NEWBURYPORT – During the American Revolution, the word freedom had different meanings to the colonists, depending on the color of their skin. When the first shots were fired by the scrappy colonists 250 years ago to begin the American Revolution, Newburyport was...
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.
Georgetown: Choose Between Donahue and Viele
GEORGETOWN – The two candidates to fill the seat of SelectBoard Chair Daryle Lamonica, who is not running again, offer the voters a sharp contrast in town government experience, although their views on the major issues appear to be similar. The election between...
Interim Town Manager Needed
IPSWICH – At a time when it is facing several challenges, including building state-mandated affordable housing, Ipswich needs a new town manager. Stephen Craine, who is finishing his third year of a three-year contract, announced last week that he is leaving at the...
Newburyport: Soothing Immigration Fears
Newburyport: Soothing Immigration Fears Police Officers Will Not Work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement NEWBURYPORT – While undocumented persons are being whisked away to jails in the U.S. and abroad, Marshall Matthew Simons told the city’s Human Rights...
It is Important to Read
GREATER NEWBURYPORT – For the last 20 years, spring here has been a time to celebrate books and readers. From Friday, April 25 through Sunday April 27, this year will be no different as the Newburyport Literary Festival celebrates “The Importance of Being a Reader.”...
Newburyport History | By Himself, But Not Alone
NEWBURYPORT – Gertrude “Trudy” Woodard, the mother of a family that included folksinger James Taylor, sang from the stage before joining the line of students to accept her diploma in the 1941 graduation ceremony at Newburyport High School. During the ceremony, she...
Bill Kirchen Plays Bob Dylan
NEWBURYPORT – If you are a fan of Bob Dylan, you need to make plans Saturday to see Bill Kirchen and his all-star Texas band perform Dylan’s songs from his performances at the Newport Folk Festival in 1964 and 1965. Kirchen will perform at the Belleville Roots Concert...
Sea View Wins Battle with State
ROWLEY – The Sea View Retreat long-term care facility has been exonerated by an administrative magistrate in the state Public Health Department of charges that it committed deceit, malpractice, gross misconduct and was incompetent in closing the decades-old nursing...
High-End Condos Proposed to Present New Plum Island Gateway
NEWBURY – NEWBURY – Plum Island residents got a close look last week at the proposed four condo that may soon be their neighbors and serve as a new gateway for tourists and residents of this beach community. The condos at the intersection of Plum Island Turnpike and...
Our Neighbor’s Table Shifts Hours
REGIONAL – Our Neighbors’ Table (ONT) is shifting its food distribution hours starting Monday, April 7, adding later times during the week and eliminating Saturday service at a time when the federal government is cutting its allocation by $3 million or 17 percent of...
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