News

News

Rochester working to bring vaccines to residents

ROCHESTER — The town is in the early stages of preparing to administer the covid vaccine to residents, Selectmen announced at a Feb. 1 meeting. Board Chair Paul Ciaburri said that in a meeting between the town and the state, initial setup for the...

It’s electric: Planning Board talks charging stations for Tabor Student Center parking lot

MARION — The Planning Board is looking toward an electric future in talks over a new student center at Tabor Academy. The board suggested at a Feb. 1 meeting that Field Engineering — a firm aiding in the design of a 22,750 square foot student center...

Marion to begin vaccinating older residents

MARION — The town will receive 100 vaccinations to use as part of round two of the state’s phased vaccination plan, and will hold a clinic for residents 85 and older on Feb. 5. The town said in a Jan. 30 press release that it is prioritizing...

Mattapoisett kid wins signed Bruins jersey for reading

MATTAPOISETT — For one local kid, reading is more than just fun. Eight-year-old Mattapoisett resident Finn Poulos took home a jersey signed by the Boston Bruins after he was chosen among a select group of youths to receive Bruins prizes for their...

Marion tightens water regulations

MARION — After a Main Street home was allowed to hook up a separate irrigation meter — exposing a flaw in Marion’s water regulations — the Marion Water and Sewer Commissioners tightened the rules at a Jan. 28 meeting. The flaw also brought to light...

Covid case decline continues, data show

Covid cases in the Tri-Town are on the decline for the second week in a row, according to state weekly data. Last week, cases declined in all three towns for the first time since mid-December. Despite the decline, Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester...

Sludge estimates at Marion wastewater lagoon continue to climb

MARION — The amount of sludge at the bottom of one of Marion’s Wastewater Treatment Plant lagoons is now estimated to be over 1,000 tons and counting — topping previous estimates which put the figure between 850 and 1,000 tons. Department of Public...

Benson Brook Transfer Station opens

MARION — The Benson Brook Transfer Station opened on Jan. 27, after months of preparation. The station is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for Marion and Rochester residents only. Residents o wish to use the station must also have...

ArtStart returns for 2021

MARION — ArtStart will return to the Marion Art Center in 2021. ArtStart is the MAC's summer art program for ages 4-and-a-half to 9, offered in late June through July. ArtStart teachers are specialists in music, dance, theater, and art, most of whom...

Intertown sewer system could reduce pollution

A proposed regional sewer and wastewater treatment solution, in which Wareham’s sewer plant would treat waste from Bourne, Wareham, Plymouth, Marion and Mass Maritime Academy before releasing cleaned, treated water at an outfall pipe owned by Mass...

Tensions grow over Transportation Improvement Plan

MATTAPOISETT— Tempers were high at a Jan. 26 Board of Selectmen as board members were concerned that consultants are dragging their feet in completing the design for a major road reconstruction project. The project — part of MassDOT’s Transportation...

208-unit housing development approved

ROCHESTER — After nearly two years of meetings, talks and approvals, the 208-unit Rochester Crossroads apartment complex is ready to begin construction. “I appreciate everyone working together on this,” Planning Board Chair Johnson Arnold Johnson...

Harbor payments due Feb. 1

MATTAPOISETT — Harbor customers who provided an email address for permits have been sent invoices via email. All other notices were sent through regular mail. The due date for all harbor payments is Feb. 1. Although access to Town Hall is limited at...

BrewFish closes temporarily, cites covid restrictions

MARION — After the Board of Health noticed a surplus of cars in the parking lot at Brew Fish Bar and Eatery on Spring Street, the restaurant posted on Facebook that it would be closing temporarily due to the state’s capacity restrictions on...

Tri-Town businesses receive covid aid

MARION — The Atlantic Bistro, Brew Fish and Equestrian Element are among the businesses to receive a grant In a third round of funding dispersed to businesses through the Covid-19 Small Business Grant Program. The grants, which ranged from $10,000...

A month of mystery at the Elizabeth Taber Library

MARION — January is mystery month at the Elizabeth Taber Library, and there are thrills, twists and turns lined up for local readers. Patrons can request a “mystery bag” by calling the library at 508-748-1252. The bag contains three surprise titles...

Life during wartime: Sippican Historical Society hosts talk on WWI fashion

MARION — A big misconception about early 1900s women’s fashion that has always bothered Abigail Field, a UMass Dartmouth history graduate and Marion Antiques employee, is that corsets were uncomfortable and had boning inside of them. Even in the...

Tri-Town sees decline in new covid cases

Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester all recorded fewer new covid cases this week, amid a surge in the Tri-town following the Christmas and New Years holidays. Marion reported 42 new cases this week, down from 46 reported in state data on Jan. 14...

Rochester approves K-2 in-person return

ROCHESTER — Following in the footsteps of Mattapoisett and Marion elementary schools, expanded in-person school is on its way for Rochester Memorial School. After postponing discussion on an in-person return for Rochester Memorial School’s youngest...

School going smoothly despite pandemic, officials say

Despite having the highest total number of covid cases in the district, the Old Rochester Regional High School has begun to allow sports and other after school activities. And district officials say the current partial in-person learning model is...

Board of Health suspects restauraunt is operating over capacity

MARION — The Board of health will look into the Brew Fish Bar and Eatery after officials noticed that there were a surplus of cars in the restaurant’s parking lot. Board Chair Ed Hoffer said at a Jan. 20 meeting that the number cars of cars in the...

Demolition order lifted at condemned house

MARION — After conditions improved significantly at a condemned house at 464 Front Street, the Board of Health lifted its demolition order on the property at a Jan. 20 meeting. The house is owned by Lauren Fisher, who was recently given five years...

The story of Rochester’s first phone system

The writer of this piece, Connie Eshbach, is the vice president of the Rochester Historical Society. This is part of a series of Rochester history pieces. Today, many of the younger generations know phones to be an essential item to carry...

Benson Brook Transfer Station to open Jan. 27

MARION — The Marion Transfer Station at Benson Brook Road is scheduled to open on Wednesday, January 27, 2021 at 8:00am. The hours of operation beginning next week are Wednesdays and Saturdays 8:00am to 3:00pm. For instructions on how to obtain a...

Marion gets ready to pivot to in-person learning

MARION — The Marion School committee voted unanimously on Jan. 19 to begin preparing for a pivot to in-person learning for Kindergarten, first and second graders. Similar to the Mattapoisett and Rochester School Committees, the Marion School...

Marion mulls over Hiller Street changes

MARION — The Board of Selectmen approved a plan to add ‘no parking’ signs and pavement markings to Hiller Street in order to protect driveways and ease traffic flow. Public Works Director David Willett presented the plan to the board at a Jan. 19...

Marion Selectmen talk vaccine distribution

MARION — Following Marion’s vaccine clinic for Tri-Town and Wareham first responders, the Selectmen discussed preparations for potential future large-scale clinics at a Jan. 19 meeting. “I think we’re going to have to think about what role we’ll...

Marion looks to change aquaculture regulations

MARION — Following the $10,500 cleanup of a shellfishing site in November, the town is looking to change its aquaculture regulations. The Marion Marine Resources Commission discussed what the new regulations could look like at a Jan. 18 meeting...

Mattapoisett Library awards program for kids to be held virtually

MATTAPOISETT — For the safety of children and families, the Mattapoisett Free Public Library’s Annual Quahog Award Program for children in third through sixth grade will be virtual this year. Beginning Jan. 26, teachers, students and parents can...

Students participate in state music festival

Two Old Rochester Regional High School students performed at the South Eastern Massachusetts Music Educators Association (SEMMEA) Districts Virtual Music Festival on January 8 and 9. Mason Tucker, a senior, and Eddie Gonet IV, a junior, were...

Survey of Marion historical houses begins

MARION — Claire Dempsey and Jennifer Doherty have been selected as historic preservation consultants for the continuation of the Focused Historic Survey of Marion’s Portuguese and Cape Verdean Communities, according to a press release from the...

Cases reach new highs in all three towns

Continuing a surge that began last week, Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester each recorded their highest 14-day covid case count since the beginning of the pandemic. Cases soared in each of the three towns, according to state data released on Jan. 14...

Get crafty with the Mattapoisett Library

MATTAPOISETT — With help from the Mattapoisett Free Public Library, you might realize you’re more creative than you think. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, learn how to use yarn to wrap wire that is shaped into the word “LOVE.” Log in to...

Renovator-in-Chief: Museum hosts talk on Kennedy’s White House project

Everyone loves a good makeover — especially if it involves an iconic building. Nearly 60 residents and friends showed up to a virtual talk from the Mattapoisett Museum on Jan. 14 about Jacqueline Kennedy’s renovation of the White House during her...

Marion woman receives 5-year probation, pet ban in animal abuse case

MARION — More than a year after she was charged with animal cruelty, interfering with a police officer and resisting arrest, Marion resident Lauren Fisher left the Wareham District Court on Jan. 14 with a five-year probation and congruent ban on...

Tri-Town first responders vaccinated at Marion clinic

MARION — Hundreds of first responders have received the first round of the covid vaccine, thanks to a clinic at the Benjamin D. Cushing Community Center. The drive-through clinic, held on Jan. 13 and 14 and similar to an October flu vaccine clinic...

School district reports 14 new cases

The Old Rochester Regional School District reported 14 new covid cases between Jan. 12 and 13, bringing the district case total to 132 since its reopening in September. The cases were found in Old Rochester Regional High School, Rochester Memorial...

Marion crash proves fatal

MARION —The Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office confirmed on Jan. 13 that one man died and another man was hospitalized following a Jan. 7 crash on Pleasant Street. Scott Erdman, 74, of Marion struck a pedestrian and broke through a small...

Mattapoisett amends covid sick leave policy

As the covid pandemic approaches its 10th month, Selectmen approved the amending of the town’s Covid-era sick-leave policy at a Jan. 12 meeting. Under the federal CARES Act, employers were required to give 14 days of paid sick leave for any workers...

Selectmen get tough on River Road trucks

MATTAPOISETT — Expect to see some updated signage around the Arch Bridge on River Road. Noting an abundance of large trucks crossing the historic bridge, the Mattapoisett Selectmen decided at a Jan. 12 meeting to find a way to alert those drivers...

Rochester Planning Board inches toward Cranberry Highway development approval

ROCHESTER — Approval for a 208-unit mixed housing and commercial development at 22 Cranberry Highway will have to wait a few more weeks. The Rochester Planning Board went over some changes to a proposal that would allow construction to begin at the...

Rochester solar project draws concern from neighbors

ROCHESTER — A proposed 3.9 megawatt solar project on Cushman Road drew concerns from the potential project site’s neighbors at a Jan. 12 Planning Board meeting. The project would have to utilize an access way that cuts through multiple Rochester...

Selectmen discuss bike path amenities

MATTAPOISETT — With the Rail Trail bike path getting closer to its opening, the town is looking to finalize what extra additions to place around it. According to Friends of the Bike Path treasurer Renee Pothier, the group has an excess of funds from...

From the Files of the Rochester Historical Society: Spirits at Hartley's Mill Pond

The writer of this piece, Connie Eshbach, is the vice president of the Rochester Historical Society. This is part of a series of Rochester history briefs. There is an old English tradition called the " Burning of the Green.” On the eve of...

Millions in funding approved for Tri-Town transportation projects

A $16.5 billion transportation bond bill was passed in the state legislature, and the Tri-Town will reap some of the benefits. The final legislation authorized Mass Department of Transportation to expend funds on a number of local Tri-Town projects...

Community Preservation Act funding applications open

Applications for Community Preservation Act funding are now available in the Town Clerk’s office at the Marion Town House located at 2 Spring Street. The Community Preservation Act is a Massachusetts Law that allows participating cities and towns to...

Full steam ahead for Mattapoisett K-2 full in-person plan

MATTAPOISETT — Despite comments from parents concerned about a return to in-person school , the Mattapoisett School Committee unanimously decided at a Jan. 11 meeting to move ahead with a plan to bring kindergarten, first and second grade students...

Belle’s Boutique and Isabelle’s gift shop to share one storefront

MATTAPOISETT — Two local shops will soon see a new location in town. Later this month, Belle’s Boutique and Isabelle’s gift shop will combine into a single location half a mile up the road at Windswept Villages. According to owner Jessica Kelly, the...

Mattapoisett Transfer Station to reopen

MATTAPOISETT — The Mattapoisett Transfer Station will be open starting Tuesday, Jan. 12. it will return to its regular Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Schedule from 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Borrow books remotely at the Mattapoisett Library

MATTAPOISETT — The Mattapoisett Library staff have been working diligently to ensure the library is ready for when it is time to reopen its doors to browsing, Until then, the library will offer access to titles in other ways. Starting now, patrons...

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