News

Revisiting 2024 in the Tri-Town

With 2025 in sight, Tri-Town community leaders and residents can look back on an eventful year of triumphs, losses, opportunities and new directions in a collection of memorable occasions that made 2024 unique. The year began with Tri-Town Select...

Pine Meadow Alpaca Farm delights visitors with sparkling Holiday Extravaganza

MATTAPOISETT — Pine Meadow Farm held its first ever “holiday extravaganza” on weekends during December. The extravaganza featured more than 20,000 lights in addition to blowups, hot chocolate, animals to feed, snow and other attractions, according...
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Alleged open meeting law violation filed against Rochester Parks Commission

ROCHESTER — In the midst of a saga surrounding renovations to Gifford Park Playground, the Rochester Parks Commission, in charge of signing off on the project, is now facing allegations it violated Open Meeting Law. On Nov. 21, Charles Morgan filed...

With biggest cookie she had ever made, Marion baker wins Food Network show

MARION — For about eight months, Debi Lindsey-Morrison had to keep her experience competing on a Food Network baking competition a total secret. Yet there was, in fact, one clue as to what Lindsey-Morrison, a Marion resident, had accomplished on the...

Mattapoisett places moratorium on public meeting space in town buildings

MATTAPOISETT — The town of Mattapoisett placed a moratorium on the use of public meeting space in town buildings Tuesday, Dec. 17. The moratorium, issued by the Mattapoisett Select Board, comes after the town has faced some complaints, issues and...

Computer servers, radio equipment among items approved for ARPA funding in Mattapoisett

MATTAPOISETT — The Mattapoisett Select Board approved spending more than $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds across five different items Tuesday, Dec. 17. The funding, $208,365 in total, will be used for expenses and to purchase equipment for...

Marion awarded $150K for harbor management plan

MARION — A $150,000 infusion of state funding will enable Marion to create a management plan for the town’s harbor. With the grant funds, announced Dec. 10 by Gov. Maura Healey’s administration, Marion will hire a consultant to assist in designing a...

Rochester Town Planner hired in Lakeville

LAKEVILLE — Rochester Town Planner Nancy Durfee will be leaving to take the same role in Lakeville. Durfee, who currently serves as the Rochester Town Planner, was selected by Lakeville Select Board members to fill the town planner position at their...

Rochester Special Town Meeting to include short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units

ROCHESTER — Residents will be asked to approve bylaws regarding short-term rentals and accessory dwelling units at Rochester’s Jan. 27, 2025 Special Town Meeting. Other votes will include deciding the method for selecting the town clerk and...

Buoy tree lighting at YMCA is ‘magical evening’

MATTAPOISETT — On a cold night in late fall, more than 100 people gathered on the beach at the Mattapoisett YMCA for a buoy Christmas tree lighting Thursday, Dec. 12. The event is a fundraiser for the Mattapoisett YMCA’s annual campaign, at which a...

Santa and co. disembark at Shipyard Park

MATTAPOISETT — A caravan of Mattapoisett Fire Department vehicles drove through the town village — lights on, horns blaring. The convoy turned into the wharf, where Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and...

Old Mattapoisett fire station finds new life

MATTAPOISETT — After years of being a base of public safety, Mattapoisett’s old fire station at 26 County Road will soon serve a different purpose. The property was purchased earlier this year by Sakonnet Properties, a real estate development...

Taber Library to relocate during renovations

MARION — A renovation project to make the Elizabeth Taber Library more accessible and improve the building’s spaces will temporarily relocate the library in early 2025. The project aims to make the center of the library compliant with the Americans...

Former Select Board member chosen to fill Department of Public Works director role

MARION — A familiar face has been chosen by the Marion Select Board to assume the role of director of the town’s Department of Public Works. Jody Dickerson, current supervisor of the Marion DPW’s highway division and former select board member in...

Plymouth County presents two large checks to Rochester Select Board

ROCHESTER — The Rochester Select Board was met at its Monday, Dec. 2 meeting by Plymouth County Treasurer Tom O’Brien, State Sen. Michael Rodrigues and two large checks, in both size and value. On behalf of Plymouth County, O’Brien presented the two...

First phase of Mattapoisett historical survey completed

MATTAPOISETT — The Mattapoisett Historical Commission announced that the first phase of a community-wide survey of the town’s historical and cultural resources has been completed. The survey identified buildings and structures that are historically...

Grand re-opening of Mattapoisett Bogs attracts crowd

MATTAPOISETT — The Mattapoisett Bogs are a place Town Administrator Mike Lorenco considers “very personal” as he grew up close by and learned how to ice skate on the bogs’ frozen surface during cold winters, which started his passion for the game of...

Road by Rochester Town Hall to be examined

ROCHESTER — A case of improper parking has prompted Rochester to take a closer look at the street directly in front of town hall. Vehicles were found parked on and adjacent to a patch of brickwork recently built around the Revolutionary War monument...

Mattapoisett Bogs reopen

MATTAPOISETT — The property west of Acushnet Road had been used to cultivate cranberries for about eight decades when the nonprofit Buzzards Bay Coalition acquired it in 2011. The Mattapoisett Bogs, as they’re known, were retired at that time from...

Mattapoisett’s compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act evaluated

MATTAPOISETT — A town commission has been tasked with assessing and prioritizing a list of compliance issues with the Americans with Disabilities Act throughout Mattapoisett based on a report conducted by a design services nonprofit. Representatives...

Old Rochester girls cross country to compete at state championship

DEVENS — After snagging seventh place at the Division 2 Cross Country Championships, the Old Rochester Regional High School girls varsity cross country team will progress to the next stage of competition. Both the girls and boys varsity teams...

‘Always remain strong’ retired Navy captain tells Marion on Veterans Day

MARION — World War I, which concluded in 1918, was once called “the war to end all wars.” “If that was true, many of us wouldn’t be here in uniform at this time,” Navy Captain William Hollman said Monday during Marion’s Veterans Day ceremony. “There...

Alleged open meeting law violation against Marion Select Board

MARION — The Marion Select Board has been accused of violating open meeting law by communicating opinions on the Point Road bike path outside of a public meeting. On Oct. 21, Marion Open Space Acquisition Commission Chair John Rockwell filed a...

Dooner defeats Pacheco in state senate race

Republican candidate Kelly Dooner has defeated Democrat Joe Pacheco in the race for the seat of state senator in the 3rd Bristol and Plymouth District. Marion voters preferred Pacheco, casting 1,881 votes for him. Dooner received 1,318 votes in...

Tri-Town favors Harris amid record number for voter turnout

With a record-high number of ballots cast collectively across Mattapoisett, Marion and Rochester for the Tuesday, Nov. 5 presidential election, Tri-Town voters favored Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump. Harris received...

Dem. Sylvia wins 10th Bristol district seat

For the first time in over three decades, the Tri-Town and other communities in the 10th Bristol district will have a new state representative on Beacon Hill, and the seat will remain blue, based on the results of the general election Tuesday, Nov...

Tri-Towns share opinions on five ballot questions

Along with voting for the next president of the United States and much more Tuesday, Nov. 5, Tri-Town voters also marked yes or no on five statewide ballot questions on their election day ballot. Although there were disagreements between the three...

Mattapoisett favors Harris, Sylvia

MATTAPOISETT — Mattapoisett favored Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Harris received 2,698 votes, 56%, in Mattapoisett. Trump received 2,064 votes, 42%. Mattapoisett favored Democrat...

Marion favors Harris, Sylvia

MARION — Residents of Marion cast a total of 2,168 votes for Democrat Kamala Harris in the presidential election. Republican Donald Trump received 1,294 votes. Marion favored Democrat Mark Sylvia over Republican Joe Pires in the race for state...

Rochester favors Trump, Pires

ROCHESTER — Unofficially, Republican Donald Trump received 2,213 votes in Rochester compared to Democrat Kamala Harris’ 1,650 votes. In the state representative race, Republican Joe Pires received 2,358 votes from Rochester residents. Democrat Mark...

Rochester residents to vote on bylaw changes at Town Meeting

ROCHESTER — Residents will be asked to approve bylaws regarding short-term rentals and accessory dwelling units at Rochester’s Jan. 27, 2025 Special Town Meeting. Other votes will include potentially making the town clerk an appointed position and...

Winners announced for pet costume contest by Marion Animal Hospital

MARION — While Mattapoisett held its annual costume competition on Halloween, a similar contest was held throughout October in Marion. Except this one was for furry friends. The Marion Animal Hospital held a photo contest for pets in costumes...

Reported fire at Nasketucket Bay State Reservation was false alarm, fire department says

MATTAPOISETT — A brush fire reported Saturday, Nov. 2 at Nasketucket Bay State Reservation turned out to be a false alarm, the Mattapoisett Fire Department said. That evening, the department dispatched three fire engines and a forestry truck to...

A headless doctor, a clown and a box of Wheaties: Mattapoisett holds Halloween parade, costume contest

MATTAPOISETT — As darkness fell upon Mattapoisett on Thursday, Oct. 31, a costumed crowd ambled through the town village to the beat of a drum and the sounds of sirens. Led by a flashing police ATV and a drummer, the town’s annual Halloween parade...

Rochester Parks Commission signs playground project contract

ROCHESTER — A room filled with dozens of Rochester residents raised concerns with a project that will upgrade Gifford Park’s playground after the parks commission signed a contract which put the project in motion on Wednesday, Oct. 30. On Monday,...

A disembodied door and more flock to Marion for Halloween

MARION — Chucky, the killer doll, sat with a vampire on a stone wall along Marion’s main drag Thursday, Oct. 31. The unlikely pair, 7-year-old Clayton and his grandmother Sue Bender, were waiting. The Marion Art Center’s annual Halloween parade had...

Pump station to be made more ‘resilient’

MARION — The Silvershell Pump Station, an unassuming single-story beige building, sits in sight of Silvershell Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. It may seem like an idyllic location to manage wastewater. That seaside location in fact poses peril to the...

State funds given to upgrade Marion Town House

MARION — An influx of funds from the state is coming to Marion in order to upgrade the town’s central building for local government and administration. The $206,000 in grant money, announced Thursday, Oct. 24, will be used to bring the Marion Town...

What to know for Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5

Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5 is fast approaching as voters nationwide will elect a new president. In the Tri-Town, voters will additionally mark choices for senator, selecting between incumbent Democrat Elizabeth Warren or Republican challenger...

Revolutionary War veteran honored in Rochester

ROCHESTER — Connie Eshbach, vice president of the Rochester Historical Society, once heard that Rochester sent more residents to fight in the American Revolution than any other town of its size. One of those residents, Thomas Bassett, was honored...

Bikes with lights illuminate night

MATTAPOISETT — A light show on wheels took off from Mattapoisett Village, approached the Fairhaven border and turned back around Friday. Oct. 25. Bright bicycles illuminated the Mattapoisett Rail Trail during a “neon night” bike ride held by the...

Thrift shop to open in Rochester church

ROCHESTER — Thanks to inspiration from a sister church, an experienced member and hard-working volunteers, a conference room in St. Rose of Lima Church has been turned into a thrift shop set to open to the public on Saturday, Oct. 26. A grand...

Mark Sylvia and Joe Pires face off for state legislature

Voters in the 10th Bristol district will elect a new state representative for the first time in more than 30 years after Rep. Bill Straus, a Democrat, announced earlier this year he would not seek re-election. Vying for the seat held by Straus for...

Shared-use path project needs an engineer, officials, residents say

MARION — A project to construct a bike path along Point Road needs an engineer in order to progress properly, Marion officials and residents said Wednesday, Oct. 16. Prompted by a memo dated Aug. 30 from Marion Select Board chair Norm Hills...

Marion slows down on plans for new electric vehicle chargers

MARION — Marion officials decided Wednesday, Oct. 16 to hold off for the time being on moving forward with plans to install fast chargers for electric vehicles throughout town. Plans presented to the Marion Select Board by Inovis Energy, an energy-...

Legislators long for days of unity between political parties

LAKEVILLE — Education, immigration, how food servers are paid, and the current state of American politics were all on the menu at the Cranberry Country Chamber of Commerce’s Oct. 17 fall Legislative Luncheon. Retiring state Sen. Marc Pacheco and...

Rochester Select Board accepts non-profit’s $45,000 donation for playground equipment

ROCHESTER — After fielding a number of questions raised by the community, the Rochester Select Board voted to accept a $45,000 donation from Tri-Town for Protecting Children towards replacing playground equipment at Gifford Park on Monday, Oct. 21...

Rochester searching for 2 community members for new opioid task force

ROCHESTER — The Rochester Select Board is in search of two community members to serve on the newly formed town Opioid Settlement Fund Allocation Committee. The committee was formed on Monday, Oct. 21 and will feature five members. Town Administrator...

Historic lighthouse hosts Halloween

MATTAPOISETT — Two pirates stood on guard behind a treasure chest Saturday, Oct. 19 inside Ned’s Point Lighthouse. Candy filled the chest at the base of the staircase that leads to the top of the historic lighthouse, which hosted a Halloween event...

Many mushrooms found during woodlands walk

ROCHESTER — Adam Korejwa took a bite of the mushroom that had been dug out of the ground just minutes earlier and promptly spit it back out. The bolete mushroom wasn’t so bitter, Korejwa said, a sign that it might be edible — but also possibly not...

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