Whittier Receives Financial Literacy Grant
HAVERHILL – Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School received a $3,200 Massachusetts Financial Literacy Grant to help the school host a...
How Far Would You Go to be Popular and Hot? Triton Middle School Presents MEAN GIRLS JR. Performances March 21 and 22 Triton Regional High School
BYFIELD – Triton Regional Middle School invites you to back-to-school when students present the smart and ferociously funny musical Mean Girls JR....
Groveland Town Government Openings
By Michael Dempsey GROVELAND – It’s that time of year again to volunteer for elected and appointed town positions. This year there are several open...
Groveland Veasey Park Flea Market
By Michael Dempsey GROVELAND – The Friends of Veasey Park will be holding their annual indoor flea market this month on Saturday March 29 from 8 am...
Groveland Conservation Stewardship Program
By Michael Dempsey GROVELAND – The Groveland Conservation Commission and the Groveland Recreation Committee are seeking volunteers to help maintain...
EVENTS!
AMESBURY PACT Presents: "Stand Up Sober" 2025 w/ Amy Tee, Corey Manning & special guest! Free Community Comedy Night w/ Mocktail bar to...
Taking Off Pounds Sensibly – Find Your Local Chapter
Devices that collect fitness metrics aren’t just for Olympic athletes and marathoners. Activity trackers like Fitbits, Apple Watches, and Garmin...
Clement “Pete” Dole, Jr. May 24, 1929 – March 3, 2025
Clement Huntington Dole, Jr., of Charlotte, passed away peacefully on March 3, 2025. He lived an adventure-filled 95 years. Clement, better known as...
Rockport Police, Fire, and MSP Bomb Squad Respond to Discovery of Possible WWI Ordnance
ROCKPORT – Police Chief John Horvath reports that the Rockport Police Department, along with the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad and Rockport...
Pentucket Regional Middle High School Fine Arts Teacher Receives Massachusetts Art Education Association Award
WEST NEWBURY – Pentucket Superintendent Justin Bartholomew and Fine and Performing Arts Department Chair David Schumacher are pleased to share that...
Small-Town Women-Owned Businesses in the Center of Georgetown
To the Editor: Small-town woman-owned businesses in the center of Georgetown: There are many women businesses that I think are awesome. We all work...
Statement About the Future of Northshore Recovery High School
BEVERLY – The following is a statement from Northshore Education Consortium (NEC) Executive Director Francine H. Rosenberg: “It has come to our...
Newburyport Community Improvement Society
The Community Improvement Society is a 501(c)(3) organization that was founded for the purpose of preserving and improving the public spaces of...
Groveland Fire Department Responds to Brush Fire on West Newbury Town Line
GROVELAND — Fire Chief Robert Valentine reports that the Groveland Fire Department extinguished a brush fire caused by a downed power line on the...
Newburyport Charitable Foundation Awards $2,500 to The Chase Home for Children
NEWBURYPORT – The Newburyport Bank Charitable Foundation has provided a grant of $2,500 to The Chase Home for Children. The funds will pay for fees...
Rockport Police, Fire, and MSP Bomb Squad Respond to Discovery of Possible WWI Ordnance
ROCKPORT – Police Chief John Horvath reports that the Rockport Police Department, along with the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad and Rockport...
A Real-World Civics Lesson: North Hampton School Students to Cast Ballots on Town Meeting Day
NORTH HAMPTON, N.H. – Should North Hampton School have a comfort dog? It’s an important question, and among several that students in Grades K-8 will...
Plant Matters
Plant Matters by Ida Wye In conversation with Dianne Plantamura about the rewilding of Veasey Park in Groveland, Mass. Diane is a board member of...
UPCOMING EVENTS
NEWBURYPORT Songs of Freedom & Hope Sing Along, Central Congregational Church 14 Titcomb Street, Newburyport. Sunday, march 16, 2:00 - 4:00PM...
Photos of People/Groups PHOTO CONTEST
$100 Grand Prize | $50 2nd Place | $25 3rd Place CORRECTED DATE: DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS 7:00 P.M. THURS, MARCH 27, 2025 Submit to:...
School Left-overs Feed Needy Adults
REGIONAL – If your student does not eat an apple for lunch at school or passes on the chocolate milk and prepared sandwiches, don’t worry, the...
Taxpayer Money Makes ‘Free Fare’ on MEVA Permanent
REGIONAL – The colorful buses that ply the streets and shopping centers of the Merrimack Valley will keep running fare free permanently, the first...
Whittier Tech Shuts Down Four Programs
HAVERHILL – While considering steps to merge with Northern Essex Community College (NECC), Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School's...
Masconomet Regional High School Varsity Girls Soccer Team Visits the State House Following MIAA Division II State Championship Win
Superintendent Michael Harvey and Principal Katie DiNardo are pleased to share that the Masconomet Regional High School Varsity Girls Soccer team...
Jewish Women’s History Month
In celebration of Jewish Women’s History Month, Lappin Foundation, JCCNS, and NSJCC invite the community to Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace,...
GEORGETOWN Ecological Gardening Basics
Ecological Gardening Basics Monday, March 3, 6 P.M. Georgetown Peabody Library 2 Maple St., Georgetown, Mass. Do you want to start incorporating...
Local Winter 2025 People/Group PHOTO CONTEST
$100 Grand Prize $50 2nd Place $25 3rd Place Sponsored by The Town Common DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS 7:00 P.M. FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2025 Submit to:...
Patricia A. McDonough
It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved Patricia A. McDonough, who peacefully left this world on February 11, 2025, at...
Boxford Launches Instagram and Public Works Campaign
BOXFORD – The Town of Boxford launched their Instagram account @Boxford01921 this month as part of an ongoing effort to expand communication and...
Off With Her Crown – Iconic, Beloved Pink House’s Last Sunrise
by Stewart Lytle and Ava Moeckel PLUM ISLAND – Last Tuesday, the Pink House’s final morning, several trucks, a huge excavator and a giant crane arrived before dawn under a heavy fog to begin taking down the house. Four Newbury police officers came to manage traffic on the Plum Island Turnpike, and if necessary, to control any citizens who might show up to express their rage at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for tearing down the icon that so many artists and photographers cherished. Former Plum Island...
Rowley’s Chris Thornton Steps Down from Planning Board as Rowley Farms Advances
ROWLEY – Planning Board members must fill some big shoes at this critical time in the town's development. Last week, Chris Thornton, a chair and member of the Planning Board for more than 10 years, resigned to avoid a potential conflict of interest with Rowley Farms. “The town of Rowley needs a strong, informed and independent board to navigate … upcoming meetings and decisions,” he wrote in his resignation letter. “Despite my considerable experience and expertise, I will be sidelined from participation.”...
34 Citizens Groups from 34 Communities Supporting Rockport’s 2022 Opposition Lawsuit to the MBTA ‘Mandate’
By John T. Kolackovsky On October 5th, 2022, a group of concerned citizens did not believe the State had the right to impose the MBTA “Mandate” Law (3A) on Rockport and filed a lawsuit opposing it. The lawsuit (Docket No. 2277CV00947) argued that it was unconstitutional since it was in conflict with Home Rule (1965, the State Home Rule Amendment, Article 89) and the Unconstitutional Conditions Doctrine along with other questionable procedural changes. Without soliciting support from others, citizen groups from...
Two Scholarships for Local High School Students – Deadline to Apply: April 4
REGIONAL – The Newburyport Horticultural Society is offering two different scholarships to local high school students. The Deb Lambert Scholarship is for students of Whittier Tech and Essex Tech who are interested in pursuing a degree in an agricultural field of study. This scholarship is made possible thanks to Corliss Bros. Gardening Center in Ipswich. The Newburyport Horticultural Society is also providing a scholarship for high school seniors interested in pursuing a degree related to horticulture, who are...
Saying Goodbye Is Hard
PLUM ISLAND – Edith Heyck was one of dozens of painters and photographers and fans who came to honor the Pink House at a sunset vigil on Sunday. Joe Cmar held his handmade model of the Pink House up to the sunset light for all to see. Dozens of photographers with long lenses recorded what most think may be the last time they can shoot the iconic house that stands between the highway and the marsh. And cars and trucks honked their goodbyes Seventy-five to 100 hardy lovers of the Pink House gathered in a fierce...
Town of Wrentham Files Legal Action Over Unfunded (MBTA ACT) State Mandate
ANOTHER TOWN OPPOSED MBTA ACT WRENTHAM – The following is a recent statement from the Wrentham Select Board and Town Manager Michael King This afternoon, the Town commenced legal action against the Commonwealth, seeking relief from enforcement of the so-called MBTA zoning law. The Town had previously exercised its rights to seek a determination from the State Auditor that the MBTA zoning law constitutes an unfunded mandate. Ultimately, the Auditor, through its Division of Local Mandates, agreed, declaring that...
Community Snapshot: Georgetown
Community Snapshot: Georgetown Georgetown's Lieutenant James Rodden (left), Highway Surveyor Peter Durkee (center), and Chief of Police David P. Sedwick (right) pause for a Community Excellence Snapshot. The trio had just completed an early morning setup and reboot of a mobile digital display in front of the Georgetown Public Safety Building – one of many tasks that often go unseen by many members of our community. (Photo: Lonnie Brennan)
A New Roadblock for Whittier Move
REGIONAL – If Whittier Regional Vocational Technical School is going to receive state funding for a new building on the Northern Essex Community College campus, the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) is insisting that all 11 municipalities in its district agree to amend its governing agreement by July 21. The MSBA has tentatively invited Whittier to apply for its funding program that could allocate as much as half the costs of a new high school. But that eligibility has strings attached. Whittier must...
Triton Approves New Graduation Rules
REGIONAL – While the governor’s task force decides what requirements students must pass to graduate from high school now that passing the MCAS tests are no longer the standard, Triton Regional School District has updated its own path to graduation to align with the new Competency Determination (CD) requirements – at least for students in 2025. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education last week reviewed new regulations on the CD graduation process and put them out for public comment. In the absence of...
Upcoming Events – Multi-Towns
AMESBURY Grief Care Breakfast is for those dealing with death of a loved one and will be held on Saturday, March 15 from 9:30 – 11:00 am hosted by the Market Street Baptist Church, 37 Market Street, Amesbury. The program is free. Speaker: Pastor Steve MaGee is the pastor of Exeter Presbyterian Church. He and his wife Candyce lost their son to suicide 17 years ago. All are welcome. Come to meet and connect. Parking is available behind the church and in the BankProv lot next door. Please RSVP: the office at...
EVENTS!
AMESBURY PACT Presents: "Stand Up Sober" 2025 w/ Amy Tee, Corey Manning & special guest! Free Community Comedy Night w/ Mocktail bar to...
Taking Off Pounds Sensibly – Find Your Local Chapter
Devices that collect fitness metrics aren’t just for Olympic athletes and marathoners. Activity trackers like Fitbits, Apple Watches, and Garmin...
Clement “Pete” Dole, Jr. May 24, 1929 – March 3, 2025
Clement Huntington Dole, Jr., of Charlotte, passed away peacefully on March 3, 2025. He lived an adventure-filled 95 years. Clement, better known as Pete, and belovedly as Bumpa, was born May 24, 1929 in Georgetown, Mass., to Clem, Sr. and Dorothy...
Rockport Police, Fire, and MSP Bomb Squad Respond to Discovery of Possible WWI Ordnance
ROCKPORT – Police Chief John Horvath reports that the Rockport Police Department, along with the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad and Rockport Fire, responded to the discovery of a possible World War I era ordnance on Cleaves Street....
Plum Island Property Owner Moves to Replace Closed 125-Seat Restaurant with Four Multi-Story Condos
NEWBURY – With the former owner of the Plum Island Grille facing a felony criminal charge for vandalizing the popular, but now closed restaurant, property owner Mark Friery is planning to tell the town in the next couple of weeks that he will seek...
NEWBURYPORT Anna Jaques Hospital Community Listening Session
Wednesday, February 12th from 11 a.m-12:30 p.m. Beth Israel Lahey Health and its member hospitals are conducting a Community Health Needs Assessment to better understand the most pressing health-related issues impacting the people living and...
NEWBURYPORT Anna Jaques Hospital Community Listening Session
Wednesday, February 12th from 11 a.m-12:30 p.m. Beth Israel Lahey Health and its member hospitals are conducting a Community Health Needs Assessment to better understand the most pressing health-related issues impacting the people living and...
Brighter Smiles … THE FINAL SAY
By J. Peter St. Clair, DMD Of the 1048 Brighter Smiles columns published over the last 19 years, I will admit, I repeated a few. Trying to think of new things to write about, other than the importance of an electric toothbrush, water pik, and...
Brighter Smiles … MAKE ‘EM STICK
Happy New Year! So, how does it feel being back at work? Or, if you are retired, does today feel like any other day? For many people, the New Year is time for resolutions. Gym memberships go up and so do sales of healthier food. I don’t know about...
Brighter Smiles … 21 SUGGESTIONS FOR SUCCESS IN 2025
At the end of each of the past 19 years, I have used this space to publish these 21 Suggestions for Success authored by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Cut this out and put it on the refrigerator. Read this list often and take these suggestions to heart....
Priced Right Junk Removal
Off With Her Crown – Iconic, Beloved Pink House’s Last Sunrise
by Stewart Lytle and Ava Moeckel PLUM ISLAND – Last Tuesday, the Pink House’s final morning, several trucks, a huge excavator and a giant crane arrived before dawn under a heavy fog to begin taking down the house. Four Newbury police officers came to manage traffic on the Plum Island Turnpike, and if necessary, to control any citizens who might show up to express their rage at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for tearing down the icon that so many artists and photographers cherished. Former Plum Island...
Off With Her Crown – Iconic, Beloved Pink House’s Last Sunrise
by Stewart Lytle and Ava Moeckel PLUM ISLAND – Last Tuesday, the Pink House’s final morning, several trucks, a huge excavator and a giant crane arrived before dawn under a heavy fog to begin taking down the house. Four Newbury police officers came to manage traffic on the Plum Island Turnpike, and if necessary, to control any citizens who might show up to express their rage at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for tearing down the icon that so many artists and photographers cherished. Former Plum Island...
Rowley’s Chris Thornton Steps Down from Planning Board as Rowley Farms Advances
ROWLEY – Planning Board members must fill some big shoes at this critical time in the town's development. Last week, Chris Thornton, a chair and member of the Planning Board for more than 10 years, resigned to avoid a potential conflict of interest with Rowley Farms. “The town of Rowley needs a strong, informed and independent board to navigate … upcoming meetings and decisions,” he wrote in his resignation letter. “Despite my considerable experience and expertise, I will be sidelined from participation.”...
34 Citizens Groups from 34 Communities Supporting Rockport’s 2022 Opposition Lawsuit to the MBTA ‘Mandate’
By John T. Kolackovsky On October 5th, 2022, a group of concerned citizens did not believe the State had the right to impose the MBTA “Mandate” Law (3A) on Rockport and filed a lawsuit opposing it. The lawsuit (Docket No. 2277CV00947) argued that it was unconstitutional since it was in conflict with Home Rule (1965, the State Home Rule Amendment, Article 89) and the Unconstitutional Conditions Doctrine along with other questionable procedural changes. Without soliciting support from others, citizen groups from...
Whittier Receives Financial Literacy Grant
HAVERHILL – Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School received a $3,200 Massachusetts Financial Literacy Grant to help the school host a financial education fair, known as Credit for Life Fairs, for their students. Seventeen schools received this additional funding to bring financial education to students. Other local communities included Andover High School ($3,200), Dracut High School ($3,200), and Methuen High School ($3,263). This...
How Far Would You Go to be Popular and Hot? Triton Middle School Presents MEAN GIRLS JR. Performances March 21 and 22 Triton Regional High School
BYFIELD – Triton Regional Middle School invites you to back-to-school when students present the smart and ferociously funny musical Mean Girls JR. Adapted from the hit movie written by Tina Fey and starring Lindsay Lohan, Mean Girls JR. tells the story of student Cady Heron who must learn to navigate the treacherous social hierarchy of high school when her family moves to suburban Illinois from Kenya. “Mean Girls JR. is a hilarious and ‘totally...
Groveland Town Government Openings
By Michael Dempsey GROVELAND – It’s that time of year again to volunteer for elected and appointed town positions. This year there are several open elected positions including the Board of Assessors, Select Board, Board of Health, Library Trustees, Cemetery Commission, Light Commission, Housing Authority, School Committee, Water and Sewer Commission, Moderator and Town Clerk. There are also several positions open for appointed positions on town...
Groveland Veasey Park Flea Market
By Michael Dempsey GROVELAND – The Friends of Veasey Park will be holding their annual indoor flea market this month on Saturday March 29 from 8 am until 2 pm at Veasey Park located at 201 Washington Street. Admission is free and everyone is welcome. The Friends are expecting at least 60 crafters, many antique dealers, and folks selling all sorts of treasures. Participants can rent a table by contacting Claire Walsh at 978-376-6779 or...
Groveland Conservation Stewardship Program
By Michael Dempsey GROVELAND – The Groveland Conservation Commission and the Groveland Recreation Committee are seeking volunteers to help maintain...
EVENTS!
AMESBURY PACT Presents: "Stand Up Sober" 2025 w/ Amy Tee, Corey Manning & special guest! Free Community Comedy Night w/ Mocktail bar to...
Taking Off Pounds Sensibly – Find Your Local Chapter
Devices that collect fitness metrics aren’t just for Olympic athletes and marathoners. Activity trackers like Fitbits, Apple Watches, and Garmin...
Plum Island Property Owner Moves to Replace Closed 125-Seat Restaurant with Four Multi-Story Condos
NEWBURY – With the former owner of the Plum Island Grille facing a felony criminal charge for vandalizing the popular, but now closed restaurant,...
NEWBURYPORT Anna Jaques Hospital Community Listening Session
Wednesday, February 12th from 11 a.m-12:30 p.m. Beth Israel Lahey Health and its member hospitals are conducting a Community Health Needs Assessment to better understand the most pressing health-related issues impacting the people living and working in the communities we serve. Please join us to hear key themes from our assessment, share your perspective, and discuss potential solutions. All attendees are entered to win a $100 Visa Gift...
Priced Right Junk Removal