News

Marion sets property tax rates for fiscal year 2022

MARION — The owners of a $500,000 single-family home will pay $5,425 in property taxes in fiscal year 2022, a decrease of almost $250 from the fiscal year 2021 bill, according to Marion tax documents. The proposed single tax rate for FY 2022 is $10...

St. Gabriel’s Church counts down to Christmas with Advent wreaths

MARION — ‘Tis the season. Congregants of St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in Marion got together after services last Sunday, Nov. 28 to make Advent wreaths to celebrate the run up to Christmas. An advent wreath is a circle of greenery with 4 candles...

The history of the Rochester Historical Society’s hallowed home

As New England eases into winter and Christmas quickly approaches, Connie Eschbach of the Rochester Historical Society dug into the history of the former church that has become the home of the Historical Society museum and the secrets that have...

Rochester COA celebrates bingo’s birthday with December games

Bingo’s birthday month is in December, so come and play a game or two this month at the Rochester Senior Center to celebrate. Bingo is played three times per week at the senior center. Bingo is every Monday at 1 pm, every Wednesday at 12:30 pm and...

The Marion COA has lots to do in December

MARION — From a festival of trees to a holiday stroll, the Marion Council on Aging has lots of events to keep you busy through the holiday season. Festival of Trees On display through Dec. 10. Organizations, businesses, community...

Rochester Lions Club to host holiday decorating contest

ROCHESTER — Shine some lights in Rochester this holiday season. The Rochester Lions Club is having a holiday decorating contest this year and invites Rochester residents to participate. Put up your best lights and decorations display on your house...

St. Gabriel’s Church of Marion to hold Advent events

MARION — As the Christmas season approaches, St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church of Marion has a full slate of Advent events to keep you in the holiday spirit. Every Wednesday during Advent, the church will hold a 6 pm rooted service in church and a 7 pm...

Marion Garden Group to host holiday boutique

MARION — The Marion Garden Group will host its annual Holiday Boutique on Saturday, Dec. 11 at the Marion Music Hall. From seasonally designed window boxes, urns and planters around the Village to wreathes, greens, garlands, topiaries and ornaments...

Mattapoisett Museum announces December events

There are a number of events scheduled this December at the Mattapoisett Museum. On Friday, Dec. 3, at 6 p.m., the Sounds of Silents series will continue. Southcoast Lessons students and teachers will accompany holiday-themed silent shorts. This...

Jim Robitaille Trio to bring live music back to Marion Art Center

Live music returns to The Marion Art Center in the Anne Braitmayer Webb Theater on Friday, Dec. 10 with The Jim Robitaille Trio “Space Cycles’’ album release concert at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 for center members and $20 for nonmembers. The Jim...

Toys for Tots collection at ORR Dec. 10

The Old Rochester Regional High School Learning Club is hosting a Toys for Tots drive from 7 to 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 10. The club is asking for donations of new, unwrapped toys for local children. For more information, contact karenbrowning@...

Mattapoisett Woman’s Club to host world affairs discussion series

MATTAPOISETT — The Mattapoisett Woman's Club will once again offer Great Decisions, a community outreach program produced through the publication of the Foreign Policy Association. Great Decisions is a global citizen discussion group designed to...

Mass DOT to replace defective Mattapoisett bike path bridge panels

MATTAPOISETT — Better late than never. The long-awaited Mattapoisett bike path is moving slowly towards completion but looks to still be at least a year away, according to town officials. The delay comes after the project suffered another setback...

Covid cases spike again in Tri-Town

New covid cases spiked again in the Tri-Town in the week leading up to Nov. 25 tying an early-October spike for the highest weekly case count since January. And recent waves have come despite extremely high vaccination rates in the Tri-Town, where...

Mattapoisett chooses new building inspector

MATTAPOISETT — The Mattapoisett Select Board voted at a Nov. 23 meeting to enter contract negotiations with James Marot for the position of town building inspector following interviews with three candidates at the meeting. Marot, who currently works...

Hovan bench trial set for Dec. 20

A Dec. 20 bench trial has been set for Keith Hovan, the president and CEO of Southcoast Health, on assault and battery charges. Hovan attended the proceedings, which were held at Wareham District Court, via Zoom. The CEO waived his right to a trial...

Fire station to open with ribbon cutting

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held for the new Mattapoisett fire station at 62 County Road at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 11. Tours will be given following the ceremony. Light refreshments will be served. Donations of unwrapped toys will be...

Activities for all ages planned at Taber Library

MARION _ A series of events is planned at Elizabeth Taber Library. Weekly drop-in kids’ activities will be held in the children’s room at the library. All events are drop-in and unsupervised. Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to noon: Fun and Games. Everyone wins...

Mattapoisett sets next year’s tax rates

MATTAPOISETT — The owners of the average single-family home will pay $7,207.96 in property taxes in fiscal year 2022, an increase of nearly four percent over the fiscal year 2021 bill, town assessor Kathleen Costello told the select board at their...

Early ‘thanksgivings’ differed from today's Thanksgiving

As Thanksgiving approaches, it does seem that talk about food increases daily, so I thought it might be a good time to see what the early residents of Rochester were eating. Near the beginning of his memoirs, Abraham Holmes, born in 1754, describes...

Mattapoisett Library hosts varied events in December

Mattapoisett Free Public Library offers programs for all ages in December. At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1, the local author spotlight features Derek DeCosta, author of “The Moonlight King,” an autobiographical account of DeCosta’s harrowing...

Holiday wreaths and greens sale scheduled Dec. 3

MATTAPOISETT _ The Mattapoisett Woman’s Club members are working on their designs for the second annual holiday wreath and greens sale, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4 in the parking lot between Ying Dynasty and Jack’s...

Bourne voters oppose regional wastewater plan involving Wareham, Marion

Bourne residents have voted to oppose the use of an existing sewage outfall pipe at Mass Maritime Academy to discharge treated wastewater from Wareham’s treatment plant into the Cape Cod Canal. The Nov. 15 Town Meeting vote was non-binding. But the...

Rochester Historical Society hosts holiday concert

The Rochester Historical Society is hosting a holiday concert at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12 featuring music played on the society’s rare Vocalion organ. Refreshments will be available after the concert. The only admission fee is an unwrapped item for a...

Officials rock tutus for charity, holiday cheer

Town officials and business owners are adding a new bit of clothing to their dress codes this month: red tutus. Along with it being a festive fashion statement, officials are doing so to help raise money for the Friends of Jack Foundation as part of...

Firefighters climb Gillette stairs to help veterans

The Patriots were not playing at Gillette Stadium Sunday, Nov. 21, but the stands were filled with champions. Five Mattapoisett firefighters were among the participants who climbed the stadium stairs to help support housing for veterans during the...

Marion Police to host fill a cruiser event

Marion Police Brotherhood and Marion Police Department will host the annual fill a cruiser event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5 at the bus loop area of Sippican Elementary School. The public is asked to donate new, unwrapped toys for children...

Glamour for a good cause at jewelry sale

The meeting room in the Mattapoisett Free Public Library was dazzling with a mind-boggling array of rings, necklaces, and other jewelry and accessories on Saturday, Nov. 20. The sale of donated jewelry and accessories is a longstanding annual...

Sippican Lands Trust to host Post-Thanksgiving dog walk

MARION — The Sippican Lands Trust is inviting dog owners and their furry friends to its annual Post-Thanksgiving Dog Walk on Sunday, Nov. 28 at 1 pm at the White Eagle property (part of Aucoot Woods) in Marion. All dogs and owners are welcome. Dogs...

Rochester Women’s Club to sell holiday wreaths for scholarship fund

ROCHESTER — The Rochester Women's Club Christmas wreath scholarship fundraiser is back. On Saturday, Dec. 4 and Sunday, Dec. 5, The Rochester Women's Club will be selling their hand decorated holiday wreaths from 10 am to 2 pm at the club house,...

University officials celebrate more than a decade of UMass law with renovated atrium

DARTMOUTH — A newly renovated atrium dedicated to two women who made significant contributions to the creation of UMass Law was unveiled Nov. 16 as part of the celebration of the tenth year anniversary of the school. The lobby was dedicated to...

Mattapoisett Congregational Church to celebrate Advent

The Mattapoisett Congregational Church is inviting the community to several special events to kick off the Advent season, beginning with a beautiful “Hanging of the Greens” service on Sunday, Nov. 28, at 10 a.m. Members will present symbols of...

New covid cases level off but remain above summer levels

New covid cases have leveled off from an early October spike, but remain above the late-summer average despite very high vaccination rates in much of the Tri-Town. A covid outbreak was also detected recently at Mattapoisett’s Center School leading...

‘Dirty water’ incident being addressed Nov. 18

MATTAPOISETT — Due to a repair of a pump at the water treatment plant, a “high-pressure incident occurred,” resulting in dirty water on Nov. 18 that the Mattapoisett Water Sewer Department is working to address. The department reported that fire...

Tri-Town League of Women Voters to expand, involve other South Coast towns

At a recent meeting held in Marion, the local League of Women Voters announced that its new name, League of Women Voters – South Coast, has been approved by the state-level organization. This new name reflects the intention of the organization —...

Marion roadway improvements will continue into 2022

MARION – In presenting the road repavings that have been done in 2021, Town Administrator Jay McGrail said that the roadway improvement project is going to become the 2021/2022 plan, as cold weather sets in and makes road work difficult. So far, a...

Mattapoisett adds oversight after excessive legal spending

MATTAPOISETT — The Town of Mattapoisett has burned through about 60% of its legal budget just four and a half months into the fiscal year, Town Administrator Mike Lorenco announced at a Nov. 16 Select Board meeting. The budget for Mattapoisett Town...

Covid cases, vaccination rates increase in Tri-Town

After four straight weeks of decline, covid cases were up in the Tri-Town in the week leading up to Nov. 11, according to state covid data. Among the towns, Marion had seven new cases, Mattapoisett had 15 and Rochester had 15. In total, the Tri-Town...

Cyclist injured in Mattapoisett crash released from hospital, recovering at home

MATTAPOISETT — After spending more than a week in the hospital due to injuries sustained in an Oct. 31 crash in Mattapoisett, Judi St. Hilaire, the wife of Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan and a former Olympic runner, returned home Nov. 8. St. Hilaire,...

Sippican Land Trust seeks donations

MARION — Sippican Land Trust is seeking donations this fall to continue its ongoing work — leading programs for people of all ages, protecting local land, and hosting events like the annual Oyster Fest. Already in 2021, Sippican Land Trust has...

Rochester Select Board raises concerns about emergency notification system

ROCHESTER — The town has turned to its reverse 911 calling system many times, including during the recent E. coli outbreak, but the Select Board is concerned that some town residents may not be getting these crucial messages. Though the town’s water...

Rochester Library Director announces retirement

ROCHESTER — After 15 years of serving as the Director Joseph H. Plumb Memorial Library, Gail Roberts plans to retire on June 30, 2022. Roberts sent the news to the Select Board in a letter, and also appeared at their Nov. 15 meeting to answer any...

Holiday gifts available at Rochester Historical Society Museum store

The holidays are coming, and the Rochester Historical Society is selling “Rochester-themed” items for anyone interested. Items like small boxes, books, tic tac toes, t-shirts and sweatshirts would “make great gifts,” according to the historical...

Upcoming Mattapoisett Museum events

MATTAPOISETT — The Mattapoisett Museum, located at 5 Church St., has a few events on the agenda for the end of this month. On Friday, Nov. 19, Southcoast Lessons and the Mattapoisett Museum will host this month’s regular open mic night. People of...

Mattapoisett trail ride benefits Toys for Tots

MATTAPOISETT — Dirt bike riders from around New England came to Mattapoisett on Sunday, Nov. 14 to participate in a trail ride benefiting Toys for Tots. Over 100 riders attended the event, which was hosted by Southeastern Massachusetts riding group...

Mattapoisett Lands Trust teaches stone wall building

MATTAPOISETT — Stone walls for all! The Mattapoisett Land Trust hosted a stone wall building workshop on Sunday morning, Nov. 14. About twenty people turned out for the lesson and to try their hand at fitting stones together to make a neat and...

WWII diaries and a smoking monkey highlight Marion Antique Auctions’ fall sale

MARION — Scrimshaw from a famous engraver, ornate Swiss music boxes, and a paper mache monkey that can smoke a cigarette were just some of the more than 500 items sold when Marion Antique Auctions held its Fall Auction on Saturday, Nov. 13. The sale...

Mattapoisett to host Moderna vaccine clinic on Nov. 16

MATTAPOISETT — The Mattapoisett Public Health Nursing Services will hold a Moderna vaccination clinic at their Center School office on Tuesday, Nov. 16 from noon to 3 pm. Attendees will need to register before arriving at the clinic. A link to the...

Mattapoisett Woman’s Club to host ‘All Hands All Hearts’ speaker

The Mattapoisett Woman’s Club will meet at 11 am on Nov. 18 at the Mattapoisett Congregational Church in Reynard Hall. The speaker for the meeting will be Rachel Deery representing “All Hands and Hearts”, a local organization of volunteers that...

Friends of the Mattapoisett Bike Path ask for donations on Giving Tuesday

The Friends of the Mattapoisett Bicycle and Recreational Path, Inc. are requesting that interested members of the community consider a donation to the Friends in their Giving Tuesday and year end giving plans. “Given the funds recently approved by...

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