Opinion - Marblehead Current

09 Nov

New name. New look. Same great coverage.

Will Dowd3 CommentsAbout Us, Local News, Opinion, Top Stories

No matter how we looked at it, it just fit. That’s the simplest way to explain how what you might have been getting to know as “Marblehead News” has become “Marblehead Current.” As seen in our new logo, “Current” is a nod to the ongoing importance the ocean has to our community. From Old Ironsides navigating into the shelter of Fort Sewall to the competitors who continue to do battle during Race Week or scoot up to Halifax every two years, to lobstering and Pleon…

03 Nov

MARBLEHEAD 101: History, legend and lore

Will Dowd0 CommentsCulture, Local News, Opinion, Top Stories

Marblehead 101 was a weekly column that ran for many years, chronologically relating much of Marblehead’s history. It is a mixture of important and frivolous information, stories, and even recipes. The chance to “play it again” is a great opportunity to review, revise and update. Marblehead is a town that is unusually rich in history, legends, and lore. Perhaps because it was occupied first by Native Americans who came to fish, and then later settled by English fishermen. All fishermen are well known as story…

31 Oct

LETTER: Yes on Question 1

Will Dowd0 CommentsOpinion, Viewpoints

Question 1 on The Fair Share Amendment would add an additional 4% tax on that portion of your income that is above a million. Only 1% of Massachusetts citizens are fortunate enough to be in this category. Some voters have reasonably asked though, do we really need this increased revenue. Indeed the ARPA funds are extremely helpful but they are short term. The Fair Share Amendment would provide a consistent stream of revenue constitutionally mandated for investments in transportation and education. Massachusetts transportation infrastructure needs…

27 Oct

ANCHORS AND SAILS: Becoming an accidental artist

Will Dowd0 CommentsOpinion, Viewpoints

'Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.' Pablo Picasso When my kids were little, I never wanted to do art projects or anything like that because it was just a big mess to clean up, with glitter and paints all that. What I realize now, all these years later, is that working on art can be a way to let go of stress and embrace the calming effects that art will bring. My good friend, local artist Michelle Jones Brown, has…

25 Oct

LETTER: Vote ‘yes’ on Question 4

Will Dowd1 CommentOpinion, Viewpoints

There has been enough misinformation on Question 4 that I hope together we might clarify for friends and family what it means. A yes vote keeps The Family Work and Mobility Act, sponsored by our Senator Brendan Crighton, and already passed into law by the legislature. A yes vote means Massachusetts joins 17 other states in ensuring that our roads are safer, by allowing undocumented immigrants to apply for a driver's license. Undocumented applicants will have to pass the Massachusetts drivers test and get their…

25 Oct

Seaglass Village celebrates one-year anniversary

Will Dowd0 CommentsCommunity Resources, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Opinion, Viewpoints

Isolation and its accompanying loneliness is a public health issue and a predictor of poor health in seniors. According to an AARP study, social isolation is as dangerous as obesity or smoking for seniors. Seaglass Village, celebrating its first anniversary on December first, is helping to alleviate loneliness while assisting its members to age in their own homes. Lois moved to Marblehead in her early 90s to be near her daughter. An active senior and a talented artist, Lois didn’t have a single friend in…

22 Oct

ANCHORS AND SAILS: Thoughts on fake news

Will Dowd0 CommentsLocal News, Opinion, Viewpoints

"Trust me, Wilbur, people are very gullible. They'll believe anything they see in print." - E. B. White I may have become the opposite of gullible. I rarely believe anything I read unless I check the source out myself and research it. I understand that social media can be a sewer of satire sites that people think are real, inaccurate memes, and rumors. Lately, though, it's mind-blowing how gullible some people can be. Full disclosure, I've been caught out a few times, too, so that's…

20 Oct

REVIEW: Marblehead Little Theatre’s ‘Equivocation’ is a delightful romp

Will Dowd1 CommentCulture, Entertainment, Local News, Opinion, Viewpoints

A bit of advice that my first editor drilled in me: When writing for an audience, it is not about you. Writing may very well be a deeply solitary act, but when done properly, the final product - whether read or listened to - should make the writer's voice disappear, inhabit a narrative role. For playwrights, the focus should not only be on the audience but also the actors who manifest their words onto the stage. Equivocation-Online-ProgramDownload But in "Equivocation," playwright Bill Cain's writing voice…

12 Oct

ANCHORS AND SAILS: Going solo at the fair

Will Dowd0 CommentsLocal News, Opinion, Viewpoints

"The empty nest is underrated." - Nora Ephron OK, my nest is not yet empty. While my children are adults, one still lives at home, and it works out well. She's in school and working full-time, so anything I can offer to support her is fine with me. Recently though, I had the chance to do something I only ever did with kids. I went to the Topsfield Fair…by myself! For years I took the kids to the fair. We patted every bunny, mooed at…

03 Oct

ANCHORS AND SAILS: This little beast must go

Will Dowd0 CommentsLocal News, Opinion, Viewpoints

“You know when men use women's liberation as an excuse not to kill bugs for you? Oh, I justhate that! I don't care what anybody says, I think the man should have to kill the bug!” ---Suzanne Sugarbaker/Delta Burke, Designing Women OK, I might tick off the sisterhood here, but hear me out. I am a strong Irish woman, a redhead,a snarky beast, and someone who, on most things, should not be messed with. You come forme, my children, or my family, and it's going…