Opinion - Marblehead Current

31May

By The Current Editorial BoardNo Comments

Current Editorials, Opinion

EDITORIAL: About that log entry

A few readers recently raised concerns about a police log entry that appeared in our May 17 issue, and we would like to share a bit from the (civil) discussions that ensued with those readers with the rest of our audience.The log entry recounted what happened after an officer came upon a vehicle pulled over in a no-parking zone on the side of Ocean Avenue. What transpired was mostly unremarkable: It was determined that the driver did not have a valid license and that the car had expired registration. An officer informed the driver and his passenger that he would need to confiscate the plates and have the car towed. The men said they understood and would arrange to be picked up by their boss.What our readers asked us about — or, truth be told, in one case demanded an apology for — was that...

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY: Renewing a childhood hobby

31May

By Virginia BuckinghamNo Comments

Opinion, Top Stories, Virginia Buckingham

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY: Renewing a childhood hobby

Did you have a hobby when you were younger that you gave up? Maybe you didn’t stop because you stopped enjoying it. You just got busy with other things. Or there wasn’t an opportunity to keep at it because you went off to college or moved to a place that made continuing the hobby more difficult. I know a lot of people took up hobbies, old and new, during the pandemic. I completed dozens of puzzles in the last three years but as the world opened up, the boxes of puzzles I’d bought, thinking I’d keep up the habit, have remained closed. And I’ve talked to some friends who dropped their pandemic-borne hobbies because they were a reminder of that hard, stressful period. I was the serious-minded young kid in my neighborhood who walked around carrying a field guide to birds. In fact, with ...

31May

By Superintendent John BuckeyNo Comments

Opinion, Viewpoints

COLUMN: In schools, everyone not ‘OK’

In 1969, Dr. Thomas Harris published a book titled, “I’m OK — You’re OK.” Quite simply in 2023, not everyone is OK. Many of our students, staff and other adults are not OK. Last week Dr. Nicholas Covino, president of William James College, presented on the mental health challenges that have resulted from or been exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. And the message resonated. We had 40 participants — parents, teachers, leaders and counselors — who joined and shared stories of their learners who continue to struggle. Dr. Covino shared a statistic from the CDC that over 25% of adults report most days they feel so stressed they cannot function. That percentage skyrockets to 46% of adults under the age of 35. These are our parents and teachers. In April of 2022, the CDC reported 44% ...

MARBLEHEAD CHRONICLES: The town has its own Cinderella story

31May

By Pam PetersonNo Comments

Local History, Opinion, Top Stories, Uncategorized

MARBLEHEAD CHRONICLES: The town has its own Cinderella story

The story of Cinderella is well known. A poor but good and beautiful young woman lives in humble surroundings, forced to work hard to earn her living. She meets a handsome Prince Charming who falls in love and rescues her. The Marblehead story has many similar aspects, but who was rescued is something of a twist. Marblehead’s Cinderella was a strong woman who loved her Prince Charming despite society’s censure, and in the end, it was she who saved him. She was rewarded with respectability and finally received the regard she had earned. Early in the 18th century, a wealthy young Englishman of noble birth came to Marblehead. His name was Sir Harry Frankland. He was heir to a title and lands in England. He was also a proud and sometimes rambunctious young fellow. His family had arranged f...

LETTER: Take a closer look at traffic enforcement

28May

By Letter to the editorNo Comments

Letters to the Editor, Opinion

LETTER: Take a closer look at traffic enforcement

Last month, the Marblehead Police Department deployed electronic signs alerting drivers that April was Distracted Driving Awareness Month. What the MPD did not do was enforce the laws enacted to deter distracted driving. Only two citations were issued for violations of the state’s “hands free” law, according to the police log, with two more stops ending in “verbal warnings.” What’s more, of the 73 citations issued during the month, 40 were issued over the course of just three days, 21 of those on a single day. Eleven days show no citations issued at all. These data are available to anyone, although they are laborious to extract and are not always complete. (I’d welcome someone to check my figures.) What they say about how traffic law enforcement actually works in small towns — and i...

LETTER: ‘A triumphant return to Bournedale’

28May

By Letter to the editorNo Comments

Letters to the Editor, Opinion

LETTER: ‘A triumphant return to Bournedale’

To the editor: It is hard to describe what I witnessed as a chaperone on the Village School's sixth-grade trip to Camp Bournedale last week — the first Bournedale since it was canceled in 2020 — but here goes nothing. The traditional Bournedale trip was canceled in 2020 and remained canceled for the two subsequent years. This year represented a triumphant return. And what a triumph it was! I observed the pure joy of a bunch of sixth-graders off their phones, playing, fishing, dancing and singing, throwing themselves into theme nights and karaoke and Project Adventure. Taking care of each other. Working out conflict in person, face-to-face, rather than over group chats. Understanding the behavior expectations and working together to protect this time-honored Marblehead tradition f...

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY: Fill up summer to slow it down

25May

By Virginia BuckinghamNo Comments

Opinion, Virginia Buckingham

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY: Fill up summer to slow it down

I’m thinking what you’re thinking. This is the best time of the year to live in Marblehead and New England. This season is our revenge. Those who moved to Florida or Arizona and posted palm tree pictures in my Facebook feed all winter? I’ll see your post with mine of a perfect sunset over the harbor, and raise you an overflowing lobster roll. Every year at about this time, my husband and I start talking about all the plans we want to make for the summer. Who do we want to invite over for a barbeque? How many cooking fires can we fit in at Goldthwait Reservation? What shows might we try to see? We have to get to Woodman’s. And spend a day at Wingaersheek Beach. A few years ago, we walked to Little Harbor Lobster Company and sat on a bench and ate cold shrimp and lobster. Let’s...

24May

By Court MerriganNo Comments

Local News, Opinion, Sports, Top Stories

My Marblehead First Time: Play ball!

When I told my son, Waylon, that we were moving to Massachusetts, his very first reaction was, “Oh, man. Do they even have baseball out there?” “Son,” I said, “I’m pretty sure they’ve heard of baseball in Boston.” Now, I don’t want to say that the first thing I Googled about Marblehead was “baseball league.” But I’m pretty sure Waylon did. The boy loves to play baseball the way only a 12-year-old boy can, an enthusiasm almost dire in its intensity. At his oft-repeated request, back in Wyoming he and I used to spend hours in the batting cage. You know the drill if you know the game: toss a ucket, pick balls. Toss a bucket, pick balls. Repeat until dinner. In fact, we worked at it so much that I worried we’d worked the fun clean out of the game. After all, when God reached down fro...

’HEADERS HISTORY: The tale of Johnny Quelch

24May

By Mark HurwitzNo Comments

Opinion, Views & Reviews

’HEADERS HISTORY: The tale of Johnny Quelch

In the year 1704, the brigantine Charles commandeered by a piratical crew took refuge in Marblehead Harbor. The year before, the Charles had left Boston on a privateering expedition against the French. The crew, taking advantage of the illness of their captain, Daniel Ploughman, locked him in his cabin until he died of illness and/or starvation and later threw his body overboard and elected Lt. John Quelch captain in his place. Several weeks later, the Charles was off the coast of Brazil, and during the next three months Quelch made nine captures of Portuguese vessels. This proclamation, issued by Lt. Gov. Povey, informed the public of the crime of piracy committed by John Quelch and his men. COURTESY PHOTO These vessels were the property of the king of Portugal, an ally of t...

24May

By The Current Editorial BoardNo Comments

Current Editorials, Opinion

EDITORIAL: Are you aware?

May is Mental Health Awareness Month in recognition that caring for one’s mental health is just as important as caring for one’s physical health, which had not always been the case. Most, if not all, of our readers know someone who has needed to address mental health issues — perhaps yourself, a family member, a friend, a business acquaintance or someone in your neighborhood. This leads us to wonder how many of you are aware of the existence of the Marblehead Counseling Center. Located next to Hobbs Playground at 66 Clifton Ave., MCC has been providing a wide range of mental health services to residents of all ages from Marblehead and surrounding communities since its inception in 1969 when a group of parents, concerned about rising drug use in town, joined forces ...