Sign in Subscribe

Dave Watkins

Boxford Publishes Sample Ballots Ahead of Sept. 1 State Primary

Boxford posted sample ballots for the Sept. 1 state primary and opened its fiscal 2027 budget and capital plan for public review this week. The Town Clerk's office is recruiting poll workers for the fall election, while the town continues moving through the North Shore Regional 911 disp…

Salem Planning Board Approves Pickleball Facility With Quiet-Paddle Noise Conditions

SALEM — July 14, 2026 — Salem, N.H. Planning Board approves indoor-outdoor pickleball facility after months of sound disputes. The board voted 5-1-1 Tuesday to grant a conditional use permit and site plan approval to PR Sports Hooks at LLC for a facility with six indoor and six

Town Posts Details on September State Primary Election

Boxford's Town Clerk posted details on the State Primary Election set for September 1, 2026, as officials seek residents to serve as poll workers. The town also flagged that its FY27 Proposed Budget and Capital Plan remains open for public review, and real estate tax bills are due. At t…

Crabtree Issues High Heat Advisory for Saugus

Saugus Town Manager Scott Crabtree warns residents of dangerous heat as summer advisories stack up. Crabtree issued a high heat advisory for Saugus on Tuesday, the latest in a string of weather warnings that also included a recent air quality alert. Separately, the town said design work…

Salem School Committee Picks Boston Administrator to Lead District

Salem's School Committee moved this week to hire Thomas Welch, a Boston Public Schools associate superintendent, as its next district leader. The city also launched a water-main overhaul July 13, replacing nine critical valves in its distribution system, and is selling tickets to a July…

Court Ruling Preserves Public Access To Rockport's Andrews Point

Court ruling secures Rockport's Andrews Point shoreline for public access, closing a long-running coastal dispute. WCVB reported the decision this week under the headline "Court ruling preserves 135-year tradition of public access to craggy coastline," describing it as protecting more t…

Peabody Enacts Mandatory Outdoor Water Restrictions Under Drought Declaration

Peabody activates mandatory outdoor water restrictions and a mayoral heat warning as the state's drought crisis deepens. The Bettencourt administration confirmed the state's critical drought declaration triggered the new restrictions this week, and Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt Jr. also r…

Beauregard Files Plan to End City Furloughs, Add School Funding

Mayor Beauregard moves to end unpaid city furloughs and boost school funding for fiscal 2027. The mayor filed legislation this week aimed at eliminating furloughs for city employees while increasing investment in public education, though officials have not detailed the funding mechanism…

State Budget Sends $175,000 to Lynnfield Projects, Boosts Local Aid

Lynnfield lands $175,000 in the new state budget as the library grapples with staffing cuts. The Fiscal Year 2027 state budget includes $175,000 for Lynnfield projects plus an increase in Chapter 70 and unrestricted local aid, per the office of state House Minority Leader Brad Jones. Se…

MBTA Bus Service Set To Return To Danvers This Fall

MBTA bus service is set to return to Danvers for the first time in six years this fall. Danvers Patch reports that the Route 465 line will resume operating through the town center, restoring a connection many commuters lost when the service was discontinued years ago. Town officials hav…

All Essex County towns we cover · Every Massachusetts town on the Townbrief network.