Top Stories - Marblehead Current

Select Board chair to School Committee: Honor committments re: Coffin School

9Oct

By Erin Noonan, Select Board chairNo Comments

Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Municipal Matters, Top Stories, Viewpoints

Select Board chair to School Committee: Honor committments re: Coffin School

Dear members of the School Committee, I am writing to address a few concerning statements made during your last meeting and in conversation with Chair Sarah Fox regarding the former Coffin School. I would like to share information about the town’s potential uses for the property, correct misinformation that has been shared and remind you of the commitment and representations made by school officials and volunteers on behalf of the School Department in securing the funding for the construction of the Brown elementary school. Select Board Chair Erin Noonan Town needs and potential future use As you may be aware, the town has developed a strategic Housing Production Plan to address the lack of diverse housing options in town as well as to increase our affordable housing units.&nb...

Wampanoag Tribe members share their culture with Marblehead preschoolers

9Oct

By Will DowdNo Comments

Culture, Education, Environment, Local News, Top Stories

Wampanoag Tribe members share their culture with Marblehead preschoolers

Drumming and chanting rang through Temple Sinai's vegetable garden Friday morning as children joined hands with members of the Wampanoag Tribe for a celebratory harvest dance. JCC preschoolers join hands with Wampanoag Tribe members during a celebratory harvest dance at Temple Sinai's vegetable garden on Friday. CURRENT PHOTOS / WILLIAM J. DOWD It was just one scene from the cultural event led by Cheenulka Pocknett, "Big Bear"; his brother, David Pocknett, "Little Bear"; Cheenulka’s son, Napowse Pocknett, "Bear That Walks At Night"; and friend Miles Bernadett Peters, "Lightning Wind," which shared Wampanoag music, dance and storytelling to teach children about Indigenous traditions and honor, in part, the fall harvest. The dance workshop was part of the synagogue's celebration of...

Scare up some fun: Enter Marblehead’s Scarecrow Stroll

9Oct

By Will DowdNo Comments

Art, Culture, Local News, Top Stories

Scare up some fun: Enter Marblehead’s Scarecrow Stroll

The Marblehead Recreation and Parks Department is seeking scarecrow contest entries for its fourth annual Scarecrow Stroll on Oct. 14. Last year's event drew more than 1,000 children and families who trick-or-treated along a path of more than 60 scarecrows. Prizes were awarded for the best scarecrows in categories including best business, best organization and best family/individual display. Businesses, organizations and families can enter the contest through Oct. 12. Scarecrow frames can be purchased for $12 at the Marblehead Community Center. Scarecrows will be set up the morning of Oct. 14 before trick-or-treating begins that afternoon. Entry information is available at marbleheadrec.com/scarecrowstroll.

School Committee holds on to Coffin, delays interim super decision

6Oct

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Education, Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Municipal Matters, Top Stories

School Committee holds on to Coffin, delays interim super decision

At its Oct. 5 meeting, the School Committee voted 3-2 to keep the old Coffin School property rather than return it to the town for possible use as housing. The committee also delayed a decision on a new interim superintendent. Chair Sarah Fox said it would be “grossly irresponsible” for the district to give up the three-acre Coffin School property, especially given a recent state mandate that Marblehead create zoning rules that would allow nearly 900 new housing units in town. The Coffin School property will not be turned over to the town for housing. CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER “If we’re changing our bylaws at the town level to allow up to 870 new units, how in that same breath are we looking to diminish our infrastructure to a point where we will not be able to educate those...

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DAY: The Naumkeag Tribe, Marblehead’s original inhabitants

5Oct

By Will DowdNo Comments

Culture, Local History, Top Stories

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DAY: The Naumkeag Tribe, Marblehead’s original inhabitants

This Indigenous Peoples' Day Oct. 9, it’s interesting to note that long before European settlers arrived in what is now Marblehead, the area was home to the Naumkeag people, part of the larger Massachusett tribe. Naumkeag history and heritage are deeply intertwined with the coastal town's origins. A photo of the 1684 deed that hangs in Abbot Hall: A testament to the Naumkeag Tribe's legacy and rightful claim to the lands of Marblehead before Colonial settlements. COURTESY PHOTO The Naumkeags were one of several Algonquin-speaking tribes in the coastal regions of present-day Massachusetts. Their sachem, or chief, was Nanepashemet, who oversaw territories from Salem to Gloucester. Native people had inhabited the area for millennia, evidenced by abundant archaeological sites. Whe...

ON THE MOVE: Relocation of 64-ton historic building stirs local curiosity

5Oct

By Will DowdNo Comments

Culture, Local History, Local News, Top Stories, Uncategorized

ON THE MOVE: Relocation of 64-ton historic building stirs local curiosity

As the move of a 64-ton building on Pleasant Street that once housed a Bank of America branch nears completion, the impressive engineering feat has drawn small crowds standing behind a fence. Neighbors watch a historic, 64-ton building on the move.CURRENT PHOTOS / WILLIAM J. DOWD A team from Atkinson, New Hampshire, led by Stan Wildes and his grandson, Bryce, initially maneuvered the mid-19th century structure 15 feet to make room for a new foundation, by positioning the building on skates that resemble miniature upside-down tanks and using a crane to move it. This week, they slid the building into its new foundation using a complex series of pulleys, levers and chains. Before the move, the developer who bought the building had a bank vault torn out of the back. “Each project has...

CURRENT EVENTS: Marblehead’s best bets Oct. 4-11

4Oct

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Art, Community resources, Culture, Entertainment, Local History, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Top Stories

CURRENT EVENTS: Marblehead’s best bets Oct. 4-11

Current Events spotlights exciting happenings in the coming week. If you’d like to contribute a listing, please email Current associate editor/senior reporter Leigh Blander at lblander@marbleheadnews.org. "Arsenic and Old Lace”Runs Oct. 6-15 Marblehead Little Theatre presents “Arsenic and Old Lace.” This screwball mystery/comedy revolves around the Brewster family, “descended from Mayflower settlers but now composed of maniacs, most of them homicidal,” says MLT. 12 School St. More at mltlive.org. Catie Curtis at Me&TheeFriday, Oct. 6, 8 p.m. The New Yorker calls her a “folk-rock goddess.” Award-winning singer-songwriter Catie Curtis is bringing her socially conscious music to Me&Thee Music at 28 Mugford St. More info and tickets at meandthee.org ...

Pumpkins for a purpose: Local ‘patch’ benefits Navajo community

4Oct

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Community resources, Culture, Local News, Nonprofit corner, Top Stories

Pumpkins for a purpose: Local ‘patch’ benefits Navajo community

Clifton Lutheran Church launched its annual pumpkin sale today with 1,400 pumpkins displayed on its front lawn at 150 Humphrey St. Another 600 pumpkins will be delivered and sold later in October. “A big shout-out to the Marblehead High School Interact Club, Scout Troop 79, parishioners and neighbors who helped us unload all the pumpkins,” Rev. Jim Bixby told the Current.This is the seventh year that Clifton Lutheran has hosted its pumpkin sale with proceeds going to a Navajo reservation in New Mexico. By the end of this year’s sale, the church will have sent more than $100,000 to the community. “We’ve been seeing a lot more people interested in Indigenous People’s Day [Oct. 9], especially as a town that had a large presence of the Massachusetts tribe,” Bixby sa...

More Marblehead students claiming vaccine exemptions

4Oct

By Leigh Blander1 Comment

Headlight, Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Top Stories

More Marblehead students claiming vaccine exemptions

As Massachusetts lawmakers debate a bill that would ban such dispensation, the number of Marblehead students requesting and receiving religious exemptions from vaccines has increased, matching a statewide trend. More Marblehead students received religious exemptions from vaccines last year. Photo by CDC on Pexels.com “According to DPH [Department of Public Health] data, the total exemption rate for students is six times higher than it was 35 years ago,” state Rep. Jenny Armini of Marblehead told the Current. “And dozens of Massachusetts schools have vaccination exemption rates above 5%. That places them in danger of not having herd immunity for measles (which is 95%). Maintaining that immunity is critical — for the vaccinated and the unvaccinated.” Students in kindergarten throug...

Marblehead carpet replacement to cost $120K after bloody break-in

4Oct

By Will DowdNo Comments

Local News, Municipal Matters, Top Stories

Marblehead carpet replacement to cost $120K after bloody break-in

Marblehead plans to shell out an estimated $120,000 for carpet replacement in the Mary Alley Municipal Building due to extensive damage from a break-in a year ago. Mary Alley Municipal Building is soon to undergo interior renovations following last year's break-in. CURRENT PHOTO / WILLIAM J. DOWD Insurance is expected to reimburse the town around 50% of that amount. “This unfortunate incident has presented an opportunity to refresh the interior of the municipal building through new flooring,” said Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer. “Once completed, we expect the upgrade will significantly improve the appearance and feel of the space for both employees and residents.” On a Monday morning in September 2022, Anthony Graciele smashed a window to get into the Mary Alley, and cut hi...