Top Stories - Marblehead Current

16 Sep

Sit for Peace brings quiet reflection to Devereux Beach

Julie FlynnTop Stories

More than 25 people gathered at Devereux Beach Thursday evening, Sept 10, for the Sit for Peace. Residents arrived with chairs, blankets and cushions to meditate together, listen to the surf and reflect on peace as the sun set over Marblehead. “It’s always the right time to sit and meditate, be calm and grateful to listen to the surf amongst my community,” said Marblehead resident Sheena Nancy Sarles. The Sit for Peace was a follow-up to the well-attended Mother’s Day Walk for Peace. People gather…

15 Sep

Planning Board grapples with ADU rules in two contentious applications

Akanksha GoyalMunicipal Matters, real estate, Top Stories

Two accessory dwelling unit applications before the Planning Board Sept. 8 highlighted a question the board is still working through: how much discretion does it have over projects the state now requires communities to allow by right? Board members spent nearly three hours weighing concerns about building size, neighborhood character, emergency access and existing zoning restrictions against the state’s protections for qualifying ADUs. The Planning Board discussed two ADU applications at its Sept. 8 meeting. The board had invited Town Counsel Adam Costa to the…

15 Sep

CURRENT EVENTS: Marblehead’s best bets coming up

Leigh BlanderArt, Culture, Entertainment, Environment, Top Stories

Current Events spotlights exciting happenings in the coming week. If you’d like to contribute a listing, please email the Current at info@marbleheadnews.org. Find Your Climate Action with Vienna TengFriday, Sept. 18, 4-5 p.mReady to take action on climate change but aren’t sure where to start? Join Sustainable Marblehead for a workshop to discover climate actions that fit your life, interests and priorities. Singer-songwriter Vienna Teng hosts interactive climate action workshops while on tour to help fans connect their personal lives and priorities with meaningful…

15 Sep

Swampscott board hears plans for 140-unit Glover residences, historic house preservation

Monica SagerLocal History, Top Stories

This article is shared from the Swampscott Tides. Attorney Gerry D’Ambrosio, counsel for the Glover Residences project, presented revised plans for the 140-unit development to the Swampscott Planning Board Monday, confirming that the historic Glover House will be preserved. “The goal with the Glover House is to integrate it within the development,” D’Ambrosio said. “They are not going to spend tens of millions of dollars and have a dilapidated Glover House... It’s a drastic, drastic improvement.” D’Ambrosio presented a slideshow and fielded questions from the…

15 Sep

Koh rallies packed Marblehead Dems picnic after primary win

Leigh BlanderPolitics, Top Stories

A packed room of Democrats, from young children to seniors, gathered Sunday evening for the Marblehead Democratic Town Committee’s annual picnic, where congressional nominee Dan Koh took center stage alongside state Sen. Brendan Crighton and state Rep. Jenny Armini. The Sept. 14 gathering also featured a performance by the Marblehead High School chorus, which sang several patriotic songs, including the hometown favorite “Marblehead Forever.” Koh, who won the Democratic nomination for the 6th Congressional District in the Sept. 1 primary, received an enthusiastic welcome as…

15 Sep

Board weighs flu, COVID guidance; four businesses fined for flavored nicotine products

Leigh BlanderHealth, Top Stories

With flu season approaching, Board of Health member Dr. Amanda Ritvo urged residents Monday to get vaccinated against influenza and outlined new state guidance for COVID-19 shots, saying September and October are the preferred months for flu vaccination. Ritvo, speaking at the board’s Sept. 14 meeting, said the Massachusetts Department of Public Health is recommending annual flu vaccination for everyone 6 months and older. The latest COVID-19 vaccine for the 2026-27 season should also be available to anyone 6 months and older, with stronger recommendations…

14 Sep

MARBLEHEAD POLICE LOG: Keys left at Mookie’s counter land in wrong pocketbook

Marblehead Current staffPolice Log, Public safety, Top Stories

Sunday, Aug. 23Alarms: 1Building/property checks: 13Abandoned 911 calls: 0Vehicle stops, citations: 0Vehicle stops, verbal warnings: 0 12:25 a.m. An officer investigated a complaint about a moving vehicle on Pleasant Street. 7:32 a.m. A bike was found on Wallace Road. 10:09 a.m. An officer assisted a citizen on Rowland Street and filed a report. 7:35 p.m. Officers assisted Salem Police and an ambulance crew with responding to the report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle in the area of Salem State University near the White…

14 Sep

From tiny oysters, big hopes for healthier waters

Leigh BlanderAnimals, Environment, Top Stories

Outside the Marblehead Harbormaster’s office sits a big white box that has been attracting curious looks all summer. Inside are six orange buckets containing about 25,000 tiny oysters — some no bigger than a grain of rice — quietly doing their part in an ambitious effort to restore oyster populations and improve the coastal ecosystem. The oyster upweller outside the Marblehead Harbormaster’s Office contains about 25,000 baby oysters. People gathered for an update on the project Sept. 10. The box is an oyster upweller, installed…

12 Sep

GUEST COLUMN: ‘Til next summer, Marblehead

Submitted ContentColumns, Top Stories

By Paul Mazonson We arrived ready for another Marblehead summer in late May. That first morning of returning, walking our older dog to Crocker Park we noticed the beauty of the houses under the gaze of Abbot Hall, some with flowers in bloom, some under construction. Life happening here in Marblehead. As we approach the bandstand at Crocker Park, the harbor opens ahead, a particular kind of greeting after nine months away. I can smell the salt, feel the damp and I love it, it's…

11 Sep

25 years later, Marblehead remembers — and looks to a generation that never knew 9/11

Leigh BlanderPublic safety, Top Stories

Twenty-five years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the memories remain vivid for those who lived through that day. But for a growing number of Americans — including firefighters, police officers, EMTs and military members now serving their communities — 9/11 is not a memory at all. They weren't alive when the towers fell. That generational shift was at the heart of Marblehead's 25th anniversary remembrance Friday morning, as hundreds gathered at Memorial Park to honor the nearly 3,000 people killed in the…