More local news

Manchester Local Elections Tuesday May 20

Manchester holds its annual local elections on Tuesday, May 20th.   Voting takes place at the Memorial School from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.   All registered voters are encouraged to take a few …

Manchester-by-the-Sea Honors Veterans with Memorial Day Flags and Parade

Once again, Manchester will mark Memorial Day with a full weekend of remembrance, including the traditional placement of flags at local cemeteries and a community-wide Memorial Day parade and service …

Essex: Yes to MERSD Budget, No to Downtown Residential Building

The gymnasium at the Essex Elementary School was so packed for Monday’s Essex Annual Town Meeting that Town Moderator Jeffrey Jones held off the 6:45 p.m. start to allow the thick line of residents …

Manchester Essex Sailing Team Surges Past Pingree, Hosts 16-Team Regatta in Outer Harbor

We came out on top against Pingree by winning the best of 5 match with 3 wins and 1 loss.  Racing in a clear and stable easterly in the shelter of Ram Island, we won the first race with a …

Pereen, Cameron Debate Essex Issues  at Candidate Forum

Essex Board of Selectmen candidates Ruth Pereen and Anne Cameron faced questions on downtown revitalization, the budget, coastal flooding, zoning regulations and affordable housing, among others, at …
More than 425 residents showed up Monday at Manchester’s 2025 Annual Town Meeting to vote on the town’s annual budget, school district FY26 funding, and accessory dwellings, a BOH tobacco restriction, among other items.  (Photos Paul Clark, Erika Brown)
Smooth Sailing at Packed Manchester Annual Town Meeting
The Manchester-by-the-Sea Annual Town Meeting, held Monday night at Memorial School, lasted just over three hours with residents approving most everything on the warrant. About 425 residents …
A drone shot of the Essex Causeway, showing the town's public boat launch.  This year, the town announced it will sell 10 slots for accessing the launch by lottery to out-of-towners.
Essex Approves Non-Resident Boat Launching and Parking Permit Lottery
The Essex Board of Selectmen has determined that a total of 10 special permits will be sold to the winners of a lottery for non-resident boat launching at the downtown Essex Town boat launching ramp …
Antonio Barletta, right, will be formally named Manchester by the Sea's new Town Administrator on July 1 when Greg Federspiel (left) retires on June 30.
Transition Time
Another successfully run Annual Town Meeting marked a major milestone in the history of Manchester.   Moderator Alan Wilson presided over his 30th and last Annual Town Meeting, a run that puts …
Lifestyle

Renovations Usher in a New Era for Cape Ann Museum, and its Downtown Surroundings

Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester—long known for preserving and celebrating the region’s maritime and fishing culture—is preparing for a major transformation that, in turn, will …
This year, Scott Milne will have “marched” in the Manchester 4th of July Parade with the beloved antique bicycle brigade for 50 years!  This vintage photo shows Milne riding in 1975.

Scott Milne: 50 Years in Manchester’s Fourth of July Parade

For those who’ve spent a Fourth of July in Manchester in the past half-century, the chances are awfully good they’ve seen Scott Milne gliding down the parade route on his antique bicycle, …
The East Coast Morel, Morchella americana.

Springtime Wild Mushrooms

Springtime is what most mushroom hunters look forward to.   It is not due to the abundance of wild edibles, but simply because of a sort of “mushroom cabin fever.”   People are …
Cape Ann Museum Docent Trina Smith takes visitors along Prospect Street in Gloucester to see how painter Edward Hopper depicted a streetscape in the mid 1920’s that is still present a century on. Two walking tours feature the work and painting lifestyle of Edward Hopper and his wife, Jo, as they sought painting subjects around the city.

Explore Cape Ann’s History and Art on Foot with Museum-Led Walking Tours

One of the most successful cultural experiences in Gloucester is the walking tour.  Why?  Because Cape Ann, and Gloucester in particular, offers so much history per square foot.  And …

A Hippity Hoppity Day for All!

The Easter Bunny arrived at Masconomo Park in Manchester on Easter by fire engine much to the delight of dozens of adoring fans last week. The events, sponsored by the Manchester Mothers Club, …
Home and Garden
SENIOR LIVING

The Opposite of Unbalanced is… (spoiler alert) Balanced.

We all know what it feels like to be “off kilter, out of sorts, upside down, or inside out.” Sometimes it lasts a day, a weekend, and that’s enough for me. The longer I am …

It’s unusual for me to be happy about something that I’ve lost.   But I was hap-hap-happy when we pushed up the clocks and lost the hour like we do every spring.   Wonderfully, …
Pets and People

Summer is Coming. So are Localized Skin Infections

One of the most common problems seen in dogs is a skin condition called “Hot Spots.” For some reason, cats rarely acquire Hot Spots. It’s also known as pyoderma or acute moist dermatitis, and …

Books

Manchestester Library Notes | May 9

Embroidery Journaling | Saturday, May 10 from 2-3:30 p.m. Join us to continue your journey with embroidery. This time we’ll focus on adding small motifs to our embroidery journal. If you were in our class in March, please bring your materials. If you are new to the class, we will provide what you need to get started on your journal. Please register so we can plan for materials.

This week at the library we will be painting a pot and planting seeds, along with a plant swap, you can embroider, get garden design lessons and much more.

Columnists

Fishing, Flounder, and Friendship: A Manchester Childhood by the Harbor

Bob Flanders, proprietor of Manchester Seafoods on Central Street who ran the business with his wife, Vi.  The couple taught young Pete Willwerth how to boil and pick lobsters, skin fillets, chip blocks of ice, and set up the showcase just so. 

I remember being a kid no more than six or seven years old, digging up sea worms and clams at low tide in the flats behind our house at 4 Ashland Avenue, overlooking the inner harbor.   Rubber …

Sports
SPORTS

In the Hornet's Nest | May 16

There's been a lot of action for spring team sports at Manchester Essex Regional High School, with updates this week on Varsity Baseball Softball, Boys Tennis. Let's get into …

Sailing: St. John's Prep, Landmark, North Shore Invitational and Donald Greene

The Hornet sailors were out on the water a good bit this week. We had great conditions on Thursday for our meet with St. John’s Prep , which is in the A Division of the Mass Bay …

In the Hornets Nest | May 2

On Sunday at home at the Annie Gosbee Field in Essex, the Hornets secured a 3-2 victory over Winthrop.  Nick Brown pitched five strong innings giving up only two runs, but the win belonged to freshman Cam Barber who threw two scoreless innings to end the game.  Nick Glass and Nick Brown collected an RBI each, while Connor St. Laurent went 3-4 with a double.  Photos: Erika Brown
There's been a lot of action for spring team sports at Manchester Essex Regional High School, with updates this week on Varsity Baseball, Boys Tennis, and Boys Varsity Lacrosse. Let's get into …
Obituaries
Joan Toomey Snow
Joan Toomey Snow, 92, passed away peacefully in her home of over 65 years surrounded by her loving family on Monday, May 12 th .  She was the daughter of the late John W. Toomey and Margaret …
Patricia H. Fenton
Patricia H. Fenton of Manchester-by-the-Sea passed away peacefully surrounded by her family, at the age of 88. Born in Albany, Georgia, Pat made Manchester-by-the-Sea her beloved home for over …
Christopher “Kit” Weld
Christopher “Kit” Weld, Jr., 68, of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Hamilton, and Boston, passed away in Boston, surrounded by his family, on April 23, 2025 due to complications from …
Philip G. Levendusky, PhD, ABPP - RETIRED
Dr. Philip George Levendusky
Dr. Philip George Levendusky passed away peacefully on April 17, 2025, after a courageous battle with Frontotemporal Dementia & Alzheimer’s Disease. Philip was born on October 21, …
Mary Elizabeth Anderson
Mary Elizabeth “Bette” Anderson, 83, beloved wife of Warren A. Anderson, passed away peacefully on April 7, 2025 after a brief illness. Born in Beverly on September 15, 1941, Bette was the daughter of the late David R. and Mary C. (Beaton) Singleton …
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Around the web
Preventing Shingles: A Local Pharmacist on the Importance of Getting Vaccinated
(BPT) - When individuals reach age 50, their risk of developing shingles increases, making it more important than ever to understand this painful condition and how to help prevent. …
AI plus HI (human intelligence) equals improved outcomes. It’s not just technology for its own sake.
Real Educational Advantages of Artificial Intelligence
by Nick Gaehde (NAPSI)—Artificial Intelligence (AI) has arrived in the classroom, and it’s here to stay. Surprising as it may seem to some parents and teachers, that’s good news. AI can …
The most popular junk food by state
Hims presents a regional guide to the junk food people in your state crave the most.
Put Your Best Face Forward: 5 tips for better virtual business
(Family Features) Working professionals across a wide range of industries spend more time than ever on video chats and virtual meetings.
Rescuers need to know ASAP where they're needed in disasters.
AI can scan vast numbers of social media posts during disasters to guide first responders
Natural disasters prompt a flood of social media posts. AI can help sift the wheat of helpful information from the chaff of chitchat and misinformation.