Story archive by week
Every story we have published, by week, newest first. For one town or topic, use the section pages or search.
Week of Oct. 19, 2026 to Oct. 25, 2026
Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026
- Cape Ann's four towns start the Comcast cable renewal with a survey of 202 residents
- Essex signs fall warrant: Nov. 16 town meeting, Dec. 10 school vote
- Gloucester's new wayfinding signs cost $28,000 each, councilor says
- Manchester zoning board visits four sites Saturday ahead of Oct. 28 hearings, including a restroom building at Essex County Club
- Scoreboard: Gloucester volleyball and Manchester Essex field hockey win Wednesday; four soccer games Thursday
- Gale warning on the bays through Friday afternoon; cloudy, windy Thursday near 58
Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026
- Cape Ann's most dangerous roads: 2,500 crashes in Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester, and what each town is fixing
- The first Current Poll is open: which Dunkin' on Cape Ann is your favorite?
- Gloucester preservation committee hears $125,000 Saunders House request, votes to end its own term limits
- Gloucester shopping cart rules go back for rewrite, cannabis equity ordinance moves to council
- Gloucester housing project's stormwater tanks went in about 4 feet too high
- Manchester sets its Nov. 16 warrant but holds back on the $95 million school article
- Rockport has $3.1 million in preservation money waiting to be spent, and may speed up Thacher Island
- Rockport Town Hall offices will move to the annex and the old police station early next year
- Scoreboard: Gloucester field hockey, Rockport and Manchester Essex boys soccer win Tuesday; seven games Wednesday
- Thursday on Cape Ann: Gloucester budget committee reviews $270,300 in state grants, Manchester finance panel reviews debt before town meeting
- Cloudy, breezy Wednesday near 52, then a gale watch for the bays Thursday afternoon into Friday
Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026
- Rockport's $41.6 million budget, line by line
- Gloucester arts grants drop by about half: $10,175 to give this year
- Gloucester takes back unneeded medications Saturday at the Rose Baker Center, with free Narcan
- Rockport Select Board approves Christmas in Rockport dates, four public works contracts and a shared lawyer for Comcast talks
- Scoreboard: Gloucester boys soccer and volleyball and Manchester Essex boys soccer win Monday; six games Tuesday
- Sunny but windy Tuesday near 58, gusts to 33 mph: small craft advisory on the bays through Wednesday evening
- Wednesday on Cape Ann: cable committee hears survey results ahead of Comcast talks, Gloucester waste station and Sargent Street plans listed for Nov. 4
Monday, Oct. 19, 2026
- Manchester's $44.4 million budget, line by line
- Gloucester landlords who skip rental registry face court, up to $500 a day
- Rockport rule: oldest septic tight tanks need inspection every 3 years
- Rockport historical panel moves ahead on $30,000 in markers and watches a fire damaged School Street building
- Thacher Island boats carried 725 visitors this summer; Rockport panel backs predator removal to protect rare rabbits
- Saugus cancels Friday's football game, giving Gloucester a forfeit win
- Scoreboard: five varsity games Monday, six more on Tuesday's MIAA schedule
- Tuesday on Cape Ann: Manchester Essex school board takes up the Essex Elementary budget and borrowing, Gloucester weighs a higher shellfish catch limit
- Sunny Monday near 56, then a windy northeast stretch: small craft advisory on the bays from tonight to Wednesday evening
- The Weekend Current: Early voting opens in the race for state representative
Week of Oct. 12, 2026 to Oct. 18, 2026
Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026
- Fifth Essex forum: What Delisio, Frieden and Tarr said on taxes, energy, the audit and girls' sports
- Your vote for state rep: Where Delisio, Frieden and Tarr stand on taxes, energy bills, the audit and more
- Gloucester wetlands board OKs Little River pier with limits, pool, docks
- Gloucester City Council approves 6 homes on Day Court off Essex Ave
- Gloucester senior center fills 403 Medicare help slots, eyes later hours
- Gloucester boards order outside review of Sargent Street junkyard road
- Gloucester trust panel to offer Huntress Fund income for senior housing
- Rockport affordable housing trust hits $1 million, eyes tiny houses
- Scoreboard: Gloucester cheer competes at Wilmington Sunday, five varsity games Monday
- Sunny and calm Sunday near 55 for the Halloween party, stronger northeast winds on the water by Tuesday
Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026
- Cape Ann's best deal: 400,000 books, movies and more for about $62 a person
- Cape Ann Veterans Services office closed Monday through Wednesday for staff training
- In his own words: Dru Tarr, candidate for state representative
- Essex school building committee OKs $95.4M design, 10 to 0
- In her own words: Eunice Zeigler, candidate for Governor's Council
- State rep race: Where Delisio, Frieden and Tarr stand on the audit, the gun law and ICE
- Gloucester Dogtown survey: $300,000, city should pay, DPW says
- Gloucester gets $124,300 to rezone Railroad Avenue for housing
- Gloucester health board accepts Kondelin Road blasting study
- Gloucester lobstermen can't stack traps on St. Peter's Landing before Nov. 15
- Manchester backs fire engine money, delays senior center vote
- Rockport tiny house zoning: planners say state's lots are too big
- The new Sawyer Free Library: what Gloucester got for $27.5 million, and how it is changing
- Scoreboard: Gloucester field hockey wins 1 to 0 at Masconomet, Gloucester football beats Swampscott
- Cooler and windy Saturday near 49, patchy frost possible early Sunday, small craft advisory on the bays
Friday, Oct. 16, 2026
- Massachusetts spending with small and diverse businesses more than doubles to $4.5 billion. Cape Ann's share of state contracts: 0.15%
- Gloucester boys soccer edges Danvers 2 to 1
- Gloucester's last full liquor license: Rocky Neck Lobster vs. Mehfil
- Gloucester field hockey wins 1 to 0 at Masconomet, stays perfect at 13 and 0
- Gloucester schools' special ed cushion to hit record low: $348,382
- Gloucester football beats Swampscott 17 to 7
- Ten names, one schooner: remembering the Joseph F. Allen, 150 years on
- Marblehead edges Manchester Essex girls soccer 1 to 0
- Manchester Planning Board chair tells Gordon Woods developer 245 apartments is still far too big
- Monday on Cape Ann: Essex sets its Fall Town Meeting and a Dec. 10 school override vote, Manchester approves its special town meeting warrant
- Bishop Fenwick tops Rockport field hockey 7 to 0
- Scoreboard: Manchester Essex boys soccer beats Ipswich, Gloucester volleyball falls to Swampscott 3 sets to 2
- Rain and fog Friday with gusts near 33 mph, then a gale watch on the water into Saturday
Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026
- Where does Gloucester's beach money go?
- Essex preservation committee to weigh kayak racks, Centennial Grove erosion work and a rail trail design on Oct. 21
- Storm moves Gloucester's Halloween party at Stage Fort Park to Sunday, Oct. 18
- Gloucester switches its water disinfectant for the fall. Here is what you may notice at the tap
- Scoreboard: Gloucester and Manchester Essex field hockey win on the road, Gloucester boys soccer ties at Tewksbury
- Sunny, breezy and near 58 Thursday, then rain Friday and a gale watch on the water
Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026
- Heating oil costs 74% more than last fall. Here is what that means for a Cape Ann home, and where to get help
- Crosscurrents: Reuse dehumidifier water and encourage drip irrigation, a Rockport reader says
- In his own words: Dan Koh, candidate for Congress
- Essex fire officials bring their plan for a full-time chief to the Finance Committee Thursday
- Gloucester councilors' planning committee backs six homes on Day Court off Essex Avenue, with seven conditions
- Manchester's Finance Committee takes up four town meeting money articles Thursday: a fire engine, water meter debt, the Essex school and a senior center
- Halloween by the Sea: Manchester's Wobblin Goblin Parade Oct. 24, then a party and trick or treat Oct. 31
- Meetings today and Thursday: Gloucester School Committee, Manchester's town meeting money, the Essex fire plan and an Essex housing bylaw
- Scoreboard: Gloucester field hockey wins at Beverly, volleyball sweeps Winthrop, Manchester Essex boys soccer beats Lynnfield
- Morning fog, then partly sunny and near 72 Wednesday, a sunny, cooler Thursday and rain Friday
Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026
- Cape Ann's August jobless rates: Gloucester 4.1%, Rockport 4.2%, Manchester 3.3%, Essex 3%
- Gloucester opens a dumpster at the DPW for old trash carts and recycling bins, starting Wednesday
- Gloucester PreK to 8 students get out early Thursday for parent conferences, with a snack style lunch
- Midweek on Cape Ann: a portrait demonstration in Rockport, a weather talk at Sawyer Free and the Boosters carnival
- Rockport's reservoirs hold at 58% for a third week, about 7 points below last year
- Rockport Transfer Station's last Sunday of the season is Oct. 18
- Scoreboard: Gloucester field hockey at Beverly and nine more games on a busy Tuesday
- Gray with a few showers Tuesday, then sunny and near 71 Wednesday
Monday, Oct. 12, 2026
- Fifth Essex state representative candidates meet in a public forum Tuesday at Gloucester High
- Essex school building committee expects to vote Tuesday on its schematic design submittal to the state
- Before Tuesday's Gloucester Licensing Board: hearings on full liquor licenses for Mehfil on Washington Street and Rocky Neck Lobster
- Before Wednesday's Gloucester School Committee: votes on operating protocols and a new special education job description
- Before Manchester's boards meet: a hearing on 136 apartments off School Street, the Pine Street housing plan and a sign bylaw vote
- Manchester this week: dogs back on the beach Thursday, the Tuck's Point lottery and key election dates
- In his own words: Micah Quinney Jones, candidate for Congress
- Rockport boards this week: water rates for multifamily housing, a septic tight tank rule and tiny house bylaws
- Scoreboard: Manchester Essex ties Lynnfield, Rockport falls at Newburyport in Columbus Day field hockey
- Tuesday's public meetings: Gloucester City Council and Licensing Board, Essex selectmen and Finance Committee, Manchester planners
- Showers likely Tuesday after a sunny Columbus Day, then a mostly sunny Wednesday near 69
- The Weekend Current: Cape Ann's region moves to a significant drought
Week of Oct. 5, 2026 to Oct. 11, 2026
Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026
- Sunday on Cape Ann: Magtoberfest in Magnolia, the last day of the Artisans open studios and a plein air art sale
- Before Tuesday's Gloucester City Council: $256,300 in state grants for downtown and housing zoning, the election warrant and a $1 million budget fix
- Scoreboard: Rockport girls and Gloucester boys split the soccer doubleheader, Manchester Essex falls twice
- Weekly roundup: Gloucester field hockey reaches 10 and 0, football beats Salem, and Rockport and Gloucester split a soccer doubleheader
- Voter registration closes Oct. 24, and the state's guide to the nine ballot questions is online
- Mostly cloudy Sunday, then a soaking rain tonight before a drier Columbus Day
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026
- Business on Cape Ann: what our Business section offers, and a new Friday series
- Public meetings after the long weekend: Gloucester City Council, Essex selectmen, the Essex school's community meeting
- State moves Cape Ann's region to Level 2, a significant drought
- Rockport zoning board will visit Eden Road home before ruling on addition close to lot line
- Scoreboard: Gloucester football and field hockey win, Rockport ties Haverhill, Rockport visits Gloucester for soccer
- As Fire Prevention Week ends, a thank you to Cape Ann's firefighters, EMTs and police
- Sunny and cool Saturday, then rain Sunday night into Columbus Day morning
Friday, Oct. 9, 2026
- Following the money in Cape Ann's school kitchens
- Cape Ann buses are free through the end of the year. Here is how to ride.
- Essex sets out how it will choose its first full-time fire chief, aiming for Feb. 1
- Gloucester field hockey blanks Danvers 5 to 0, improves to 10 and 0
- Gloucester football beats Salem 35 to 17 on Senior Night
- Manchester's share of the new Essex school would be about $50 million after state aid, boards are told
- Rockport conservation board approves septic upgrade that moves wastewater farther from the shore
- Rockport schools fall short of several state targets, and leaders say this year is about results for students
- Rockport's water is 9 points below last year. The town's water committee wants more people to know how to save it
- Scoreboard: Salem visits Gloucester for Friday night football, Manchester Essex at Hamilton-Wenham
- Sunny and breezy Friday, cooler Saturday, showers Sunday night into Columbus Day
Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026
- Essex's $24.5 million budget, line by line
- Crosscurrents: Libraries are essential when money is tight
- Fire Prevention Week: check your alarms, charge with care and give space heaters room this winter
- Lt. Michael Gossom is Gloucester's new acting police chief
- Hurricane Isaias will not reach Cape Ann this weekend, but its leftovers may bring rain Sunday night
- Long weekend on Cape Ann: art shows, open studios, Magtoberfest and two big Rockport concerts
- No school Monday across Cape Ann, and Rockport students are off Tuesday too
- Scoreboard: Gloucester volleyball sweeps Saugus, Manchester Essex boys blank Amesbury
- Gloucester volleyball sweeps Saugus; Manchester Essex boys blank Amesbury
- Morning shower chance, then sunny and cooler into the weekend
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026
- How the $95 million Essex school compares with other new elementary schools
- Essex candy drive collecting Halloween treats through Oct. 24
- Follow the money: see every change to Gloucester's budget this year
- Magtoberfest returns to Magnolia on Sunday, Oct. 11
- Meetings today and Thursday: Rockport water and schools, Gloucester budget changes, the Essex school's next community meeting
- Scoreboard: Gloucester boys blank Winthrop, Manchester Essex field hockey wins at Amesbury
- Breezy night, near 69 Thursday with a chance of a morning shower
- Gloucester boys shut out Winthrop; Manchester Essex field hockey wins at Amesbury
- Nine court pickleball club on Whittemore Street returns to Gloucester's zoning board Thursday, with parking the big question
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026
- School lunch for everyone: how each Cape Ann town feeds 4,500 kids for free
- Essex trash pays for itself. Here is what a household pays, and how it compares
- In his own words: Gil Frieden, candidate for state representative
- Gloucester field hockey blanks Beverly 1 to 0, stays perfect at 9 and 0
- Gloucester city offices close Monday, Oct. 12, and the clerk's office pauses regular business Oct. 30 for the election
- Gloucester's trash bill jumps to $4.9 million. Here is who pays, and how it compares
- Manchester's new trash carts: who pays more, who pays less and how the neighbors compare
- Rockport's transfer station costs $804,000 a year. Here is what a household pays, and how it compares
- Scoreboard: Gloucester field hockey stays perfect, Manchester Essex sweeps Rockport in soccer
- Tonight on Cape Ann: Rockport's Select Board, Manchester Essex schools and Gloucester's arts plan session
- Manchester Essex sweeps Rockport in soccer; Hornets golf tops Georgetown
- Sunny, cool and gusty Tuesday, then warming to near 69 by Thursday
Monday, Oct. 5, 2026
- Gloucester's $179 million budget, line by line
- New: compare property taxes in Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester on one page
- Cape Ann Votes: Your guide to the Nov. 3 election is live
- Gloucester hosts a public session Tuesday on a citywide arts and culture plan
- Gloucester health panel to review blasting study for planned Kondelin Road waste transfer station
- Manchester Essex field hockey blanks Rockport 6 to 0; Gloucester volleyball sweeps KIPP Lynn
- Rockport Select Board to weigh Christmas in Rockport plans and a joint lawyer for Comcast talks Tuesday
- Scoreboard: Manchester Essex field hockey blanks Rockport, Gloucester volleyball sweeps KIPP, Marblehead tops Gloucester soccer
- Clear and breezy tonight, then a sunny, gusty, cooler Tuesday with a small craft advisory on the bay until 8 a.m.
Week of Sept. 28, 2026 to Oct. 4, 2026
Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026
- Cape Ann this week: Plein Air turns 10, an Annisquam craft show and open studios next weekend
- District attorney names Beverly man who died and Hamilton man still missing after boat accident off Manchester
- The drought eased. Why did Rockport ban outdoor watering?
- Scoreboard: Gloucester and Beverly field hockey meet Tuesday in a week of rivalry games
- Weekly roundup: Gloucester field hockey reaches 8 and 0, and football wins on homecoming night
- Topsfield Fair today: dock dogs finals, horse pulling and a lumberjack show
- Mostly sunny Sunday, showers tonight, then a breezy, milder Monday
- Woodman family foundation passes $1 million in giving, with two fundraisers this month
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026
- This weekend on Cape Ann: dahlias, a blessing for pets, three art openings and a cake swap
- Crosscurrents: At Good Harbor, more dogs and fewer gulls
- Expect cannon fire and Coast Guard flares over Gloucester Harbor today: Community Safety Day on Harbor Loop
- Gloucester's Fiona Black and Mia Rodolosi top the area field hockey scoring list, with Hornets close behind
- Gloucester's senior center board to discuss rebranding the Rose Baker Center, and trust fund panel weighs old bequests
- Manchester Essex School Committee to hear elementary school plans and the FY27 outlook Tuesday
- Unbeaten Gloucester field hockey ranks ninth in Division 3 in the MIAA's latest power rankings
- Our new police log: what's in it, where it comes from and what we're learning
- Scoreboard: Gloucester football wins its homecoming game, 28 to 7, and Amesbury beats Manchester Essex
- Sunny and cool on Cape Ann this weekend, with showers possible Sunday night
Friday, Oct. 2, 2026
- Grown by volunteers, loved by Gloucester: the Boulevard's dahlias go home with you Saturday
- Essex downtown forum: parking, a market and more to do top residents' wish list
- Essex selectmen to take up a full time fire chief job description and a search for a town accountant
- Gloucester adopts Housing Compass, a five year road map for housing
- Mosley-Wynn, Gloucester host Winthrop on homecoming night
- Gloucester beats Winthrop 28 to 7 on homecoming night
- License plate readers and Cape Ann: the crime numbers, the unions, the money and the questions to ask
- Winless Manchester Essex hosts Amesbury, the team behind its only league loss last fall
- Amesbury beats Manchester Essex 46 to 8
- Manchester boards meet Monday to shape the special town meeting and hear from the school building committee
- More ospreys than ever north of Boston, and Gloucester's camera pair raised two more chicks
- Scoreboard: Gloucester field hockey stays unbeaten at 8 and 0, plus Thursday's results and Friday football
- Warm Friday with a chance of evening showers, then a crisp, sunny weekend on Cape Ann
Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026
- Gloucester carts bunched at the curb on Casella's first pickup day. Here's how to set them out
- 12 Cape Ann Artisans open their studios for 43rd fall tour Oct. 10 and 11
- Cape Ann Museum's October: a free day for residents, a Dogtown walk and a Folly Cove printing class
- College roundup: Gordon, Endicott and Salem State
- Essex school committee wanted to see possible cuts before setting a budget
- Gloucester field hockey beats Danvers 5 to 2, stays perfect before Beverly showdown
- Gloucester field hockey blanks Peabody again, heads toward a first place showdown with Beverly
- Gloucester football routs Revere 42 to 7, turns to Winthrop
- Casella takes over Gloucester trash pickup Thursday as purple bags end
- Gloucester volleyball outlasts Triton in five sets, then sweeps Georgetown
- Two new wellness businesses open on Manchester's Beach Street
- Manchester Essex boys soccer wins 4 to 0 at Hamilton-Wenham ahead of Newburyport test
- Manchester Essex boys soccer holds unbeaten Newburyport to a 0 to 0 tie
- Manchester Essex boys hold unbeaten Newburyport to a 0 to 0 tie; girls fall 7 to 0 to the Clippers
- Manchester's flu clinic for adults 18 and older is Oct. 7
- Gloucester planners take up Sargent Street subdivision Thursday as council panels weigh police grants
- What's for lunch in October: every Cape Ann school menu, side by side
- Rockport boys soccer rallies from two goals down to beat Georgetown
- Rockport Harvest Fest is Oct. 17, and apple pie bake-off entries are open
- Rockport planners start drafting rules for tiny houses
- Rocky Neck Art Colony sets Halloween fundraiser at 51 Rocky Neck Oct. 24
- Scoreboard: Gloucester boys soccer edges Saugus; Hornets football still seeking first win
- Manchester Essex field hockey posts another shutout; Rockport ties North Reading
- Gloucester volleyball swept at Swampscott; Rockport boys soccer falls 1 to 0 at North Reading
- Warm start to October, then a sunny, cooler weekend on Cape Ann
Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026
- Gloucester council rejects fire lanes on both sides of Rackliffe Street
- Ipswich River Craft opens its new Essex studio with a ribbon cutting Thursday
- Essex school project nears $95 million as fall town meeting takes shape
- Essex fire department told to find $50,000 before town hires full-time chief
- Essex looks for residents to review how the town is governed
- Essex, Manchester and school district revive joint talks on sharing services
- Manchester leaders warn voters have not heard the tax bill for the Essex school project
- Essex backs grant bids for causeway flooding and Chebacco Lake
- Under new state rules, Gloucester board OKs Magnolia house neighbors called too big
- Gloucester football ranks third in first Division 5 power rankings
- Gloucester asks residents what a citywide arts plan should do
- Gloucester trims first-week early voting hours, protects two historic homes
- Gloucester sets early voting hours for the Nov. 3 election
- New no-parking zones near Gorton's and overnight truck ban on Washington Square
- Gloucester zoning board denies Angle Street decks, approves Flume Road home, YMCA signs and a large ADU
- Gloucester Republican wins Governor's Council ballot spot as a write-in
- Manchester firefighters host their chili cook-off Oct. 9
- Manchester board member asks what happens if a cyberattack gets through
- Manchester sends housing plan to the state, hears smaller Pine Street apartment plan
- Manchester lifts its outdoor watering ban as drought eases to Level 1
- Cape Ann mostly spared as nor'easter brings 61 mph gust and needed rain
- Rockport Music's October calendar: Ruthie Foster, Neko Case and Cheyenne Jackson
- Ten days after Rockport fire, no official word on the Broadway building or displaced families
- School calendar: committee meetings, an Oct. 7 half day and an Essex Elementary forum
- Gloucester field hockey stays perfect as Hornets and Vikings set up a week of rematches
- This week on Cape Ann: plein air painters, a storm-delayed symphony opener and a Dogtown dog walk
- Cape Ann water rules: Rockport bans outdoor use, Gloucester limits it, Manchester lifts its ban