Opinion - Marblehead Current

15Mar

By Stephen BachNo Comments

Local News, Opinion, Viewpoints

DOC IN A BOX: Cutting back on spam

Anyone who has ever had their email inbox filled with spam knows how annoying it can be. Spam emails can not only be a nuisance, but can also put your personal information at risk. Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take to reduce the amount of spam you receive. First, you can report spam emails to your email provider. This will let your provider know which emails are spam, so they can apply filters to prevent more from getting through. You can also unsubscribe from any mailing lists you have inadvertently signed up to, HOWEVER, you should ONLY unsubscribe from legit sites! DO NOT UNSUBSCRIBE from something you do not recognize. Here’s an example: Most email programs also have the ability to filter out or block certain content. This is a great way to stop receiving spam emai...

15Mar

By Justin SilvermanNo Comments

Municipal Matters, Opinion, Viewpoints

TRANSPARENCY: Honor Sunshine Week by requiring hybrid meeting access

During the early months of COVID-19, governors in New England states issued executive orders allowing municipalities to meet online so long as the public could attend remotely. The democratic benefits of this arrangement quickly became evident. According to a public official quoted in a 2020 study, the changes “made it a lot easier for residents who have other things to do, to be heard. People with family obligations, elder care, or child-care issues.” The executive orders that prompted these changes, however, have long since expired. New England states have resorted to a patchwork of live streams, short-term remote meeting requirements and, in some cases, reverted back to pre-COVID policies and in-person meetings only. There’s a better way forward. Permanent changes need to be m...

SUPERINTENDENT’S UPDATE: Ski team exemplifies one of district’s core values

11Mar

By Superintendent John BuckeyNo Comments

Marblehead Public Schools, Opinion, Views & Reviews

SUPERINTENDENT’S UPDATE: Ski team exemplifies one of district’s core values

Good people of Marblehead: In the district strategic plan, “The Plan for Success,” one of our articulated core values is personal growth. Specifically, we state, “We will provide students with opportunities to grow socially, emotionally, physically and academically, and to be respectful, contributing members of society.” On March 1, our alpine ski team exceeded expectations when it came to modeling exemplary personal growth. At the championship at Berkshire East, they were named the state champions, only to have that changed as the result of a scoring error. I received a letter from the MIAA heralding their grace and sportsmanship. MIAA Assistant Director Dr. Steven Dubzinski wrote that the members of the Marblehead team congratulated the actual winner, St. John’s Prep, with a...

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY: Of lions, lambs and other March madness

8Mar

By Virginia BuckinghamNo Comments

Opinion, Views & Reviews

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY: Of lions, lambs and other March madness

March is the longest month. Yes, there are six other months with 31 days in them, but do any of them feel as long as March? Like a child feels anticipating Christmas or the last day of school, April takes forever to arrive. And the month named for the Roman god Mars, the god of war, is a trickster to boot. It teases with more light and then a little more. It taunts with snowfalls and ice storms. It tweaks with warmth, calling to the crocuses. It twists the very next day with bitter winds and gray. A depleted wood pile calls for better planning and the purchase of plastic wrapped bundles for $6.99 a whack. The fire roars next to a vase of daffodils. Fight me, Mars! If I were braver I would have written a column about ideas to make March enjoyable last week when there were 30 days in ...

COLUMN: Local artist deserves second look

8Mar

By Bonnie EissnerNo Comments

Opinion, Views & Reviews

COLUMN: Local artist deserves second look

Living in Marblehead, it’s hard to miss the local pride for Nathaniel Hawthorne. There’s the House of Seven Gables museum and the Hawthorne Hotel. But on the grounds of the hotel is a guest house named for another 19th-century artist from Salem who also achieved considerable acclaim in her lifetime, the painter Fidelia Bridges. Although less well known now than Hawthorne, Bridges is attracting renewed interest. A century after her death, her works are commanding high prices at auctions, and in a new book, “Fidelia Bridges: Nature Into Art,” art historian Katherine Manthorne makes the case for getting to know Bridges and her beautiful and important artwork. This portrait of Fidelia Bridges by Oliver Ingraham Lay, c.1877, an oil on canvas mounted on wood, is part of the collection ...

8Mar

By Stephen BachNo Comments

Opinion, Views & Reviews

DOC IN A BOX: What to know when choosing a backup solution

With the abundance of digital data now being stored for businesses and personal users, the need for reliable backup solutions has become increasingly important. Backup services provide a way to ensure that information and materials are safe from being lost or damaged in the event of natural disasters, computer malfunctions and malicious attacks. While users have the option of using paid services, there is also a high demand for free backup solutions. Free backup services can be highly attractive to users due to the cost savings. Many of these solutions are offered by cloud storage providers and software developers. They may offer storage space, a limited number of backups or automated backup services for free, but then offer paid plans to increase the amount of storage or provide addit...

DIXEY COLLECTION: When Lucille Ball landed at Seaside Park

8Mar

By Marblehead Current staffNo Comments

Opinion, Views & Reviews

DIXEY COLLECTION: When Lucille Ball landed at Seaside Park

The Marblehead Current is proud to partner with photographer Dan Dixey, who regularly shares photos of Marblehead from his extensive collection, along with information about each shot. “Lucille Ball arrives by helicopter to appear in the Marblehead summer theater in 1947,” explained photographer Dan Dixey. “She is being escorted by Selectman Lester Marsh, in the white suit, at Seaside Park. The pitcher and catcher were not fazed by the spectacle and stayed on the field warming up.” Dixey received this slide from late Marbleheader Harry Wilkinson, who wrote the Memory Lane column in the old Marblehead Messenger. Lucille Ball's helicopter in Seaside Park in 1947

ENDING THE STIGMA: Three Es may foster willingness to ask for help

8Mar

By Wendy Tamis RobbinsNo Comments

Opinion, Views & Reviews

ENDING THE STIGMA: Three Es may foster willingness to ask for help

In the midst of a global mental health crisis, why aren’t more people asking for help? Over 50 million Americans are experiencing a mental illness (21% of the population), according to the latest 2023 surveys. Fifty-five percent receive no treatment (28 million Americans). Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health condition in the U.S., affecting over 40 million adults ages 18 and older. And while highly treatable, only 37% of sufferers actually seek treatment. So what’s getting the way? Surveys show that the leading barrier to help-seeking behaviors is the shame and stigma surrounding mental illness. We are stuck in a stigma quagmire that must be examined and eradicated as a public health emergency and priority because, at its worst, mental illness can b...

SUPERINTENDENT UPDATE: ‘Snow Day Anxiety’ rears its head

6Mar

By Superintendent John BuckeyNo Comments

Opinion, Views & Reviews

SUPERINTENDENT UPDATE: ‘Snow Day Anxiety’ rears its head

Good People of Marblehead: As I sent (Friday) morning in a separate message, I am relieved and grateful to be able to share that our missing students were safely reunited with their families last night. Many thanks to the Marblehead Police Department for their work with us and the Boston Police Department in helping bring this situation to a positive resolution. Rain, rain snow away Misery loves company, at least that’s what the North Shore superintendents were saying after our “rain day” call on Tuesday. As I shared with another news outlet, Superintendent Snow Day Anxiety is a real thing. Emails, calls and texts started early Monday morning among superintendents, wondering who was going to do what and when they would announce. Larger districts made the call early, a...

1Mar

By Letter to the editorNo Comments

Letters to the Editor, Local News, Opinion, Viewpoints

LETTER: Re: Living within your budget….

To the editor: I would like to echo concerns stated by Mr. Jack Buba in last week's letter (Feb. 22). Evidently, many town citizens (and administrators) need to be reminded that since 1995 the Marblehead Community Charter Public School (MCCPS) has been successfully operating on a fixed state-funding budget based on a per-pupil expense (PPE). For 28 years, 230 students per year, in fourth through eighth grades, have been receiving a first-class education without incurring deficits and/or overrides. How does that happen, and why isn't that possible for all our public school districts? The Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 changed how the Commonwealth supported, administered and funded the education services of our public school students in local school districts. The fa...