GEORGETOWN – A frustrated Planning Board last week postponed for a third week deciding whether to grant a permit for the export of sand and the import of undisclosed material at the 100-year-old Zibell Farm. Planning Board Chair Harry LaCortiglia asked the farm...
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.
Link House Reopens Women’s Center
SALISBURY – Even with unpredictable financial times staring them in the face, the indominable leadership of The Link House refused to give up on providing a safe residential space for women who are recovering from addictions. Headed by executive director Christine...
Owner of Zibell Farm ‘Sand Mining’ Operation Allowed Private Viewing to Planning Board Eject Selectwoman, Deny Viewing to The Town Common
GEORGETOWN – The Planning Board conducted a site visit last week at the more than 100-year-old Zibell Farm at 214 North St. to view the sand mining operation that has been going on for several months. Farm owners allowed only Planning Board members to tour the...
The Summer’s Hottest Event
HAMPTON, NH – Want a break from the popular Yankee Homecoming events in Newburyport this weekend? Head north to the Smuttynose Brewery here for a Saturday afternoon of music, beverages and the chance to try some of the hottest peppers on the planet. The Spicy Shark,...
MassDOT Wants Signal Lights on Merrimac Street
NEWBURYPORT – For years probably the most dangerous and certainly the most frustrating intersection in this city is the exit from state Rte. 1 onto Merrimac Street, entering the city from Salisbury and points north. During busy traffic times, cars and cyclists back up...
The Blind Can Walk Newburyport’s Rail Trail
NEWBURYPORT – The beloved Clipper City Rail Trail with its interesting sculptures and interpretative signage is easy to navigate -- if you can see. Now thanks to new technology being installed by the Newburyport Lions Club, even walkers with low vision will soon be...
Is Zibell Farm Being Illegally or Legally Mined for Sand?
GEORGETOWN – The Planning Board is considering whether to issue a special permit for what neighbors say is an “illegal” sand mining operation on the 100-year-old Zibell Farm or ZFarm at 214 North St. The mining operation, according to the neighbors, started four years...
REGIONAL – The residents of Newburyport and nearby North Shore towns and cities lost one of its most charming, colorful, kind and effective people when Roberta Flynn passed away on, July 7th, after a sudden illness. Known as Bobbi to friends and family, the...
Mike Lago Remembered
NEWBURYPORT – Michael Lago, probably the oldest, at 92, and much-loved member of the Newburyport Tennis Club, passed away last month. Thanks to his wife, Carol, who introduced him to tennis when he was in his 50s, Mike was a member of Newburyport Tennis Club for more...
Fun Tuesdays in Ipswich
IPSWICH – Tuesday nights here are special. For two hours in July and August, residents gather to enjoy music, poetry and dance, mostly by local performers and poets. About 250 people showed up for Ipswich Downtown Tuesday last week, including young families and...
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