Opinion - Marblehead Current

16 Sep

COLUMN: The best-laid plans of my morning self

Margaret BaconColumns, Opinion

At 8 o’clock in the morning, I am a person of considerable resolve. I will exercise before breakfast. I may even stretch afterward, a practice I have long admired in others. Tonight, I will eat a sensible dinner, go to bed on time and return to the half-read novel on my nightstand instead of scrolling on my phone. Current columnist Margaret Bacon COURTESY PHOTO But alas, at 10:30 p.m., this resolve is difficult to find. I am watching a French crime drama. The mayor has…

16 Sep

EDITORIAL: Before we move on

Marblehead Current Editorial BoardCurrent Editorials, Opinion

In the aftermath of an unusual Board of Health meeting whose sole agenda item ended in the censure of one of its members, more than a few people have suggested it is time to move on. We understand the impulse, and in one sense it is right. Tom McMahon has pledged to “be better.” Nothing anyone says or writes will determine whether he does. We wish him luck. But if this episode can be a teachable moment for Mr. McMahon, it can be one for…

14 Sep

LETTER: Why the Light Board should vote for the renewable energy surcharge

Submitted ContentLETTERS, Opinion

To the editor: I am writing in support of the Light Board voting to levy the renewable energy surcharge, which is required for the town of Marblehead to become a Green Community”. (See The Current’s Sept. 9 edition, page 2). Green Community designation will make the town eligible for hundreds of thousands of dollars in energy conservation grants for municipal projects, a year. The renewable energy surcharge will be a charge of 1/20 of a cent/kWh a month. This will amount to between 30 cents…

14 Sep

LETTER: Why I oppose Question 8

Submitted ContentLETTERS, Opinion

To the editor: As a licensed family therapist who has been treating addictions for over 50 years, I am appalled at the presence of Question 8 on the Massachusetts ballot. The legal prohibition of mind altering substances has a long record of spectacularly disastrous results: from the 18th amendment which provided a bonanza for organized crime, to the “war on drugs” which made marketing of dangerous substances immensely profitable and facilitated law enforcement abuses, these campaigns were an attempt to quench a fire with gasoline.…

14 Sep

LETTER: Help keep the music playing

Submitted ContentArt, Entertainment, LETTERS, Opinion

To the editor: Four years ago, if you had told me that a concert at Star of the Sea would cause a traffic jam on Atlantic Avenue because so many people were coming to hear Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, I would have thought you were pulling my leg. Since its founding in 2022, the Star of the Sea Concert Series has grown into something I am incredibly proud of. We have brought together extraordinary professional musicians, volunteers, supporters and audiences for performances that I believe have…

14 Sep

LETTER: Teach history honestly

Submitted ContentLETTERS, Opinion

To the editor: Honoring September 11means more than a moment of silence. It means acknowledging plainly what happened that day, why it happened and the terror deliberately inflicted on thousands of innocent people. That acknowledgment cannot be optional if we want our children to understand history rather than simply observe it. I read Superintendent John Robidoux's message to the school community with genuine appreciation for the moment of silence he organized and his call for kindness and empathy. But one word was conspicuously absent: terrorism.…

09 Sep

EDITORIAL: 25 years later

Marblehead Current Editorial BoardCurrent Editorials, Opinion

"History tends to forget." When Fire Chief Jason Gilliland made this statement to the Current this week, he was referring, of course, to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the 25th anniversary of which will be observed with the traditional ceremony at Memorial Park on Friday, beginning at 10 a.m. We were struck by the chief’s comment, too, that he now has firefighters in his department who weren't yet born when the towers fell. Similarly, many residents were not here a quarter-century ago. They…

08 Sep

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month: New ideas on causes, prevention

Marblehead Counseling CenterColumns, Community Resources, Health, Nonprofit corner, Opinion

Suicide claims about 50,000 lives each year in the United States, nearly double the homicide rate. According to the most recent full-year statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, another 2.2 million people attempted suicide in 2024, 14.3 million adults seriously thought about suicide, and 4.6 million planned a suicide attempt. Worldwide, approximately 720,000 people take their own life each year. For the past 18 years, September has been Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in the U.S., coinciding with World Suicide Prevention Day…

08 Sep

LETTER: Marblehead candidate says ‘thank you’

Submitted ContentLETTERS, Opinion

To the editor: I am writing to thank the voters of Marblehead for your overwhelming support for my candidacy for Governor's Council in last week's primary. While the district-wide outcome did not result in my being elected, I am so grateful to the residents of Marblehead, the voters that know me best, for turning out in such large numbers to support my campaign. Thank you also to the numerous local volunteers that helped in this effort. For the many that have reached out to ask…

08 Sep

LETTER: ‘I hope to live here some day’

Submitted ContentLETTERS, Opinion

To the editor: This is a sincere appreciation for the community. I found my way up to Marblehead by chance two years ago. I came upon a job post online for The Mariner, a very new operation at the time. I even had to search for it on the map to actually confirm where it was located. To my knowledge, I had never before set foot in the town. The Mariner team gave me a shot in assisted living, something I have never officially done…