In the tri-town, 2019 was a year to remember. From larceny cases, and dangerous mosquitoes to sports victories, and 6-year-old entrepreneurs, here’s a look back at some of the year’s most compelling articles.

Towns face staffing changes, work on a lagoon and fire station.

Mattapoisett faced the impending retirement or resignation of two key officials. In February, Town Administrator Michael Gagne set his retirement date for Oct. 15, but the town is still working with a consultant to find his replacement. This fall, Selectman Tyler Macallister resigned from his board, hoping to replace Gagne.

With a state deadline restore a wastewater lagoon looming at the end of the year, Marion got word in February that the lowest bid for the project had come in $2 million higher than they anticipated, leaving the town scrambling for money. 

An ORR hockey player used a racial slur against a black Wareham player at a game in February. The act sparked protests in both Wareham and ORR, and led black students to speak out on their experiences in school.

Legal troubles with Ray Pickles, the former Marion town clerk and director of the Carver Marion Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District, started in 2018 when the district fired him and started a civil lawsuit against him. 

In March, he was indicted by the state. Neither trial has concluded, but Selectmen asked Pickles to resign in April, and in September he did, citing failing health. 

Town officials named the Mattapoisett Fire Station as a priority for the year. In May, funding for it passed at Town Meeting, and plans are approved with conditions. Fire Chief Andrew Murray is busy picking out countertops, doorknobs and more, and hopes to break ground in spring 2020. 

Retirements abounded.

Former Marion Town Administrator Paul Dawson announced in 2018 that he would retire this year. He had hoped to leave in mid March, but it was May before new Town Administrator Jay McGrail started.

Old Rochester Regional Superintendent Doug White announced in June that he will retire in June 2020, sparking a search for his replacement. White and the school committee hope to find a Superintendent by February.

After approval from three Town Meetings, the school committee, and elections in Marion and Mattapoisett, a $2 million renovation project at Old Rochester Regional High School was shot down by a special election in Rochester on July 10.

The project would have built a new turf field, resurfaced the track, and bought new auditorium lights and sound system wiring, but also would have raised taxes slightly.

Weather and nature were hazards. 

2019 saw one of the worst outbreaks of EEE in recent memory. A Rochester man was the first person to contact the virus in the state since 2013. The mosquito-carried virus is rare, but potentially fatal. The tri-town adapted by closing parks and beaches at dusk. Restrictions took effect in August, and lasted until  November.

A windstorm blew through the tri-town on the night of Oct. 16 and into the next morning, causing damage to boats, trees, and telephone poles along the way.

Several boats sank in the Sippican Harbor, including one with an estimated 100 gallons of fuel, although no spills were reported. A sailboat named “Fearless” also took some serious damage after floating adrift and colliding with another vessel.

First responders in the tri-town also received numerous calls for fallen tree limbs, power outages, and more due to the storm.

In December 2019, word of an animal cruelty case broke in Marion. 65-year-old Lauren Fisher faces 2 counts of animal cruelty and interfering with police investigations or arrest. 51 of her animals were confiscated, and she will appear in court in January. 

Tournament victories, new sports teams. 

Rochester’s Brooklyn Bindas started the year off strong by winning the New England January Doubles Championship. 

Marion-raised Hannah MacDougall made it to Nationals with her elite hockey team in March. 

Old Rochester Regional High School started a new unified track and basketball team this year, allowing athletes with special needs to compete alongside their peers. 

Three season athlete Meg Hughes made it to Nationals for the 400 meter hurdles in June. She placed 23rd with a time of 62.64 seconds. She also competed on a relay team with Lea Bourgeois, Adam Sylvia, and Anthony Childs, where her team placed 29th and beat their qualifying time by finishing in 3:44.97. 

The 2019 high school football season saw a rivalry between Old Rochester and Apponequet. The Lakers handed ORR their lone regular season loss in week two. On Nov. 2, ORR avenged their loss, with  a playoff victory. The Bulldogs broke the tie at their Thanksgiving game. 

Both teams played aggressively, but ORR scored a 28-17 win. 

Girls from Old Rochester also showed off their football skills. In the annual Powderpuff flag football game against Wareham, ORR dominated with a 40-0 victory led by the blinding speed of Meg Hughes and Grace Greany.

Old Rochester Regional won the Boston Globe’s Dalton Award for the third time. The school also won Dalton awards in 2015 and 2018. 

Interesting kids caught our eye... 

In February, Rochester’s 8-year-old Chloe Harding, passed away from acute lymphatic leukemia.The town rallied around her family, a Pan Mass Challenge Kids Ride was held in her honor, and in December one of her friends, Braydon Dion, held a toy drive for hospitalized children in her honor. 

At just six-years-old, Rochester entrepreneur Atticus Sherry started Atticus’ and Nixon’s College Fund Egg Co. With help from his parents and 3-year-old brother Nixon, Atticus cares for ducks and chickens. After cleaning the eggs, he sells them in an egg hut his grandfather built.

Superintendent-Director of Old Colony High School Aaron Polansky teamed up with graphic design student Rin Rezendes to create “Beyond Us,” an illustrated book that encourages inclusion, diversity, and passion.

...And interesting adults! 

Mattapoisett’s own Alissar and Michael Langworthy led a group of “pirate scientists” to the arctic circle to study plastic-eating bacteria.

The 46-day expedition sought to find a natural solution to an industrial problem.

Researchers dove into the water to collect plastic bottles from various ports to study how certain bacteria were able to eat away at the harmful materials, in hopes that one day, bacteria could be used to remove plastic from the oceans.

In February, Rochester entrepreneur Jim Carberry was getting ready to open The Robin’s Nest again, while also juggling another problem: his brother had left him 10,800 shark jaws when he passed away. Jim had to decide what to do with them. 

Two young women from Marion also had interesting stories.

Isabella Horstmann is a senior at the University of Miami and spends much of her time on the ocean, tagging sharks and collecting scientific data.

For her senior thesis project, Horstmann has been collecting blood plasma, and muscle tissue samples to learn about the diets of the sharks she studies. This information gives her valuable insight on where the sharks have been, which can contribute to conservation policies in the future.

Track and cross-country standout Julia O’Rourke graduated from Bowdoin College in May. Now she is in South Korea, teaching English to high school students as part of a Fulbright Fellowship.

While in Korea, the college athlete rediscovered her love of running, when she started training again for fun, and “accidentally” winning a half-marathon in the city of Suncheon.

Although she didn’t train as seriously as before, and didn’t realize it when she crossed the finish line, her time of 1:30:36.71 was enough to win first place in the women’s division and qualify for the New York Marathon.