More local news

Salem Judge Rules Against MCC in Lease Dispute, Criticizes Charity's Management

A   Salem District Court judge swiftly addressed the future of the Manchester Community Center (MCC) last week, ruling that the organization had violated its commercial lease by overstaying its …

Annual Town Meeting: School Articles

School expenditures account for roughly 50% of Manchester’s total operating budgets. This is typical for a community with percentages running even higher in some municipalities. …

A Short Guide to Town Meeting

Manchester’s Annual Town Meeting will take place this year on Wednesday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m. at Manchester Memorial School in the gymnasium.   Every year, hundreds of Manchester …
Sen. Cindy Creem talks to Sen. Bruce Tarr about a vote to close meetings between the conference committee tasked with negotiating a major gun control reform bill to the public. Creem voted alongside other Democrats to keep the negotiations private, while Tarr (right, bottom), a Republican, and Republican Rep. Joseph McKenna dissented.

Gun Law Negotiators Close House-Senate Talks

Lawmakers tasked with negotiating details of a major firearms bill left their work open to the public last week—a move that broke from opaque traditions on Beacon Hill.  A week later …
The Gordon College woods is a popular local destination for hiking, walking and with mountain bikers.
Open Space Committee Explores Housing-for-Conservation Deal for Gordon College Lands in LCD
This week, Manchester's Open Space Committee meeting sought to take the lead on an issue that had dogged local conservation-minded residents for decades: the future of Gordon College’s 130-acre …
James Elder, MBTS Harbor Management Plan Task Force
Harbor Management Plan Task Force Mulls Public Forum Input While Eelgrass Beds Expand off Tuck's Point
The Manchester Harbor Management Plan Task Force also met Monday to deliberate over key issues that arose from a public forum held last month at the ME Regional High School, including the contentious …
Essex Police Dept. to Wear and Sell Patches in Autism Awareness Program
Essex Police Department will wear and sell autism awareness patches as part of an Autism Awareness Program in collaboration with the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism.  The program will …
Sports
Congratulations to Nate Gardner on his 11th place finish in the Boys 55 Hurdles event at the MIAA Meet of Champions. Courtesy Photo
If any group has the experience to handle some of the high-level challenges in store for the Manchester Essex boys’ tennis team this spring, it’s this one. The Hornets lost three …
H ornet sailors jumped right into the cold water of Manchester Harbor on the third day of the season.   Following two days of pulling the boats off the racks, stepping the masts, and …
The third time wasn’t necessarily the charm for the Hornets. This one was the biggest matchup of the season between the Manchester Essex and Georgetown girls’ basketball teams: the …
The Manchester Essex basketball team—a squad that has lost all of one game this season—was down by two at the end of the first quarter in their tournament game against Frontier Regional. …

Dreams and Dances’ at Annisquam Village Church

Music brought violinists Scott Moore and Erica Pisaturo together in the first place, performing together every day on tour. And music is how they continue to spend most of their time—when …

Senior Nite for Varsity Boys Basketball

Monday night the Hornets held Senior Night for the boys’ basketball team.   The seniors honored their parents for the support they provided during their athletic careers.   Kneeling, …

David Frederick Hall Jr.

David Frederick Hall Jr., beloved husband, father, grandfather, and uncle, passed away peacefully at the age of 83, surrounded by his loving family, on March 24.  David was born on May 14, …

Cape Ann Blossoms Returns to Cape Ann Museum May 4

Cape Ann Blossoms (2023) image of Augustus W. Buhler (1853-1920), Shoving Off. C. 1907. Oil on canvas, Gift of Dr. Bernard S. Cohen, 1979. [Accession # 2199]. Floral Arrangement by Joni Pesola of Danvers Garden Club.

Just in time for the beginning of spring, Gloucester's Cape Ann Museum is bringing back its popular Cape Ann Blossoms event on Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Floral …

Obituaries
Dorothy A. (Margulis) Pike
Dorothy A. (Margulis) Pike, age 88 of Manchester by the Sea, entered Eternal Rest on April 10, 2024. Dorothy was born in Boston, daughter of the late Mollie & Mac Margulis.  She owned …
Ruth M. Fusco
Ruth M. Fusco, 89, passed away April 6, 2024 at her home in Manchester in the presence of her loving family.   Born in Revere, she was the daughter of the late John V. Sullivan and Jenny …
Ron Mastrogiacomo
Ron Mastrogiacomo, a longtime resident of Manchester-by-the-Sea, died Monday after a short illness.  Ron was loved deeply by his family, friends and colleagues. His sense of humor is legendary …
Jan M. (Conroy) Anderson
Mrs. Jan M. (Conroy) Anderson 79, of Manchester, beloved wife of Carl A. Anderson Jr., passed away unexpectedly on March 28, 2024 while vacationing with friends. Born in Salem, she was the …
Maryellen Liddell 
Maryellen Liddell, 76, passed away peacefully on March 12 surrounded by her family and exceptional caregivers after a long illness.   Maryellen was born on October 24, 1947 in Medford, MA to …
Lifestyle

Northeast Massachusetts Youth Orchestras Schedule Auditions for 2024-2025 Season

The Northeast Massachusetts Youth Orchestras (NMYO) will hold open auditions for local Cape Ann and North Shore young musicians to join its ensembles in the 2024-2025 concert season. For those …

It’s Fantasy and Mythology with Cape Ann Symphony on Sunday, April 14 at Crowell Chapel

The Cape Ann Symphony’s 72nd season is in full swing, and on April 21 the group will reprise one of its most popular programs, the intimate and scaled down “Musicians Unleashed” …

Gloucester Zine Fest Inaugural Event Set for April 27 in Downtown

The Sawyer Free Library will host the inaugural Gloucester Zine Fest from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, at 20 and 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester. This event, open to all, offers a …

Anna Coleman Ladd—All Sides of Life

One hundred years ago on Memorial Day 1924, the American Legion unveiled its Memorial to the five young men of Manchester who lost their lives in WWI.   Many attend this annual event at Rosedale …

Anna Coleman Ladd: Les Gueules Cassées (“The Shattered Mugs”)

Part II of an incredible story of an amazing sculptress, who, impacted by returning veterans scarred by WWI, rebuilds their faces with her talents at her "Studio for Portrait Masks" ...
Home and Garden

Manchester Library Notes | April 12

A lot is happening this week at the Manchester by the Sea Public Library, including registration for April 12's solar eclipse viewing party, community poetry reading, book groups and more.

Spring is finally starting to be sprung.  Those brave spring bulbs are sticking their skinny green necks out, and so far all I’ve wanted to do is wrap a scarf around them—but they …
Pets and People

Pain in Pets

Nobody wants to see their dog suffering and in pain, writes Dr. Larry Lamb of Manchester Animal Hospital.  However, sometimes it can be very difficult to know for sure whether your dog is in pain.  …

Books

Essex Library Notes | April 12

This week at the TOHP Burnham Public Library, come down to see Rick Roth and the Cape Ann Vernal Pond team who will bring indigenous snakes, or join the community book group that currently reading "Dancing at the Pity Party" by Tyler Feder.

Columnists

It’s all in How You Finish That Counts

Colors are back after a long love affair with cool whites and greys.  And part of that is the opportunity to lean into new finishes in fixtures, like rubbed bronze, brass, and yes, gold.

I   don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s the wild west out there when it comes to the finishes we find on hardware, bathroom fixtures, and lighting.   Where we used to …

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Around the web
Billions of cicadas are about to emerge from underground in a rare double-brood convergence
In the wake of North America’s recent solar eclipse, another historic natural event is on the horizon. From late April through June 2024, the largest brood of 13-year cicadas, known as Brood XIX, will co-emerge with a midwestern brood of 17-year cicadas, Brood XIII.
Removing PFAS from public water will cost billions and take time – here are ways to filter out some harmful ‘forever chemicals’ at home
Chemists invented PFAS in the 1930s to make life easier: Nonstick pans, waterproof clothing, grease-resistant food packaging and stain-resistant carpet were all made possible by PFAS. …
Gold vs. stocks: As both hit record highs, which is performing better for investors?
Money helps shed light on which is a better investment: gold or stocks.
Taylor Swift’s homage to Clara Bow
One track on Taylor Swift’s new album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” honors a long-celebrated, oft-miscast heroine of American feminism: actress Clara Bow. As historians of the 1920s, we’ve studied Bow’s fame and her cultural legacy.
10 of the best places in the US to see the northern lights in 2024
Astronomers say 2024 will be a great year to see the northern lights. Stacker used various sources to list 10 places in the U.S. to view them.