Local News - Marblehead Current

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Meet the creative behind Creative Spirit

22Nov

By Melissa StaceyNo Comments

Business, Local News

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Meet the creative behind Creative Spirit

The following is an interview with Peyton Pugmire, owner of Creative Spirit, conducted by Discover Marblehead. To learn more about the workshops and other offerings provided by Creative Spirit, go to creativespiritma.com. Peyton Pugmire started Creative Spirit to provide inspiring arts workshops and exhibits to the local community. COURTESY PHOTO Tell us about Creative Spirit and why you started it. I started Creative Spirit to provide fun, inspiring and safe opportunities for folks to connect with their innate creativity, which we all have. Over the years, I've offered expressive arts-based workshops exploring a range of topics, including intuitive painting, writing, collage and intuitive dance. I also partner with MacRae's Sustainable Goods here in town to host themed, non-juried ...

BALANCING ACT: Resident loses fight for eco-friendly heat/AC unit on appeal to town

22Nov

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Environment, Local News, Municipal Matters, Top Stories

BALANCING ACT: Resident loses fight for eco-friendly heat/AC unit on appeal to town

The Marblehead Select Board unanimously upheld a decision requiring Front Street homeowner Sally Thompson to relocate exterior electric air conditioning equipment on her historic home, despite her pleas of financial hardship. Sally Thompson, center standing, makes her case before the Marblehead Select Board to allow exterior air conditioning units to remain on her home in the town's historic district during an appeal hearing Nov. 15. CURRENT PHOTO / WILLIAM J. DOWD The Select Board rejected Thompson’s appeal of an order from the Old and Historic Districts Commission, demanding she move heat/air conditioning line sets attached to the outside of her house at 34 Front St. by March 2024. The OHDC said the highly visible line sets violated historic preservation rules prohibiting moder...

22Nov

By Lizzie Assa, parenting strategistNo Comments

Columns, Community resources, Health, Life Style, Local News, Viewpoints

ASK LIZZIE: Making trips to the pediatrician a little less stressful

Dear Lizzie, I'm often at the pediatrician's with my kids, and the waiting room has become a test of patience. Can you suggest ways to make the wait less tedious? Dear reader, With the arrival of the cooler months, many of us are spending a lot of time in the pediatrician's waiting room. While this can be a challenging space for keeping little ones contained and entertained, I've gathered some tips to help make your visits less daunting. Involve your kids in preparing for the trip to the pediatrician. Say, “We might have to wait for a bit while we are at the doctor’s office today. Waiting can be so hard, even for the grownups! Last time you brought your favorite coloring book and that really helped. Do you have any ideas for this time?” Involving your kids in comi...

Board of Health navigates internal dynamics, hears Transfer Station update

22Nov

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Health, Local News, Municipal Matters, Top Stories

Board of Health navigates internal dynamics, hears Transfer Station update

Candid discussion about ongoing tensions among members opened the Marblehead Board of Health's meeting on Tuesday. Dr. Thomas Massaro of Marblehead proposed a public health advisory committee in town. CURRENT PHOTO / WILLIAM J. DOWD Board member Joanne Miller said, “What we're kind of missing is: Working as a board is hard when you can’t talk outside of meetings.” Under the Open Meeting Law, a majority of officials serving on the same governing board cannot meet privately outside of an official public meeting and discuss board of health business. For a three-member board, a majority would consist of two members. Therefore, if two of the three board members were to meet in private and discuss business, this would constitute an unlawful meeting lacking proper public notice and acce...

Marblehead Select Board sets 2024 Town Meeting table

22Nov

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Local News, Municipal Matters, Politics, Top Stories

Marblehead Select Board sets 2024 Town Meeting table

On Nov. 15, the Select Board unanimously approved four motions to open the warrant for the 2024 Town Meeting. Residents pack Marblehead Veterans Middle School for the 2023 Annual Town Meeting. The 2024 Town Meeting will take place on Monday, May 6 at 7 p.m. in the same location. The motions set key dates for Town Meeting, which serves as the legislative body for the town and allows residents to vote on budgets, bylaws, home-rule petitions and resolutions. The Town Meeting will take place on Monday, May 6 at 7 p.m. in the Veterans Middle School Auditorium at Duncan Sleigh Square, 217 Pleasant St. The warrant is now open for voters to sponsor warrant articles — known as citizen petitions — until Friday, Jan. 19 at noon. Meanwhile, the cutoff for town government boards and commi...

21Nov

By Letter to the editorNo Comments

LETTERS, Local News, Marblehead Public Schools

Letter to the School Committee from the Marblehead Racial Justice Team

To the Marblehead School Committee: As a result of the recent situation with the Black Lives Matter flag at the Marblehead High School, the members of the Executive Committee of the Marblehead Racial Justice Team (MRJT) are writing to respectfully request you create a policy that acknowledges and allows symbols of affirmation and acceptance, including the Black Lives Matter flag. Displaying the Black Lives Matter symbol is positively correlated to black student success; the pride flag is linked to both academic and SEL success for LGBTQIA students. A quick search of how other districts in various states, who have enacted policies to ban or severely restrict symbols, reveals negative outcomes. Districts that have attempted policies similar to the ones discussed by your Policy Sub...

Magicians finish among the elite statewide

20Nov

By Joe McConnellNo Comments

Local News, Sports

Magicians finish among the elite statewide

The Marblehead High boys cross-country team finished third in the Division 2 All-State Championship Meet at Fort Devens in Ayer on Saturday, Nov. 18. Northeastern Conference rival Danvers (92 points) took home the first-place team trophy, while Marblehead’s Isaac Gross came in second among the overall individual runners after finishing on top in the Division 2 state regional meet at Wrentham on Nov. 11 to lead his teammates to the title. Marblehead High boys cross-country runners are shown posing for a photo after coming in third as a team during Saturday’s Division 2 All-State Championship Meet at Fort Devens in Ayer. They are, from left, Nate Assa, Will Cerrutti, Will Cruikshank, Henrik Adams, Isaac Gross, Ryan Blestowe and Jonah Potach. COURTESY PHOTO The Top 10 All-State team fi...

O’Connell completes season with second-place finish at All-States, girls end up 18th overall

20Nov

By Joe McConnellNo Comments

Local News, Sports

O’Connell completes season with second-place finish at All-States, girls end up 18th overall

The Marblehead High girls cross-country team participated in the Division 2 All-State Championship Meet on Saturday, Nov. 18, at Fort Devens in Ayer. As a team, they finished 18 th out of 22 competing teams with a total score of 353 points. But individually, it was sophomore running whiz Marri O’Connell dominating a meet once again after coming in second with a time of 18:43 on the challenging Fort Devens. The Marblehead High girls cross-country team is shown together after Saturday’s Division 2 All-State Meet at Fort Devens in Ayer, where they finished 18 th overall. They are, from left, coach Will Herlihy, Angie Fischer, Philine Heuermann, Abbie Goodwin, Jesslyn Roemer, Marri O’Connell, Maren Potter, Cat Piper, Shannon Hitscherich and Willow Waddington. COURTESY PHOTO / ANGIE FISCHER...

Marblehead students join national Ruby Bridges Walk

20Nov

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Education, Local News, Marblehead Public Schools

Marblehead students join national Ruby Bridges Walk

Students at the Brown, Glover and Village schools joined in the national Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day on Tuesday, Nov. 14. On the same day in 1960, Bridges stepped into history books when she integrated William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, becoming a national icon for the Civil Rights Movement. She was 6 years old. Marblehead students first read Bridges’ book about her experience and then walked around their schools together. Principal Mary Maxfield speaks to students at the Brown School about Ruby Bridges while holding a copy of the book that teachers read to students, ‘I am Ruby Bridges.’ COURTESY PHOTOS Marblehead students joined the national Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day.

Marblehead author David Roper releases latest book, set in Marblehead and Maine

20Nov

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Culture, Local News, Top Stories

Marblehead author David Roper releases latest book, set in Marblehead and Maine

Twenty-five years ago, Marblehead author David Roper was sailing along the coast of Maine when he became lost in a thick fog. “I ended up in a tiny harbor on an island and met a 14-year-old boy who had been raised on the island,” said Roper. “He lived there alone with his parents.” Author Dave Roper sits and writes in his home office. He takes long walks through nearby Waterside Cemetery to ‘enhance’ his thinking. CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER Roper combined that real-life experience with a newfound interest in archaeology and the Red Paint People, who lived 4,000 years ago in Maine, to write his latest book, “The Ghosts of Gadus Island.” It is his fifth book. Roper also owns A-Script, a career advisory and resume writing company in Marblehead. (His first book, written in 199...