Travel - Marblehead Current

10 Apr

Town allocates $79K in COVID funds for bike, pedestrian plan

Will Dowd0 CommentsBusiness, Life Style, Local News, Municipal Matters, Sports, Top Stories, Travel

The Select Board recently approved $79,000 in funding to develop a town-wide bicycle and pedestrian plan, a move that local officials and advocates say will help guide future investments and improvements for non-motorized transportation. Marblehead Cycle Shop is the only bike shop in town. COURTESY PHOTO / DAN SHUMAN The plan, which will be developed by an outside consultant, aims to identify and prioritize bicycle infrastructure projects based on the needs of cyclists. It will also look at ways to improve the overall environment for bicyclists…

10 Jan

Marblehead gets over $200K for infrastructure

Will Dowd0 CommentsLocal News, Municipal Matters, Public safety, Travel

Marblehead will receive $227,078 in transportation infrastructure funding from the state's new Fair Share program, money raised from the so-called millionaire’s tax, according to Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer. The Fair Share money can pay for an array of municipal road and sidewalk repair projects, pedestrian crossings, bicycle lanes and other transportation infrastructure needs. This photo shows road construction work being done in Marblehead. The town recently received over $200,000 in state infrastructure funding. CURRENT PHOTO / WILL DOWD Marblehead plans to put some of the…

24 Oct

Select Board approves ‘as needed’ parking bans for snow

Will Dowd0 CommentsLocal News, Municipal Matters, Public safety, Travel, Uncategorized

The Select Board has voted to implement an "as needed" parking ban during snow emergencies. State Street is flanked by snow piles after a winter storm. The Marblehead Select Board voted in October 2023 to implement a new snow emergency parking ban policy, prohibiting on-street parking overnight during declared snow emergencies to aid snow removal efforts. Vehicles parked in violation would be ticketed and towed. COURTESY PHOTO / MASSMATT VIA FLICKR During a declared snow emergency, on-street parking will be prohibited starting at midnight the…

19 Sep

State law requires town to identify a total of 27 acres of denser zoning

Will Dowd1 CommentBeacon Hill, Local News, Municipal Matters, Politics, Top Stories, Travel

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to remove references to outdated information about how close to bus stops multi-family housing must be located under the new state law. Final guidelines released by the Executive Office of Housing & Economic Development on Aug. 10, 2022, allow communities like Marblehead with fewer than 100 developable acres within a half-mile of a bus station to choose any appropriate location for the revised zoning. The Marblehead Planning Board is exploring ways to comply with a state law that…

13 Sep

Life through a lens: Pultizer-winning photographer shares stories from latest adventure

Leigh Blander0 CommentsArt, Culture, Local News, Top Stories, Travel

Pulitzer-prize-winning photographer Ulrike Welsch’s ears are “still ringing with the music” after her latest photography trip — this one to the Baltic states Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, where she attended the famous Song and Dance Festival in Riga. “It was just so powerful,” Welsch told the Current during a recent interview in her Marblehead kitchen. “The music goes down to your soul.” Welsch, who turns 83 next month, has traveled the world capturing experiences few seldom get to see first hand. She has visited more…

30 Aug

PLUGGING IN: How is Marblehead preparing its power grid for the electric-vehicle boom?

Will Dowd1 CommentBeacon Hill, Environment, Local News, Municipal Matters, Top Stories, Travel, Uncategorized

As electric vehicles (EVs) gain traction in Marblehead, the town's officials are taking proactive measures to ensure the local power grid can accommodate the growing demand. Across Massachusetts, communities face a state mandate to cut carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. Widespread EV adoption is a key strategy, aiming for at least 900,000 electric cars on state roadways by 2030. ‘10 years is really tomorrow’ "EVs are coming. How quickly are they going to come? That is the question," said Jean Jacques Yarmoff, a Marblehead…

24 Jul

Young sailors descend upon Marblehead for Junior Race Week

Will Dowd0 CommentsLife Style, Local News, Sailing, Top Stories, Travel, Uncategorized

Marblehead Junior Race Week began Monday afternoon with nearly 240 young sailors from across New England converging on Marblehead Harbor for three days of competitive sailing. A total of 248 kids are participating across various boat categories, with each fleet competing in 12 races over three days. CURRENT PHOTO / WILLIAM J. DOWD The annual regatta, hosted by Pleon Yacht Club, unifies sailors ages eight to 18 to compete in the historic maritime race week. As the young sailors waited to enter the water around…

05 Jul

Rockets red where? Dense fog dims fireworks display

Will Dowd0 CommentsCulture, Life Style, Local News, Top Stories, Travel

In what was expected to be a night filled with vibrant fireworks, hundreds of spectators around Marblehead Harbor were instead greeted by an unrelenting, dense fog. The heavy fog that rolled in from the sea concealed the sky, reducing the anticipated fireworks to only bursts of color visible through the mist. This damp, foggy evening stood in stark contrast to the vibrant spectacle typically associated with the Marblehead fireworks and harbor illumination, casting a pall over the annual tradition — typically the bookend to a…

30 Jun

DITCH THE DRIVE: Marblehead commuters brace for Sumner shutdown

Will Dowd0 CommentsLocal News, Municipal Matters, Public safety, Top Stories, Travel, Uncategorized

Marblehead commuters are advised to prepare for major disruptions as the Sumner Tunnel, a vital transit link for North Shore residents working in Boston, is scheduled to close for two months, beginning Wednesday, July 5. A map showing travel options during the Sumner Tunnel Restoration Project taking place from July 5 to Aug. 31. Opened in 1934, the 1.5-mile passage plays a key role in reducing traffic congestion between East Boston and downtown Boston. This 90-year-old tunnel, only second to the Holland Tunnel in New…

14 Apr

Fulbright adventure: Marblehead professor has special connection to India, history

Leigh Blander0 CommentsLocal News, Top Stories, Travel

Marblehead resident and Salem State University professor Michele Louro has just returned from her latest trip to India with the Fulbright Scholar program, where she spent two months conducting research for a new book and teaching. Marblehead professor Michele Louro has just returned from her latest trip to India. COURTESY PHOTO “It’s a cross-cultural, online teaching experience with students from Jawaharlal Nehru University and Salem State,” Louro told the Marblehead Current. “The four-week class explores colonialism, anti-colonialism and women — thinking about women and their…