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Little Ellie Orr, right, a second grader at Manchester Memorial Elementary School, with her teacher, Susan Gould, this year’s recipient of the Diamond Hornet as part of the Spaulding Education Trust’s recognition program for public school education heroes.

Golden Hornets Recognize Outstanding MERSD Educators

More than 150 teachers, coaches, and staff members in the Manchester Essex Regional School District received Golden Hornet Awards last week, part of an annual fundraising campaign by the Spaulding …

New Cargo Building Designs, Downtown Planning Gets Serious, Residential Development Apps in Essex

The Manchester Planning Board got a lot of residential action in its “visioning forum” this week, all prompted by the threat that downtown may lose a prominent retail space.   And …

ME Tennis, Boys Lax Teams Reach Tourney’s Final Four

Call it the Final Four or call it the semi-finals, the naming convention is less important than the gravity of actually reaching this point in postseason play. Both the girls and boys tennis …

Local Boards and Committees Need Volunteers

The Town relies heavily on a large contingent of volunteers to help run the community.   Over 200 volunteers serve on a wide range of boards and committees from the Affordable Housing Trust to …

Manchester Firefighters to Hold Annual Memorial Service

The Manchester Fireman’s Relief Association held its annual memorial service and meeting at 9 a.m.   Sunday, June 8, at the Firefighters’ Memorial Lot on Rosedale Avenue, across from …
The swells hit Magnolia shores in a late summer storm back in 2017.  This week, MBTS Harbormaster Bion Pike urged local boaters to finalize their plans as hurricane season opened on June 1.
Manchester Harbormaster Issues Storm Readiness Reminder Ahead of Hurricane Season
With hurricane season officially underway as of June 1, Manchester Harbormaster Bion Pike this week urged local boaters to finalize storm plans and take proactive steps to safeguard vessels in the …
Next Planning Focus: The Village
To plagiarize Danial Webster who is said to have told the Supreme Court in a famous case involving my Alma Mater: “It is, Sir, . . . a small college (insert village). And yet, there are those who …
Charlie Thurlow charges the net against the East Bridgewater Vikings during MIAA D4 Round of 32.  The Hornets prevailed 17-4..
Different Methods, Similar Results for ME Lax Teams in Tourney
While the end result was essentially the same, both Manchester Essex lacrosse teams found different ways to earn decisive wins in the first round of the MIAA Div. 4 Tournament this past …
Lifestyle

Two Garden Tours Showcase Cape Ann’s Blooming Talent

For lovers of horticulture, design, and New England charm, early summer here on Cape Ann is bringing a double treat. Over the next two weekends, two of the region’s most popular garden tours—one …

Fiesta Season Opens with MARITIME 2025 at Fish City Studios

Fish City Studios is launching its second annual MARITIME exhibition, a bold, immersive celebration of Gloucester’s coastal identity through the lens of outsider and experimental art. The …

Revolution on the Coast

On the morning of June 17, 1775, smoke curled above the hills of Charlestown.   Red-coated British regulars stood in ranks across the Charles River, on what is now Boston’s North End …
The Perfect Storm, 2000.

Scene Stealer

It’s hard to believe, but this year marks 25 years since the release of The Perfect Storm —the Oscar-nominated film based on Sebastian Junger’s bestselling account of the 1991 …

Art in the Barn Returns to Essex to Support Land Conservation

That beloved local tradition is back. Art in the Barn, Essex County Greenbelt’s annual juried art sale and fundraiser, returns Friday and Saturday, June 13–14, at the Cox Reservation in …
Home and Garden
AT HOME NOW

Painting Your Home: Life – In Color

When I was little, there was always a big to-do with my sister and me around our “Sunday shoes.” Each year we got a new pair around Easter.   They were usually MaryJane’s and …

Composting isn’t just good for the soil, it’s good for the soul. It feels good to keep food waste out of landfills and turn it into nutrient-rich soil that can nurture future …
Pets and People

CBD Use in Dogs and Cats

There is probably some confusion about the difference between “CBD” and “THC” … To simplify the difference, THC is commonly called marijuana and is usually used …

Books

Manchester Library Notes | June 13

Manchester teens enjoyed some beautiful henna designs and ice cream on the last half day of the school year and signed up for summer reading.

This week at the library there is Dungeons and Dragons for adults and children, library book donation drive, creating a tech-healthy family 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
IN THE HORNETS NEST
Courtesy Photo MERSD AD Cameron Molinare

Measured Progress: Despite State Final Loss to Ham/Wen, ME Girls Tennis Makes Its Mark

he Manchester Essex girls tennis team spent more than half a season attempting to find its groove. Once the team did, that groove brought them all the way to the state title match against one of the …

Positive Signs From ME Boys Lax in Coach’s First Season

As far as first years go, you could hardly do worse than Wesley Chittick did during his inaugural season as head coach for the Manchester Essex boys lacrosse team. The Hornets went 17-5 in total …

Different Methods, Similar Results for ME Lax Teams in Tourney

Charlie Thurlow charges the net against the East Bridgewater Vikings during MIAA D4 Round of 32.  The Hornets prevailed 17-4..
While the end result was essentially the same, both Manchester Essex lacrosse teams found different ways to earn decisive wins in the first round of the MIAA Div. 4 Tournament this past …
Obituaries
Nita Michelini White
Nita Michelini White, a longtime resident of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, died on June 7th, 2025 at the age of 95 at Heron House in Cumberland, Maine.  Nita was born in Reading, …
John Everett Glovsky
John Everett Glovsky, aged 81, passed away peacefully on Friday, May 23, 2025, surrounded by family and friends.  Born to C. Henry and Natalie Glovsky in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on June 23, …
John Jay Huss
John Jay  Huss , 88, of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, and Groton Long Point, Connecticut, passed away after a brief illness on Monday, May 19th.  He is survived by his loving wife, …
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 …
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(BPT) - Macaroni and cheese is a quintessential comfort food everyone loves. It's homey, cheesy and tasty, evoking comfort like no other dish. National Mac and Cheese Day is the perfect excuse to …
On the Golf Course, You Really Have Skin in the Game
On the Golf Course, You Really Have Skin in the Game
(NewsUSA) - Mark Twain famously said that golf is a good walk spoiled. For most golfers, the sport is also fraught with a very high risk of getting skin cancer. On the course, golfers are exposed to …