News

News

Mattapoisett Woman’s Club to offer scholarships

MATTAPOISETT — The Mattapoisett Woman’s Club will offer two $2,000.00 scholarship awards to Mattapoisett residents who are high school seniors graduating in June 2021. In addition, there will be a $1,000.00 scholarship granted to a Mattapoisett...

Mattapoisett issues tax rate correction

MATTAPOISETT — The Town of Mattapoisett’s Fiscal Year 2021 Actual Tax Rate is incorrectly shown on the current mailing of the Real Estate and Personal Property Tax Bills due to an inadvertent printing error. While the FY21 Actual Tax Rate is...

Marion Police Chief ready for new role

MARION — There’s a new Police Chief in town, and his Name in Richard Nighelli. Police Chief Richard Nighelli was sworn in at a private ceremony on Jan. 7, following former Police Chief John Garcia’s retirement in December. Nighelli started his...

Former Marion Priest accused of sexual abuse

MARION — A former Marion priest was named in a list of clergy members accused of sexual abuse in a Jan. 7 press release from the Fall River Diocese. Father Justin Quinn — whom the diocese listed among those credibly accused of sexual abuse — was...

Mattapoisett sees record cases as Marion returns to red

After a brief decline in covid cases in The Tri-Town, Mattapoisett has hit a new high as numbers in all three towns are on the rise. Jumping from 22 covid cases to 38, Marion shifted back to red in the state’s color-coded risk-designation system...

Marion crash leaves two hospitalized

MARION — Two people were hospitalized following a crash on Jan. 7 on Pleasant Street in which a sedan struck a pedestrian and broke through a small stone fence. One person was sent to Rhode Island Hospital and the other was sent to Tobey Hospital in...

Old Rochester district reaches 100 covid cases

The Old Rochester Regional School District announced has reached 100 total cases of covid since its Sept. 16 reopening. The district announced its 99th through 105th cases in press releases on Jan. 6. The new cases were found in Sippican School, Old...

Marion Selectmen confirm new police chief

MARION — Richard Nighelli took over as police chief on Jan. 1, but Selectmen ratified his position at a Jan. 4 meeting. Nighelli said former Police Chief John Garcia, who retired on Dec. 11, was instrumental in preparing him to move up the ranks. “I...

Five new cases reported in Old Rochester district

Five new cases in the old Rochester Regional High School, Junior High and Old Hammondtown School were reported in a Jan. 4 press release by the Old Rochester Regional School District. Three cases were found at the high school, with one each at the...

Marion Selectmen ponder new bylaw

MARION — Selectmen discussed a proposed bylaw which would place a time frame on the expenditure of funds granted at Town Meeting. Community Preservation Committee Chair Jeff Doubrava proposed the bylaw, which would allow the town to reclaim unused...

Dozens of active covid cases in Marion, Board of Health hears

MARION — There are currently 36 active coronavirus cases among residents in the town, according to Public Health Nurse Lori Desmarais, who updated the Board of Health on the numbers at a Jan. 5 meeting. “Those are people in the community that we are...

Shellfishing sites open in Mattapoisett

MATTAPOISETT — Two new areas have been conditionally opened by the Town of Mattapoisett for shellfishing. Shining Tides and the Cove East of the Town Landing opened Jan. 1 at sunrise for shellfishing. The sites will close on April 1.

The year ahead: Tri-Town officials weigh in

Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester officials all have one thing on their minds going into 2021: Covid. Officials from all three towns cited the ongoing pandemic as a major factor affecting 2021 operations. But as the vaccine begins to be...

Marion to vaccinate first responders

MARION — Tri-Town firefighters, police and emergency medical personnel will be able to receive the vaccine in Marion starting next week. Town Administrator Jay McGrail announced at a Jan. 5 Selectmen’s meeting that Marion has been approved as a...

‘Heartening’ improvements at condemned Marion home

MARION — At a Jan. 5 Board of Health meeting, Health Agent David Flaherty called the improvements at a condemned property “heartening” after touring the 464 Front Street home, which is now up for sale. The house, known for being the site of years of...

Cumberland Farms closed once more due to covid

MARION — The Cumberland Farms at the intersection of Route 6 and Front Street is temporarily closed for the second time this year after an employee tested positive for covid. The store was closed at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 5 to be cleaned and sanitized by...

Snowy owl sighting in Mattapoisett

The holiday season is over, but the snowy owl season has just begun. Snowy owl sightings are a yearly occurance in the Tri-Town, and Mattapoisett Resident Chris Porter was lucky enough to find one taking a rest on his shed, before it flew away...

Get a summer job with the Marion Rec Department

MARION – Marion Recreation is now accepting applications for Summer 2021 positions. Applications are available on the department website at www.marionma.gov/recreation . Applications for the positions of lifeguard, Summer Program counselors, gate...

Three trees to be taken down in Mattapoisett

MATTAPOISETT — Three trees will be taken down around Mattapoisett, despite preservation concerns from members of the Mattapoisett Planning Board. At a Jan. 4 meeting, the planning board decided that an ash tree at 9 Ship Street will be removed due...

Community covid cases lower as school numbers climb

While cases reported in state data continue to decline in the Tri-Town, cases related to the Old Rochester Regional School District have sharply increased in the last week. Marion ended a seven-week streak as a high-risk red community this week, as...

Serendipity by the Sea closes after 13 years

After 13 years running the shop Serendipity by the Sea in downtown Marion, Cecily Balboni is ready to take a break from the responsibility that comes with owning a business. Despite being ready to step back, Balboni said the decision to close the...

Sippican Lands trust to offer reservations at Osprey Marsh

MARION — The Sippican Lands trust is offering specific reservation slots for visitors to its Osprey Marsh Accessible Boardwalk who are high risk or otherwise unable to safely distance. Visitors needing a one-hour time slot can set up at an...

A month of owls with the Sippican Lands Trust

MARION — The Sippican Lands Trust is taking an interest in owls this month, with a story walk and an “owl prowl” on the trust’s properties throughout January. The lands trust is hosting a story walk through Jan. 31 featuring “Owl Moon'' by Jane...

Bundle up for winter walks with the Sippican Lands Trust

MARION — The Sippican Lands Trust will be hosting a series of winter walks on the last weekend of each month throughout 202. Join the trust in January at White Eagle Property off of Parlowtown road in Marion. Sign up to learn about the hiking...

Nine new covid cases announced in Old Rochester district

The Old Rochester Regional School District reported nine covid cases on Jan. 3, the most reported at one time since the beginning of the pandemic. Of the cases, four are from Rochester Memorial School, three are from Old Hammondtown School and two...

Marion to offer Christmas tree collection

The Town of Marion will offer curbside Christmas tree collection through Jan. 11. All trees to be collected must be left at the curbside by the final collection date. Please be sure not to block any rubbish & recycling containers. Trees left in...

Mattapoisett to offer Christmas tree pickup

MATTAPOISETT — The town will offer Christmas tree pickup beginning Jan. 4, and will run through Jan. 15. Trees should be left out at the curb by 7 a.m. on the day of regularly scheduled trash pickups. Trees will also be accepted at the Tinkham Hill...

Marion business to receive $75,000 in covid aid

MARION — Accel Materials, Inc. will receive $75,000 in funding from a $1.2 million round of covid aid for businesses announced by State Senator Marc Pacheco in a Dec. 31 press release. Information on the grant initiative found on the commonwealth’s...

Old Rochester Regional School district reaches 75 cases

Five new covid cases were reported at the Old Rochester Regional School District in press releases on Dec. 30, bringing the district tally to 75. Three cases from ORRHS, one from Old Hammondtown School and one from Rochester Memorial School were...

Here’s what happened to Mattapoisett’s bikeshare program

MATTAPOISETT — With a mile of bike path already constructed and more on the way , Mattapoisett seems like the perfect town for a bikeshare program. But when bikeshare company Veoride tried to bring bikes to the town, they were gone just as quick as...

Tabor Academy picks new head of school

MARION — Ending a search that began in August, Tabor Academy has found a new head of school. The school announced on Dec. 30 that Anthony Jaccaci will take over as head of school on July 1, 2021. Jaccaci is currently Head of School at Cincinnati...

Rochester Selectmen approve Council on Aging sunroom

ROCHESTER — A new sunroom is on its way to the Council on aging, but plans for a solar canopy at the council were shot down by Selectmen at a Dec. 30 Meeting. Selectmen scrapped a proposal from Board Clerk Woody Hartley for a solar canopy at the...

Mattapoisett transfer station temporarily closed for covid-19

MATTAPOISETT — The town’s Board of Health has closed the town’s transfer station until further notice due to covid-19 concerns. Sippican Week reached out for comment to the Mattapoisett Board of Health, but received no further details on the...

Covid cases reported at ORRHS, Junior High

MATTAPOISETT — The Old Rochester Regional School District announced two new covid cases at the Old Rochester Regional High School and Junior High on Dec. 29. Contact tracing for the cases is ongoing. Close contacts will be notified by their...

Rochester Historical Society asks for 2020 memories

ROCHESTER — As 2020 wraps up, the Rochester Historical Society is once again asking for people tell about some aspect of this decidedly unusual year. It could be a picture, a cartoon, a paragraph, a few sentences or a story that sums up or tells...

Here’s how towns trace the spread of covid

As covid cases remain well in the double digits in Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester, public health officials have to keep track of not just who has covid — but who may have been exposed as well. And when cases have spiked in all three towns since...

New covid case reported at Center School

MATTAPOISETT — The Old Rochester Regional School District announced a new covid case at Center School on Dec. 27. Contact tracing for the cases is ongoing. Close contacts will be notified by their respective Boards of Health and are expected to...

Cases lower in all three towns in Christmas Eve covid data

Despite cases lowering in all three towns for the first time since October, Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester all remained designated as high-risk in the state’s Christmas Eve covid data. Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, cases were in the teens...

Marion Transfer Station at Benson Brook Road opening delayed

MARION — The opening of the Benson Brook Transfer Station in Marion will be delayed until mid-January, the town announced in a Dec. 23 press release. Officials said converting the transfer station operation from Carver-Marion-Wareham Regional Refuse...

Five new cases announced in ORR district

The Old Rochester Regional School District announced five new covid cases between ORRHS, the Junior High, Center School and Rochester Memorial School on Dec. 22. Two of the cases came from ORRHS, and one each came from the Junior High, Center School...

It’s lit! Residents show off Christmas light displays

“Haul out the holly, Put up the tree before my spirit falls again” as Johnny Mathis sings. It’s the Christmas season, and residents from all three towns deck the halls, windows, lawns, porches and garages with lights and inflatables. Above all the...

Road in Rochester to get name change

ROCHESTER — Changing the name of a road is an unconventional anniversary gift. But for Thomas Cullen and his wife, it’s been a long time coming. Selectmen approved the changing of Duhamel Drive to Patty’s way at a Dec. 21 meeting. “It’s just a...

Here’s how you can watch Christmas services in the Tri-Town

Those who haven’t secured spots in Christmas services at churches in Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester can still worship virtually. Many of the churches in the Tri-Town are either holding live virtual services or uploading their traditional...

Churches bring Birth of Christ online for Christmas

Silent night, holy night. Church will be a bit quieter on Christmas this year, as fewer people will be permitted inside places of worship on one of the largest days of celebration in the Christian faith. But residents of Marion, Mattapoisett and...

Rochester Senior Center to close until January 11

ROCHESTER — The town’s senior center will close at noon on Dec. 24 and remain closed until Monday, January 11. The center remains closed to the public, but is staffed and able to arrange van rides, food distribution, lending of medical equipment and...

Next stop for Santa: The streets of Mattapoisett

MATTAPOISETT — He checked all the lists of the kids in Rochester , and now he’s checking them twice in Mattapoisett. With the help of the town’s Fire Department, Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and the elves rode through the streets of Mattapoisett on...

Applications open for Mattapoisett Lions Club scholarships

MATTAPOISETT — The Mattapoisett Lions Club is giving two $ 2,500 scholarships to this year to a graduating high school senior or home-schooled student in the Tri-Town. To qualify for the Peter Hodges Memorial Scholarship, a graduating student or...

Learn about matter with the Mattapoisett Free Public Library

MATTAPOISETT — The Mattapoisett Free Public Library’s STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) Projects To Go for January will explore matter — anything that has mass and takes up space (or has volume). The project will be to fish for...

Brownie troop makes blankets over Zoom

Brownie Girl Scout Troop 67047 spent their last Friday night Zoom meeting of the year on Dec. 18 working on blanket that will be donated to help animals recovering from surgery. The girls cut and wove together no-sew blankets that will be donated to...

Rochester reaches 56 active covid cases

Rochester has surpassed 50 ongoing cases of covid, according to state data. Covid data released weekly by the state show Rochester’s case count increasing from 37 to 56, Marion’s count increasing from 39 to 43, and Mattapoisett’s cases increasing...

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