Local News

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: Remembering the donkey games at Seaside
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 ...
Marblehead fire captain commends National Grid crew for life-saving actions
Local News, Public safety, Top Stories

Marblehead fire captain commends National Grid crew for life-saving actions

Fire Captain Eric Ridge commended two National Grid employees for their life-saving actions in rescuing an 80-year-old woman on Marblehead Neck at 4:10 a.m. on March 10, when a storm had closed the Veterans Memorial Causeway during high tide. "During winter storms that close the causeway, we stage an engine on the Neck along with a National Grid crew, a water and sewer crew, light department crew and a police officer," Ridge said. "We do this to ensure we can respond to emergencies such as fires, medical situations, gas leaks, etc." The Eastern Yacht Club hosts the public safety and utility crews, a protocol that Ridge credited with saving the elderly woman's life. National Grid employees Mark Weinberg, Michael Plunkett and Derrick Cutter discovered the woman lying on her side in th...
Police log, March 9-15, 2023: Blown kisses fail to bait neighbor; pizza scam yields no dough
Local News, Police Log, Public safety

Police log, March 9-15, 2023: Blown kisses fail to bait neighbor; pizza scam yields no dough

Excerpts from the Marblehead police log of Thursday, March 9 through Wednesday, March 15, 2023. Consistent with state law, Marblehead Police have adopted a policy of not providing to media outlets reports related to incidents related to domestic violence, juveniles and matters that remain under investigation. Thursday, March 9 7:59 a.m. An officer investigated the report of a stolen bike on Cheever Avenue. 8:59 a.m. The pedestrian signal at Ocean and Atlantic avenues was reportedly not working. 10:12 a.m. Officers investigated the report of larceny, forgery or fraud on Naugus Avenue. 10:14 a.m. A 21-year-old Marblehead resident was arrested and charged with breaking-and-entering in the daytime, a felony, and malicious destruction of property valued at over $1,200. He was al...
Marblehead Select Board to include schools in override proposal
Local News, Municipal Matters, Top Stories, Uncategorized

Marblehead Select Board to include schools in override proposal

For the first time in a public meeting, the Marblehead Select Board acknowledged the Marblehead Public Schools would be included in the Proposition 2 1/2 override proposed under Article 31 of the 2023 town warrant. "We have been working hard to develop a more collaborative relationship with the town," Superintendent John Buckey told the Marblehead Current, calling the Select Board's direction "a very encouraging sign." Buckey added, "The Select Board's inclusion of the schools in its override request affirms that they recognize the school district's financial constraints and will join us in asking voters to invest appropriately in public education here in Marblehead.” Marblehead Finance Director Aleesha Nunley-Benjamin addresses the Select Board during a budget discussion on Fr...
More than two dozen seats open in 2023 municipal election
Local News, Municipal Matters, Top Stories, Uncategorized

More than two dozen seats open in 2023 municipal election

Marblehead’s 2023 municipal election season is underway. As of Monday, March 20, nomination papers were available for voters interested in running for local office in the Tuesday, June 20 municipal election. Between expiring and unexpired terms, there are 25 elected positions up for grabs across various boards, committees and commissions in Marblehead's decentralized municipal government, even as much decision-making authority over town affairs lies with Town Meeting and the Select Board. Open Town Meeting is essentially the town’s legislative branch, where voters authorize expenditures and budgets, sign off on home rule petitions and enact bylaws. The Old Town House, 1 Market Square, was built in 1727. It is often referred to as 'Marblehead’s Cradle of Liberty' and is one o...
On an epic journey: Marblehead High’s ‘Beowulf’ moves on to state drama festival semifinals
Entertainment, Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Top Stories

On an epic journey: Marblehead High’s ‘Beowulf’ moves on to state drama festival semifinals

The spotlight may shine on Gywneth Anderson, Molly Grant and the rest of the cast of “Beowulf.” But Elizabeth Erskine may be the real star of the show, according to those involved with Marblehead High School’s entry in the state drama festival. The ever-patient Erskine, the production’s prop designer, has had to see her handiwork — mostly swords fashioned out of discarded smartboard boxes — undone when one of her classmates brings a bit too much exuberance to one of the play’s battle scenes. But her persistence and the hard work of the rest of the cast and crew paid off, as MHS’ “Beowulf” advanced out of the preliminary round at Beverly Middle School March 5 to this weekend’s semifinals. The Marblehead cast and crew will be taking its show on the road to Norwood High School this ...
Marblehead’s tree enthusiasts help warden build out canopy
Environment, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Top Stories, Uncategorized

Marblehead’s tree enthusiasts help warden build out canopy

Several initiatives to further cultivate and grow Marblehead’s “urban forestry and tree canopy” are afoot. As the springtime approaches, Sustainable Marblehead is raising awareness about Marblehead’s tree fund and urging members of the public to send in donations. “Every spring in April, Sustainable Marblehead’s tree group collaborates with the tree warden to do tree planting,” the nonprofit organization’s executive director, Louise Yarmoff, told the Marblehead Current. “So, the more people know about this tree donation fund, the more money he will have to buy trees to replace all the trees that do die and have to be taken down.” Jon Fobert, Marblehead’s tree warden, said the town established the tree-donation fund in the mid-1970s after disease decimated the Dutch elm tree popul...
Father of MHS star Galante thanks town for acts of kindness
Local News, Sports, Top Stories

Father of MHS star Galante thanks town for acts of kindness

One year ago this week, the Marblehead community mourned the death of MHS Super Bowl champion James Galante, who lost his life in a single-car crash on March 18. The next night, hundreds gathered at Piper Field to console each other while a gentle rain fell, providing an appropriate backdrop to a most solemn occasion.   Marblehead High School 2021 Super Bowl champion James Galante is shown through the years. Left, Galante is running with the football as a Marblehead Youth Football player, while on the right he is proudly wearing his MHS uniform before the start of the 2021 season. Courtesy photo Just three months prior to the accident, the town was celebrating the accomplishments of Galante and his teammates after they defeated North Attleboro, 35-28 to secure the Division 3 Supe...
Moulton wants GI benefits for families of Black WWII vets
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...
CUZNER IN NATURE: Bald eagle hunts ducks at Grace Oliver Beach
Environment, Local News, Uncategorized

CUZNER IN NATURE: Bald eagle hunts ducks at Grace Oliver Beach

This photo is of an American bald eagle on the hunt at Grace Oliver Beach in Marblehead last winter.  I was driving by and happened to notice the commotion and was lucky enough to get a few shots. Eagles are just such an impressive and massive bird to see — especially when you see them locally. The Marblehead Current is proud to partner with photographer Rick Cuzner.  For the past 15 years, he has taken thousands of nature photographs that have captured the wild animals who call Marblehead home.