leaders seem united in the belief that a level-services budget will not be possible absent a general override of Proposition 2 1/2, and the numbers being…