AMESBURY – On Oct. 30, the Amesbury Fire Department was called to the Amesbury Innovation High School (AIHS) to check out the smell of gas in the building. That call has since created a major challenge for the school district, headed by Mayor Kassandra Gove, and the...
Stewart Lytle
Stewart Lytle is the lead reporter for The Town Common newspaper. Before joining The Town Common, he was a national correspondent for Scripps-Howard Newspapers in Washington, D.C., covering the Pentagon and Congress. He has also written for newspapers in Dallas, TX, and Birmingham, AL.
As a national reporter for the Scripps Howard newspaper chain, Stewart wrote the inside story on military life of soldiers and sailors and their families. He landed on aircraft carriers, experienced oxygen deprivation for high-altitude flight training and crawled through the mud with Marine snipers.
One of his proudest achievements outside of journalism was assisting USAA Chairman Robert McDermott in securing federal legislation that mandated air bags in vehicles.
Stewart is also a novelist and has written non-fiction books. He is currently working on a non-fiction book and screenplay about an incident that occurred in Boston.
His first novel, Iron City Conspiracy, explores power in a city. It features a black newspaper editor solving the bombing of a historic black church in a tough Alabama town.
Following in the footsteps of his idol, Ernest Hemingway, Stewart has completed a new novel about a love affair in the midst of the Spanish Civil War. The book, Montserrat, is based on a true story and has been made into a screenplay that will become an international feature film.
A graduate of Phillips Academy and Princeton University, Stewart lives with his wife, Mary, in Newburyport.
Mello Cuts an Hour of Trash Truck Transfer Traffic
GEORGETOWN – G. Mello Disposal Corp. (Mello) has proposed and the town’s Board of Health (BOH) has agreed to allow trucks serving the new transfer station to cut the time in the morning by an hour, from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. The BoH had permitted the trucks hauling trash...
New Pet Food Pantry!
REGIONAL – With the long federal government shutdown that threatened to shut off SNAP food assistance, there has been a lot of focus on the dozens of food pantries for people in our area. But what about food and supplies for pets? Shayna Gatautis and Toni Knott, both...
Newburyport Lions Feeds 500 Seniors
GREATER NEWBURYPORT – For more than 30 years, the Lions Club has served hundreds of seniors Thanksgiving Dinner, providing plates piled high and more food to take home. Serenaded by Eloise Kirkpatrick, about 200 seniors gathered this year, while a dozen volunteers...
Newburyport: The Blind Can Walk the Rail Trail
NEWBURYPORT – As walkers and joggers make their way along the Clipper City Rail Trail, the walkway divides into two paths just north of Washington Street. Both paths are wide, but are divided by a long iron beam that if you are blind or have low vision could be a...
Local Artists Exhibit at Illume Book Store
REGIONAL – Just in time for the holidays, five local artists are displaying their paintings on the walls of the backroom gallery at Illume Book Store, off Market Square in Newburyport. Two have hung their work in Jen Perry’s gallery this fall. The other three are at...
Merrimack River Boardwalk May Be Partially Rebuilt
NEWBURYPORT – Anyone who has ever built a deck or porch can relate to the dilemma the city finds itself in trying to rebuild its popular boardwalk for the next quarter century. The boardwalk along the Merrimack River waterfront has deteriorated in recent years with...
Rowley Picks a Police Chief
ROWLEY – Rowley has chosen its next police chief, a 17-year veteran of law enforcement, who committed to being employed only by Rowley for at least the first year. Subject to a background check by a third party, the SelectBoard voted unanimously to offer the chief...
Making Community Cool: ‘The Townie’
NEWBURYPORT – Eben Diskin is on a mission. He wants to make getting involved in community affairs something that is “cool,” not just an interesting hobby for retirees, but rather people his age. A year ago, Diskin, 35, created the Townie website and started accepting...
Jane Merrow and Bonnie Shultz Recognized
REGIONAL – Two veteran food bank leaders have been honored for their efforts to fight food insecurity in the Merrimack Valley. Jane Merrow who heads the First Parish Church Food Pantry in Newbury, and Bonnie Schultz, the volunteer director of the Among Friends Meal...
Local Forecast


Recent News
- Boxford Special Town Meeting December 17th – Officials to Present Key Decisions/Zoning Change Dec 10, 2025
- Students, Parents, Teachers Want Amesbury Innovation School Reopened Dec 10, 2025
- Santa’s Helpers from the Georgetown Fire Department Collected Toys for Tots Last Sunday Dec 10, 2025
- Mello Cuts an Hour of Trash Truck Transfer Traffic Dec 10, 2025

