Lt. Michael Gossom became Gloucester's acting interim police chief on Tuesday, the mayor's office announced. He will serve until further notice.

The statement did not say what happens to Michael Williams, who had led the department as acting chief since March, or why the change was made.

The Cape Ann Current will update this story as the city releases more details.

How we got here

Chief Ed Conley retired early this year after seven years as Gloucester's chief and more than 30 years in law enforcement. On March 2, Mayor Paul Lundberg named Williams, then assistant chief, acting chief while the city searched for a permanent one.

Williams joined the Gloucester department in 1996 and served as acting deputy chief from July 2025 to February 2026, according to a department announcement reported by The Local News.

City ordinance requires a screening committee to review candidates for chief, according to the mayor's March 2 announcement. The mayor hired MGT Impact Solutions, a firm that runs public safety executive searches, to help that committee, and said the process would include a public meeting on the candidates. The city has not announced a permanent chief.

To see recent Gloucester police calls, go to the Cape Ann Current Police Log.

Boys soccer: Gloucester 3, Winthrop 0

Gloucester shut out Winthrop 3 to 0 at home on Wednesday, Oct. 7, according to the MIAA. Scorers were not posted.

The Fishermen host Rockport on Saturday at 6 p.m.

Girls soccer: Winthrop 4, Gloucester 0

Winthrop beat Gloucester 4 to 0 at home. The Gloucester girls host Rockport on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Field hockey: Manchester Essex 3, Amesbury 0

Manchester Essex won 3 to 0 at Amesbury. The Hornets host Sandwich on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

Field hockey: Ipswich 5, Rockport 0

Ipswich beat Rockport 5 to 0 at Ipswich. Rockport hosts Haverhill on Friday at 4 p.m.

Cross country: Manchester Essex and Amesbury split

The Manchester Essex girls beat Amesbury 19 to 38 at Ravenswood Park. The Amesbury boys beat Manchester Essex 26 to 31. In cross country, the lower score wins.

Still waiting

Rockport's golf match at Georgetown had no score posted by 8:45 p.m.

Coaches and parents can report a game with scorers and highlights.

Earlier coverage: Scoreboard: Wednesday's games and the rest of the week (Oct. 7), and Tuesday's results (Oct. 6), when Manchester Essex swept Rockport in soccer.

A Halloween candy drive is collecting candy so local children and families can enjoy a sweet and spooky Halloween.

Two ways to give

• Shop online: buy candy from the drive's Amazon wish list.
• Drop it off: buy candy at a store and bring it to 10 Pickering St. in Essex by Saturday, Oct. 24.

When the candy goes out

The organizers say they will hand out the candy on Oct. 25 and 26.

Every June, the Gloucester City Council votes on a budget. It is the city's plan for spending money for the year. But plans change. Grants come in. People give gifts to the senior center. A snowy winter costs more than anyone guessed.

When the plan changes, the City Council has to vote. Before it does, three councilors on the Budget & Finance Committee look at each request in a public meeting. They ask questions, read the paperwork and vote yes or no. The full council makes the final call.

Most people never see this part. The meetings are on weeknights. The papers can run more than 100 pages, and most are pictures of paper pages that a computer cannot search.

So we read all of them. Today we are opening Follow the money, a tracker that shows every request the committee has looked at in 2026. You can search it, sort it by kind and see where each dollar comes from and where it goes.

Why we built it

Part of our job is to help you understand how your city and town governments work. Your taxes pay for police, fire, roads, public health, the senior center and more. The Budget & Finance Committee is one of the main places where the city shows its work before money moves. When you can see that work, you can ask good questions and take part.

What is in it

The tracker covers 130 requests from 22 meeting dates since January. For each one, you can see:

• what the city asked for, and how much
• what the committee said and how it voted
• the city account the money comes from and the one it goes to, with how big that budget is
• the state law that allows it, in plain words
• links to the city's own papers, so you can check our work

We sorted every request into five groups:

• Gifts and grants (53 requests, about $2.9 million): money from the state, the federal government, people and businesses.
• Moving money the city has (19 requests, about $6.9 million): moving money from one part of the budget to another, or out of savings or last year's leftover money.
• Bills, contracts and loans (13 requests, about $6.7 million): old bills, long contracts and borrowing.
• Rules and permissions (11 requests): fees, city laws and other rules.
• Reports (24 requests): updates with no money vote.

A few things we found

The city borrowed for its waterfront and its trucks. In March, the committee voted 3 to 0 to back a $3.32 million loan to fix St. Peter's Landing and Marina. The city's planning director said a state grant of $2.6 million will help pay for it, and the city must add $720,000 of its own. In July, it backed a $2.5 million loan for school buses, trash trucks and other city vehicles. The city's chief financial officer said a loan would cost less in interest than leasing the buses.

Leftover money went into savings. Each year, the state checks the city's books and says how much money was left over. This is called free cash. In March, the committee backed putting about $3.3 million of it into savings and long term accounts, such as funds for building repairs, road paving, special education and retiree health care.

A trash strike changed the budget. In January, the committee moved about $400,000 to pay city workers' overtime during the summer 2025 strike at Republic Services, the city's trash hauler at the time. One of those overtime budgets was only $10,000. The chief financial officer said Republic agreed to cover the costs by taking money off its bills, which left extra money in the trash contract budget to move.

Snow cost more than planned. In April, the committee was told the snow and ice budget's spending limit had gone up to $6.8 million. The committee chair called it a record cost for snow removal. There was no vote. It was for information only.

What is next: Thursday, Oct. 8

The committee meets Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the first floor Council Conference Room at City Hall, 9 Dale Ave. You can also watch on Zoom. The link is on the agenda. On the list:

• gifts to the Archives ($185), Veterans Services ($2,785) and the senior center ($10,050)
• two state grants for the Police Department: $95,636.25 for 911 training and $102,983 for 911 support
• a police request to use money for its Recovery Coach Academy
• moving $10,323.57 to pay for police officers at the polls during the Sept. 1 state primary
• $12,000 for part of the city's wayfinding signs project
• a change to the city's fee rules that would remove a line requiring fee changes to be published in a local newspaper
• the city Auditor's regular report

You can see each one on the tracker now. We will add the votes once the city posts the meeting notes.

How you can take part

• Read ahead. The agenda and packet are posted before each meeting. We show what is coming up on the tracker.
• Go or watch. Meetings are open to everyone.
• Contact a councilor. The committee members are Chair Scott Memhard, Tony Gross and Patti-Ann Page. You can also write to your own ward councilor. Their emails are on the city website.
• Tell us what you see. If something in the tracker makes you curious, email news@capeanncurrent.com.

For a look at the whole $179 million budget, see our story Gloucester's $179 million budget, line by line.

Magtoberfest is back for its sixth year this Sunday, Oct. 11, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Lexington Avenue in Magnolia.

The day is a fundraiser for the Magnolia Library and Community Center.

What's there

The library's flyer lists food trucks, live music, a beer garden, a classic car show, a makers market and a kids zone.

The Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team will bring a native snake display and snakes from around the world. Its kids table will have coloring books and wooden snakes and salamanders to paint and take home.

Where it is

Magnolia is a neighborhood of Gloucester. Lexington Avenue is its main street.

Cape Ann's boards are busy this week. Here is what is on the agendas for Wednesday, Oct. 7, and Thursday, Oct. 8. Each meeting is open to the public; follow the link for the full agenda and Zoom details.

Wednesday, Oct. 7

2 p.m., Rockport Ad Hoc Water Committee (Zoom only). Members take up how to square the state's drought level with the town's, water use at Granite Pier, monitoring in the watershed districts, paved and other hard surfaces in watersheds and dye tablets that find leaking toilets. Rockport still bans all outdoor water use. Agenda. Why Rockport banned outdoor watering as the drought eased.

5 p.m., Gloucester School Committee Building & Finance Subcommittee. A report from the schools' finance chief, the state's special education reimbursement for this year, out of district tuition and transportation, a new theater and drama student activity account and last year's activity account balances. Gloucester High School library, and Zoom. Agenda.

6 p.m., Gloucester City Council Planning & Development Committee. Councilors take up a special permit for a building with four to six apartments at Day Court, continued from July, and a National Grid request for about 2 feet of underground conduit on Wheeler Street. A proposal to double the minimum lot size per home in the coastal RC-40 district, to 40,000 square feet, is set to be continued to Oct. 21. City Hall, first floor conference room, and Zoom. Agenda.

7 p.m., Rockport School Committee. The agenda includes the state's 2026 school accountability results, the schedule for releasing MCAS scores, the committee's goals for the year and a look at how last school year ended financially. The committee then goes into a closed session on teachers union negotiations and will not come back into open session. Rockport Public Library, Brenner Room, 17 School St. Agenda.

7 p.m., Essex Planning Board. Members work on new inclusionary housing language for the fall town meeting, hear an introduction to a project at 82 Eastern Ave. that will need site plan review and take up two building inspector requests on Robbins Island Road and Coral Hill. Town Hall, second floor stage room, and Zoom. Agenda.

Also Wednesday in Rockport: the Conservation Commission at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom, the Board of Fire Engineers at 6:30 p.m. at Central Station and the Millbrook Meadow Committee at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall Annex. The joint meeting of the Essex selectmen and Finance Committee set for Wednesday was cancelled.

Thursday, Oct. 8

9:30 a.m., state Drought Management Task Force. The state's last declaration, on Sept. 10, put the Northeast region, including Cape Ann, at Level 1, a mild drought.

5:30 p.m., Gloucester City Council Budget & Finance Committee. Among the items: donations for the archives, veterans services and elder services, two police grants, a $12,000 request for part of the city's wayfinding signs and a proposal to end the rule that fee changes be published in a local newspaper. City Hall, first floor conference room, and Zoom. Read our guide to the committee and search everything it handled this year.

6 to 8 p.m., Essex School Building Committee community meeting. The committee gives a design update, a schedule overview, a review of how construction would be phased around students and a budget update for the new Essex Elementary School. The Essex selectmen and Finance Committee have posted that they will attend. Essex Elementary School cafeteria, 12 Story St., and Zoom. Agenda. Read how the $95 million plan compares with other new schools.

6 p.m., Manchester Historic District Commission. Manchester Marine Corp. asks for a ruling that its plan for a new 160 by 50 foot structure at 11 and 13 Ashland Ave. does not need the commission's approval. Members also discuss a workshop on historic preservation and a demolition delay bylaw, and a proposed sign bylaw. Town Hall, Room 7, and Zoom. Agenda.

7 p.m., Gloucester Zoning Board of Appeals. The board continues its hearing on a request to turn 36 Whittemore St. into an indoor pickleball court complex, with a change of use and fewer off street parking spaces than the zoning requires. It also hears four homeowner additions and reviews its rules and fees for Chapter 40B affordable housing permits. Kyrouz Auditorium, City Hall, and Zoom. Agenda.

Also Thursday: Manchester's Board of Health at 8:30 a.m. in Town Hall, Room 7, and on Zoom, the Rockport Housing Authority at 5 p.m. at 13 Millbrook Park and the Rockport Zoning Board of Appeals at 6 p.m. on Zoom.

Earlier coverage: Meetings this week on Cape Ann (Oct. 1), the week's preview.

Wednesday's finals, Oct. 7

• Boys soccer: Gloucester 3, Winthrop 0, at Gloucester.
• Girls soccer: Winthrop 4, Gloucester 0, at Winthrop.
• Field hockey: Manchester Essex 3, Amesbury 0, at Amesbury. Ipswich 5, Rockport 0, at Ipswich.
• Cross country: Manchester Essex girls 19, Amesbury 38. Amesbury boys 26, Manchester Essex 31. The lower score wins. At Ravenswood Park.
• Golf: Rockport at Georgetown, no score posted yet.

Scores are from the MIAA. Read Wednesday's results.

Area colleges, Wednesday: Endicott women's soccer beat Western New England 2 to 1 at home, and Endicott women's tennis won 6 to 1 at Nichols, the Gulls' athletics site shows. Endicott volleyball at Gordon and Salem State's games had no final posted at press time.

Tuesday's finals, Oct. 6

• Field hockey: Gloucester 1, Beverly 0, at Gloucester. The Fishermen are 9 and 0. (Read what happened.)
• Girls soccer: Manchester Essex 6, Rockport 2, at Manchester Essex.
• Boys soccer: Manchester Essex 2, Rockport 0, at Rockport.
• Golf: Manchester Essex 156, Georgetown 107, at Essex County Club. Ipswich 142, Rockport 134, at Rockport Golf Club. Marblehead 47, Gloucester 25, at Bass Rocks Golf Club.

Scores are from the MIAA. Read Tuesday's results.

The rest of the week

• Thursday, Oct. 8: Ipswich at Rockport, boys soccer, 6 p.m. Rockport at Ipswich, girls soccer, 4 p.m. Amesbury at Manchester Essex, boys soccer, 4 p.m. Manchester Essex at Amesbury, girls soccer, 4 p.m. Amesbury at Manchester Essex, golf, 3:30 p.m. Gloucester at Swampscott, golf, 4 p.m., Tedesco Country Club. Saugus at Gloucester, volleyball, 5:45 p.m.
• Friday, Oct. 9: Salem at Gloucester, football, 7 p.m. Manchester Essex at Hamilton-Wenham, football, 6 p.m. Gloucester at Danvers, field hockey, 3:45 p.m. Haverhill at Rockport, field hockey, 4 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 10: Rockport at Gloucester, girls soccer, 4 p.m., and boys soccer, 6 p.m. Sandwich at Manchester Essex, field hockey, 12:30 p.m. Salem at Manchester Essex, girls soccer, 5 p.m.

Gloucester field hockey's Fiona Black and Mia Rodolosi lead the area in scoring. See the area leaders.

Coaches and parents can report a game with scorers and highlights.

Earlier coverage: Scoreboard: Gloucester field hockey stays perfect, Manchester Essex sweeps Rockport in soccer (Oct. 6), Tuesday's finals and the season's golf results.

Update, Oct. 7: Added Wednesday's finals from the MIAA and the Endicott results.

Expect a sunny and milder Wednesday, a breezy, mild night, then a mostly sunny Thursday in the upper 60s, the National Weather Service says.

The forecast

The National Weather Service in Norton expects the following in Gloucester, in its 2:25 a.m. update:

• Today: Sunny, with a high near 62. Southwest wind of 3 to 12 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.
• Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. Southwest wind around 12 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
• Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. A chance of showers between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. (30 percent), with less than a tenth of an inch of rain. Southwest wind around 16 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. (Updated Wednesday evening.)
• Thursday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 49. West wind around 14 mph.
• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 64. West wind of 7 to 14 mph.
• Friday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 50.

On the water

Update, Wednesday evening: a small craft advisory is in effect for Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay until 11 a.m. Thursday, the National Weather Service says. Tonight, southwest winds around 15 knots with gusts up to 25 knots and seas around 3 feet. Thursday, southwest winds of 10 to 15 knots with gusts up to 25 knots, seas of 2 to 3 feet and a chance of showers. Friday, west winds of 10 to 15 knots with gusts up to 20 knots and seas around 2 feet.

The morning forecast said:

Today, southwest winds of 5 to 10 knots turn south at 10 to 15 knots this afternoon, with gusts up to 20 knots and seas around 2 feet. Tonight, southwest winds of 10 to 15 knots with gusts up to 25 knots and seas of 2 to 3 feet. Thursday, southwest winds of 10 to 15 knots with gusts up to 20 knots and seas around 2 feet. Friday, west winds of 5 to 10 knots.

Tides

High tides in Gloucester Harbor, according to NOAA predictions:

• Wednesday: 9:16 a.m. (9.1 feet) and 9:37 p.m. (9.8 feet). Low tides at 2:55 a.m. and 3:17 p.m.
• Thursday: 10:09 a.m. (9.6 feet) and 10:32 p.m. (9.8 feet). Low tides at 3:50 a.m. and 4:14 p.m.
• Friday: 10:57 a.m. (9.9 feet) and 11:22 p.m. (9.7 feet). Low tides at 4:40 a.m. and 5:05 p.m.

Rockport's high tides come a minute or two earlier than Gloucester Harbor's. In the Essex River, they come about 11 to 13 minutes later.

Drought: two meetings this week

The state's most recent drought declaration, from Sept. 10, keeps the Northeast region, which includes Cape Ann, at Level 1, a mild drought. Rockport still bans all outdoor water use. The town's Ad Hoc Water Committee meets today at 2 p.m. on Zoom, and its agenda includes squaring the state's drought level with the town's. The state's drought task force meets Thursday at 9:30 a.m. Why Rockport banned outdoor watering as the drought eased. Read the rules for each town.

Earlier coverage: Sunny, cool and gusty Tuesday, then warming to near 69 by Thursday (Oct. 6), Tuesday's forecast.

Update, Oct. 7: Added the evening forecast for Thursday and Friday and the small craft advisory for Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay.

In Essex, trash pays its own way.

The town has no curbside pickup. Residents buy a sticker and pay for every bag they leave at the transfer station on Landing Road. In the last year on record, those fees brought in more than the transfer station cost to run.

With Gloucester and Manchester switching to automated carts this fall, we looked at what Essex's system costs the town and what it costs a household.

What the town spends

The town budgeted $306,830 for the transfer station for the year that began July 1, about the same as last year's $303,920. Two years ago it spent $250,900.

Most of the money goes to private contracts: about $173,000 to haul, dispose of and manage trash and $50,400 for recycling. The rest pays for a recycling coordinator, the town's own trash bags, sticker printing, hazardous waste disposal and upkeep.

Who pays

In the year that ended June 30, 2025, Essex took in $117,970 from transfer station stickers and $160,182 from trash bags, according to the town's annual report. That is $278,152, about $27,000 more than the $250,900 it spent.

The town has not published fee totals since. If they stayed about the same, fees would cover about 91% of this year's budget. Some costs, such as staff benefits, may be paid from other parts of the budget.

Per household, that works out to about $307 in spending, with about $278 from fees and $29 from the town budget. The household count, 1,001, is from 2023, the last year Essex reported to the state.

What you pay

• Sticker: $150, or $75 for residents 65 and older, for each car. This year's sticker runs from July 1, 2026, to Aug. 31, 2027. Buy it online at essexma.org or by mail.
• Bags: $4 for a 33-gallon bag and $2 for a 15-gallon bag, sold in rolls of five at Market Basket, Googan's Galley, the Building Center and Aubuchon Hardware. The Friends of the Essex Council on Aging also sell discounted bags to seniors each month.
• Recycling: free at the transfer station.

A household that brings one large bag a week pays about $358 a year. One bag every other week is about $254. A senior with one bag a week pays about $283.

How Essex compares

Essex charges the most up front of any town in our comparison. For one bag a week, Gloucester's standard cart is $300, Rockport's sticker and bags come to about $296, and Manchester's cart is $100. Hamilton and Ipswich charge nothing for the first bin.

Add what each town pays from its budget, and the order changes. Counting both, that household's trash costs about $387 a year in Essex, compared with about $476 in Gloucester, $425 in Manchester and $427 in Hamilton. Only Ipswich, at about $339, is lower. Rockport's budget share is not published.

How much Essex throws away

The transfer station took in 553 tons of trash in 2025, 36 tons more than the year before, and 353 tons of recycling, the DPW said in the town's annual report. Essex has not reported its numbers to the state since 2023, so it is missing from most statewide comparisons.

Hours and contacts

The transfer station, 30 Landing Road, is open Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 978-768-6262 or 978-768-6431.

Earlier coverage

• Manchester's new trash carts: who pays more, who pays less and how the neighbors compare (Oct. 6), with a full town by town comparison

• Also in this series: Gloucester's trash costs and Rockport's trash costs

Gloucester's field hockey team is still perfect.

The Fishermen beat Beverly 1 to 0 at Newell Stadium on Tuesday, Oct. 6, to improve to 9 and 0. It was a Northeastern Conference game between the league's two unbeaten teams, and Gloucester is now 6 and 0 in the conference.

The game went back and forth at a fast pace. The only goal came on a breakaway. Junior Fiona Black carried the ball from midfield, and Samantha Tucker finished the play, the team said in a post on its GHS Field Hockey Facebook page.

Beverly pushed hard in the second half to tie the game. Gloucester's defense held, clearing the ball out of danger and stopping Beverly's penalty corners. Senior goalie Aleena Brown made several key saves for the shutout, Gloucester's sixth of the season.

Strong midfield play helped the Fishermen close out the win. They have outscored opponents 39 to 5 this season.

Gloucester came into the game ranked eighth of 53 teams in Division 3 in the MIAA's state tournament power rankings, released Tuesday morning. Read about the last rankings.

Coaches and parents can report a game to us, including full names of scorers.

Up next

Gloucester plays at Danvers on Friday, Oct. 9, at 3:45 p.m. Then the Fishermen visit Beverly for the rematch on Tuesday, Oct. 13.

Earlier coverage: Gloucester field hockey beats Danvers 5 to 2, stays perfect before Beverly showdown (Oct. 1), which previewed this game. Gloucester's Fiona Black and Mia Rodolosi top the area field hockey scoring list (Oct. 3).

Gloucester city offices will be closed Monday, Oct. 12, for Columbus Day, the city said. They reopen at regular hours Tuesday, Oct. 13.

Manchester-by-the-Sea's Town Hall is also closed Oct. 12, according to the town calendar.

Clerk's office on Oct. 30

The Gloucester City Clerk's office will close for general business on Friday, Oct. 30, to get ready for the Nov. 3 state election, the city said. The office will stay open that day for anything related to the election.

Oct. 30 is also the last day of early voting. If you need other help from the clerk's office that week, plan to go before Friday.

Neither town has posted a holiday change to trash pickup. We will add one if the city or town announces it.

Earlier coverage: Cape Ann Votes: Your guide to the Nov. 3 election is live (Oct. 5), with polling places and every deadline.

Gloucester's new trash carts come with a much bigger city trash bill.

The city budgeted $4.92 million for trash and recycling for the year that began July 1. That is up 69% from $2.91 million the year before, the largest single increase in the city budget. Most of the jump is the new Casella contract, which replaced Republic Services and the purple bags on Oct. 1.

Here is where the money goes, who pays it and how a Gloucester household's cost compares with its neighbors.

Where the money goes

The contract line in the budget is $4.77 million. Almost all of it is the price of curbside pickup, $4.08 million, plus about $605,000 in disposal fees for an expected 7,200 tons of trash. The rest pays for downtown barrels, roll-off containers, the compost site and the yearly hazardous waste day.

The curbside pickup price alone works out to about $297 for each of the 13,750 households in the city program. That is almost exactly the $300 standard fee.

Who pays

Before the switch, purple bag sales brought in $1.44 million in the year that ended June 30, 2025, about 53% of what the city spent on trash. The rest came from the general fund, which is mostly property taxes.

This year the budget counts on $2.77 million from the new cart fees. The public works director told the Budget and Finance Committee on Sept. 3 that he expects about $2.5 million. Either way, fees cover a little more than half the cost. The city's chief administrative officer has said the general fund has paid about half the cost of trash service and will again this year.

The budget also uses $1 million of one-time money from the city's capital stabilization fund, a savings account for big purchases. The budget book says it is to offset the cost of trash carts and other items. That money will not be there next year.

Counted per household, the city's trash cost rose from about $196 two years ago to about $358 this year. Fees went from about $105 to about $182 per household, and the share from the city budget went from about $91 to about $176. Using the budget book's higher fee estimate, the budget share is about $157.

The average fee is $182, not $300, because seniors pay half, some homes chose the $200 smaller cart and some opted out for a private hauler. The city has not said how many did each.

What you pay

Every eligible home got the standard service unless it asked for a change: a 65-gallon trash cart and a 65-gallon recycling cart for $300 a year. A smaller 35-gallon trash cart is $200. Residents 65 and older get half off at their own home. The public works director said a typical household spent about $208 a year on purple bags.

How Gloucester compares

For a household that puts out one large bag a week, Gloucester's $300 is about the same as Rockport, where a $140 transfer station sticker plus bags comes to about $296 but you drive it to the dump yourself. Essex is higher, about $358 in sticker and bags. Manchester's cart is $100, and Hamilton and Ipswich charge nothing for the first bin.

Those low prices are not the whole story. Towns that charge less at the curb pay more from the tax bill. When each town's average budget share is added, Gloucester comes to about $476 for that household, Manchester about $425, Hamilton about $427, Essex about $387 and Ipswich about $339. These are town averages, not anyone's tax bill, which depends on a home's value.

What to watch

• Next year's budget. The $1 million in one-time money and a disposal fee that rises 5% a year mean the trash budget will need more from fees or taxes next year unless costs come down.
• Trash tonnage. Gloucester threw away about 976 pounds per household in 2025 under purple bags. Statewide, towns with carts throw away more than towns that charge by the bag. The city has not published tonnage since the switch.

Earlier coverage

• Gloucester's $179 million budget, line by line (Oct. 5), with the full city budget and a tax calculator
• Casella takes over Gloucester trash pickup Thursday as purple bags end (Oct. 1), on the contract, fees and bulk items
• Gloucester carts bunched at the curb on Casella's first pickup day (Oct. 1), with a guide to setting out carts
• Manchester's new trash carts: who pays more, who pays less and how the neighbors compare (Oct. 6), with a full town by town comparison
• Also in this series: Rockport's trash costs and Essex's trash costs

Orange trash bags are gone from Manchester's curbs. Since Sept. 22, trash goes in town-issued carts that a Casella truck lifts with a mechanical arm, and most households will see a $100 yearly charge on their water and sewer bill starting in November.

Is that a good deal? It depends mostly on how much trash your household makes. Below you can price your own household, compare five neighboring towns on price and service, see how much each town throws away, and look up where anything goes.

What changed

The town's five-year contract with Republic Services ended June 30, and a new contract with Casella began July 1. The Select Board approved the new program July 20. Recycling moved from weekly to every other week in August. Carts arrived in September, and automated pickup began Sept. 22 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The town gave its reasons at a July 14 information session: the industry is moving to automated trucks and uniform carts, which the town said are safer for workers, more efficient and keep streets cleaner.

What you pay now

The fee is added to the quarterly water and sewer bill. The first charge appears on the November bill. Every home got the standard package unless it chose another by Aug. 17.

• Standard: one 35-gallon trash cart and one 65-gallon recycling cart, $100 a year.
• Bigger recycling cart: one 35-gallon trash cart and one 96-gallon recycling cart, $125.
• Two trash carts: two 35-gallon trash carts with a 65-gallon recycling cart, $175, or with a 96-gallon recycling cart, $200.
• Age 65 or older, or limited mobility: a smaller 35-gallon recycling cart, at the same prices ($100 for one trash cart, $175 for two).
• Opt out: $0, using only the transfer station.

Cart sizes cannot be changed now. The town plans an order period in winter 2027.

Trash that does not fit in the cart is not picked up. It can go to the transfer station at 201 Pine St. in orange bags, which are still sold at Crosby's, Richdale, Allen's Pharmacy, Manchester Hardware and Magnolia Variety. The transfer station is open Thursdays from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cars need the town's resident sticker, which the town mails each year to residents whose vehicles are registered in Manchester and which also covers resident parking and Singing Beach. New residents get one from the town clerk.

Will I pay more?

Under the old system a large orange bag cost $3.30 and a small one $2.20. That made trash cost exactly what you threw away. A household that put out one large bag a week paid about $171.60 a year. Under the carts it pays $100, saving about $72.

A household that put out one bag a month paid about $39.60. It now pays $100, about $60 more. The break-even point is about 30 large bags a year, or roughly one every 12 days.

What the town pays, and who covers it

The household fee is only part of the cost. At the July 14 session the town put the yearly cost of collection and disposal at $930,039. Before the switch, orange bag sales paid about 36% of it and the general fund, which is mostly property taxes, paid about 64%.

The town estimated bag sales at about $335,000 a year. Its case counts show bag revenue of $295,460 in 2024 and $384,340 in 2025. The town estimated the standard cart fee would bring in about $220,000. That estimate came before the final price list, and the town has not published a new one. If it holds, fees will raise less than bags did, and taxes will cover the difference unless costs come down.

Costs are going up. The town budget for trash, recycling and sanitation for the year that began July 1 is $960,039, up from $680,000 last year. Collection alone rose from $365,000 to $633,039. The Finance Committee listed the trash contract as a major cost driver. The town has not posted the signed Casella contract or its price.

What neighbors pay, and what they get

Every town in this comparison picks up recycling at no extra charge, and every one charges something for trash. They differ in whether the charge is a yearly fee, a price per bag or part of the tax bill.

• Gloucester switched to Casella carts on Oct. 1. Every eligible home was enrolled in the standard service, a 65-gallon trash cart for $300 a year, unless it asked to size down to a 35-gallon cart for $200. The city has not said how many households sized down. Residents 65 and older get half off at their own home. Extra bags are not collected; an extra cart costs $75 plus its yearly fee. The city's general fund pays about half the cost. There is no city food scrap pickup.
• Hamilton gives each home one 35-gallon bin collected weekly with no separate fee. Extra trash goes in blue town bags, $2.50 for 33 gallons, with no limit. Curbside food scrap collection is weekly and required.
• Ipswich collects one 35-gallon bag or barrel a week with no separate fee. Extra trash goes in $2 overthrow bags. Recycling is weekly and required.
• Rockport has no curbside trash. Residents buy a $140 transfer station sticker ($90 for seniors) and pay for every bag, $30 for ten 35-gallon bags.
• Essex has no curbside trash either. Its last posted sticker price was $150 ($75 for seniors), and bags are $4 for 33 gallons. The town has not posted its current sticker price.

Hamilton and Ipswich charge no fee for the first bin, but that pickup is not free. It is paid from property taxes. Hamilton budgeted $1,148,552 for trash, recycling and compost this year, about $427 for each of the 2,692 households its program serves. Ipswich's town manager budgeted $1,729,441, about $339 per household.

Counted the same way, Manchester's $960,039 budget works out to about $422 per household, with about $97 of that covered by the new fee if the town's revenue estimate holds and about $325 left for taxes. Gloucester's $4.92 million budget is about $358 per household, about $182 from fees and $176 from taxes.

These are town averages, not anyone's tax bill, which depends on a home's assessed value. The calculator above adds each town's average budget share to what you pay directly, so the totals can be compared.

How we figured it

Take Gloucester as an example. The city budgeted $4,921,900 for trash and recycling this year. Its public works director estimated the new cart fees will bring in about $2.5 million. The remaining $2,421,900 comes from the city's general fund, which is mostly property taxes but also includes state aid and other local revenue. Divided among the 13,750 households in the city program, that is about $176 each. The city's chief administrative officer has said the general fund pays about half the cost of trash service, which matches.

The average fee works out to about $182, not $300, because seniors pay half, some homes chose the $200 cart and some opted out for a private hauler.

The estimates move with the inputs. Gloucester's public works director also put this year's contract cost at about $4.6 million, below the budget figure; using that, the general fund share is about $153 per household. Budget lines can also include costs beyond curbside pickup, such as trash from town buildings.

Will removing the bag charge increase trash?

Manchester has been one of the lightest trash towns around. In 2025, the last full year of orange bags, its program collected about 964 tons of trash from 2,274 households, according to the town's report to the state Department of Environmental Protection. That is about 848 pounds per household, the lowest of the towns compared here.

Statewide, towns that charge by the bag throw away less. MassDEP's 2025 figures put towns with bag fees at about 1,022 to 1,113 pounds per household. Towns with 35-gallon carts averaged 1,352 pounds, and the number rises with cart size.

Those averages compare different towns, so they show a pattern, not proof of what will happen in Manchester. Two things work in Manchester's favor: the cart is small, and overflow still costs money and a trip to the transfer station. Hamilton, with a 35-gallon bin and paid overflow bags, reported 897 pounds per household in 2025.

The real test will come from Manchester's own numbers after the switch. State data runs only through 2025. To judge the change fairly, monthly tonnage needs to be compared with the same months a year earlier and divided by households served, since trash rises every summer. The town has not published monthly figures.

What happens to recycling and compost

Recycling is now picked up every other week in a 65 or 96-gallon cart, instead of weekly in any labeled bin. The town said in July that keeping weekly recycling would cost about $70,000 more a year. Recycling is still free at the transfer station.

Curbside food scrap pickup by Black Earth has not changed. It is free and weekly, alongside trash. The town says 30% to 40% of what used to go in orange bags was food waste, and its compost program has brought in more than $65,000 in state grants.

Manchester's trash is burned, and recycling goes to a separate processing center, so the two should not be mixed.

Where does it go?

How the switch is going

Who to call

• Casella, for missed pickups and bulk items: 978-278-3122
• Manchester DPW, for wrong or broken carts and everything else: 978-526-1242 or dpw@manchester.ma.us

Earlier coverage

• Casella takes over Gloucester trash pickup Thursday as purple bags end (Oct. 1), on Gloucester's contract and fees
• Gloucester carts bunched at the curb on Casella's first pickup day (Oct. 1), with a guide to setting out carts

Later coverage: what trash costs in Gloucester, Rockport and Essex, with each town's budget and household costs.

Rockport has no curbside trash pickup. Residents bring their own trash to the town transfer station, and they pay twice: once for a sticker and again for every bag.

With Gloucester and Manchester switching to automated carts this fall, we looked at what Rockport's system costs the town and what it costs a household.

What the town spends

Town meeting approved $803,823 for the transfer station for the year that began July 1. About $268,000 is wages and about $536,000 is operating costs, mostly hauling trash and recycling away. That is about the same as last year's $806,333 and up 9% from the $734,943 the town actually spent two years ago.

That works out to about $256 for each of the 3,136 households the town reports serving.

How much of that sticker and bag fees cover is not public. The town's budget booklet does not list transfer station revenue, so we cannot say how much comes from property taxes.

The town did add one new fee to keep costs off the sticker. The DPW now charges $10 a truckload to drop off brush, after the town spent more than $49,000 last year to have brush hauled away.

What you pay

• Sticker: $140 for the first car, $90 for residents 65 and older. Each extra car is $30. This year's sticker runs from April 1, 2026, to May 31, 2027.
• Bags: every bag of trash must be a town blue bag. A roll of ten 35-gallon bags is $30, or $3 a bag. Rolls of smaller 8 and 16-gallon bags are $10 and $15, and a roll of 55-gallon bags is $45.
• Recycling: free at the transfer station. Food scraps can also be dropped off there for compost.

A household that brings one 35-gallon bag a week pays about $296 a year. One bag every other week is about $218. Two bags a week is about $452.

How Rockport compares

For one bag a week, Rockport's $296 is about the same as Gloucester's $300 standard cart, without the curbside pickup. Essex, the other drop-off town on Cape Ann, comes to about $358. Manchester's cart is $100, and Hamilton and Ipswich charge nothing for the first bin.

But Gloucester, Manchester, Hamilton and Ipswich pay much more of their trash bill from taxes. Add each town's average budget share and Manchester comes to about $425 a year for that household, Gloucester about $476 and Hamilton about $427. Rockport's budget share cannot be added because its fee revenue is not published, so its total is shown with a plus sign.

Less trash than before

Paying by the bag tends to cut trash. Rockport's trash fell from about 1,257 pounds per household in 2023 to about 1,054 in 2025, according to the town's reports to the state. Statewide, towns that charge by the bag at a drop-off site threw away about 1,022 pounds per household in 2025, compared with 1,352 for towns with 35-gallon carts.

Hours and contacts

The transfer station is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. year round, and Sundays from 8 to 11:45 a.m. from Memorial Day to Columbus Day. Stickers are sold online, by mail or at the DPW office. Questions: dpw@rockportma.gov.

Earlier coverage

• Manchester's new trash carts: who pays more, who pays less and how the neighbors compare (Oct. 6), with a full town by town comparison

• Also in this series: Gloucester's trash costs and Essex's trash costs

Tuesday's finals, Oct. 6

• Field hockey: Gloucester 1, Beverly 0, at Gloucester. The Fishermen are 9 and 0. (Read what happened.) Read the weekly roundup.
• Girls soccer: Manchester Essex 6, Rockport 2, at Manchester Essex.
• Boys soccer: Manchester Essex 2, Rockport 0, at Rockport.
• Golf: Manchester Essex 156, Georgetown 107, at Essex County Club. Ipswich 142, Rockport 134, at Rockport Golf Club. Marblehead 47, Gloucester 25, at Bass Rocks Golf Club.
• Volleyball: a Gloucester match at Minuteman was listed on MaxPreps, but the MIAA shows no such match Tuesday and no result was posted.

Scores are from the MIAA. Read Tuesday's results.

Area colleges, Tuesday: Salem State women's volleyball swept Norwich 3 to 0 at home, the Vikings' athletics site shows. Gordon and Endicott had no games.

Monday's finals, Oct. 5

• Field hockey: Manchester Essex 6, Rockport 0, at Manchester Essex.
• Volleyball: Gloucester 3, KIPP Academy Lynn 0, at KIPP.
• Boys soccer: Marblehead 2, Gloucester 0, at Gloucester.
• Girls soccer: Marblehead 6, Gloucester 0, at Marblehead.
• Golf: Danvers 43.5, Gloucester 28.5, at Wenham Country Club.

Scores are from the MIAA. Read Monday's results.

Golf this season

Golf results as the MIAA lists them, with the winner's score first. Scoring formats differ by league and match, so the winner is the team the MIAA marks as the winner.

• Gloucester: beat Bishop Fenwick 42.5 to 29.5 (Sept. 3), Saugus 45 to 27 (Sept. 10), Peabody 62 to 10 (Sept. 16), Rockport 138 to 126 (Sept. 25), Saugus 42 to 30 (Sept. 29), Masconomet 36.5 to 35.5 (Sept. 30) and Salem 49 to 23 (Oct. 1). Lost to Swampscott 39 to 33 (Sept. 15), Winthrop 44 to 28 (Sept. 22), Manchester Essex 38 to 34 (Sept. 23), St. John's Prep 234 to 291 (Sept. 24), Danvers 43.5 to 28.5 (Oct. 5) and Marblehead 47 to 25 (Oct. 6).
• Rockport: beat Manchester Essex 147 to 126 (Sept. 1), Danvers 155 to 149 (Sept. 4), Georgetown 138 to 94 (Sept. 8), Pentucket 147 to 128 (Sept. 24) and North Reading 164 to 149 (Sept. 29). Lost to Ipswich 142 to 132 (Sept. 3), Hamilton-Wenham 144 to 134 (Sept. 10), Amesbury 149 to 139 (Sept. 15), Triton 160 to 143 (Sept. 17), Winthrop 42.5 to 29.5 (Sept. 21), Gloucester 138 to 126 (Sept. 25), Hamilton-Wenham 144 to 113 (Sept. 30), Manchester Essex 135 to 130 (Oct. 1) and Ipswich 142 to 134 (Oct. 6).
• Manchester Essex: beat Georgetown 118 to 113 (Sept. 3), Pentucket 145 to 119 (Sept. 17), Gloucester 38 to 34 (Sept. 23), Rockport 135 to 130 (Oct. 1) and Georgetown 156 to 107 (Oct. 6). Lost to Rockport 147 to 126 (Sept. 1), Hamilton-Wenham 148 to 140 (Sept. 8), Amesbury 157 to 116 (Sept. 10), Ipswich 147 to 118 (Sept. 15), North Reading 164 to 137 (Sept. 24), Newburyport 186 to 121 (Sept. 29) and Ipswich 146 to 128 (Sept. 30).

The rest of the week

• Wednesday, Oct. 7: Winthrop at Gloucester, boys soccer, 4:30 p.m. Gloucester at Winthrop, girls soccer, 5:30 p.m. Manchester Essex at Amesbury, field hockey, 4 p.m. Rockport at Ipswich, field hockey, 4 p.m. Amesbury at Manchester Essex, cross country, 3:30 p.m., Ravenswood Park. Rockport at Georgetown, golf, 3 p.m., Black Swan Golf Course.
• Thursday, Oct. 8: Ipswich at Rockport, boys soccer, 6 p.m. Rockport at Ipswich, girls soccer, 4 p.m. Amesbury at Manchester Essex, boys soccer, 4 p.m. Manchester Essex at Amesbury, girls soccer, 4 p.m. Amesbury at Manchester Essex, golf, 3:30 p.m. Saugus at Gloucester, volleyball, 5:45 p.m.
• Friday, Oct. 9: Salem at Gloucester, football, 7 p.m. Manchester Essex at Hamilton-Wenham, football, 6 p.m. Gloucester at Danvers, field hockey, 3:45 p.m. Haverhill at Rockport, field hockey, 4 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 10: Rockport at Gloucester, girls soccer, 4 p.m., and boys soccer, 6 p.m. Sandwich at Manchester Essex, field hockey, 12:30 p.m. Salem at Manchester Essex, girls soccer, 5 p.m.

Gloucester field hockey's Fiona Black and Mia Rodolosi lead the area in scoring. See the area leaders.

Coaches and parents can report a game with scorers and highlights.

Earlier coverage: Scoreboard: Manchester Essex field hockey blanks Rockport, Gloucester volleyball sweeps KIPP, Marblehead tops Gloucester soccer (Oct. 5), Monday's finals.

Four public meetings on Cape Ann Tuesday, Oct. 6, cover holiday plans in Rockport, Manchester Essex's elementary schools, a citywide arts plan and a waste transfer station in Gloucester.

4 p.m., Gloucester Board of Health subcommittee. The Eastern Waste Service Subcommittee looks at a blasting study filed for the construction waste transfer station planned at 24 Kondelin Road. City Hall Annex, 3 Pond Road, second floor, and on Zoom. Read our preview.

6 p.m., Rockport Select Board. Votes on a Christmas in Rockport proposal, a joint lawyer for Cape Ann's cable talks with Comcast, the Nov. 3 election warrant and four public works contracts. On Zoom; the link is on the posted agenda. Read our preview.

6 to 8 p.m., Gloucester arts and culture plan session. The city's arts and culture coordinator and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council explain what a citywide plan could do and ask what residents want in it. Kyrouz Auditorium, City Hall. Read our preview.

6 to 8:30 p.m., Manchester Essex Regional School Committee. The principals of Essex Elementary and Memorial School present their improvement plans and the outlook for the 2027 budget year, and the committee hears from the Essex School Building Committee. Middle and high school Learning Commons, and online. Read our preview.

All four are open to the public.

Girls soccer: Manchester Essex 6, Rockport 2

Manchester Essex beat Rockport 6 to 2 at home Tuesday, Oct. 6, according to the MIAA. Scorers were not posted.

The Hornets visit Amesbury on Thursday at 4 p.m. Rockport plays at Ipswich on Thursday at 4 p.m.

Boys soccer: Manchester Essex 2, Rockport 0

Manchester Essex won 2 to 0 at Rockport in the night game. The Hornets host Amesbury on Thursday at 4 p.m. Rockport hosts Ipswich on Thursday at 6 p.m.

Field hockey: Gloucester 1, Beverly 0

Gloucester stayed unbeaten with a 1 to 0 win over Beverly. Read the story.

Golf

• Manchester Essex beat Georgetown 156 to 107 at Essex County Club. The Hornets host Amesbury on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
• Ipswich beat Rockport 142 to 134 at Rockport Golf Club. Rockport plays at Georgetown on Wednesday at 3 p.m., at Black Swan Golf Course.
• Marblehead beat Gloucester 47 to 25 at Bass Rocks Golf Club.

Coaches and parents can report a game with scorers and highlights.

Earlier coverage: Scoreboard: Unbeaten Gloucester field hockey hosts Beverly, and Rockport and Manchester Essex meet twice in soccer (Oct. 6), today's schedule; Manchester Essex field hockey blanks Rockport 6 to 0; Gloucester volleyball sweeps KIPP Lynn (Oct. 5), Monday's finals.

Expect a sunny, cool and gusty Tuesday, a chilly night, then a warming trend with sunshine into the upper 60s by Thursday, the National Weather Service says.

Evening update, 9 p.m.

The Weather Service's evening forecast for Gloucester, issued at 8:49 p.m.:

• Tonight: Clear, with a low around 40. West wind of 8 to 15 mph.
• Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 64. Southwest wind of 8 to 18 mph.
• Wednesday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54. South wind of 15 to 18 mph.
• Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 68 and a slight chance of showers after noon (20 percent).

On the water, the small craft advisory has ended. Tonight, northwest winds of 10 to 15 knots with gusts to 25 knots turn west at 5 to 10 knots after midnight, with seas of 2 to 3 feet. Wednesday, southwest winds of 5 to 10 knots turn south at 10 to 15 knots in the afternoon, with gusts to 25 knots and seas of 2 to 3 feet.

Wednesday's tides in Gloucester Harbor are unchanged: high at 9:16 a.m. and 9:37 p.m., low at 2:55 a.m. and 3:17 p.m.

The forecast

The National Weather Service in Norton expects the following in Gloucester, in its 1:56 a.m. update:

• Today: Sunny, with a high near 58. Northwest wind of 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph.
• Tonight: Clear, with a low around 42. West wind of 3 to 8 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
• Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 62. Southwest wind of 3 to 12 mph.
• Wednesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 55. Southwest wind around 12 mph.
• Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 69. Southwest wind around 10 mph.
• Thursday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53.

On the water

A small craft advisory is in effect for Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay until 8 a.m. today.

Today, northwest winds of 15 to 20 knots turn west at 10 to 15 knots this afternoon, with gusts up to 30 knots and seas of 2 to 4 feet. Tonight, west winds of 5 to 10 knots and seas around 2 feet. Wednesday, southwest winds of 5 to 10 knots turn south at 10 to 15 knots in the afternoon, with gusts up to 20 knots. Thursday, southwest winds of 10 to 15 knots, with seas around 2 feet.

Tides

High tides in Gloucester Harbor, according to NOAA predictions:

• Tuesday: 8:15 a.m. (8.7 feet) and 8:36 p.m. (9.7 feet). Low tides at 1:54 a.m. and 2:14 p.m.
• Wednesday: 9:16 a.m. (9.1 feet) and 9:37 p.m. (9.8 feet). Low tides at 2:55 a.m. and 3:17 p.m.
• Thursday: 10:09 a.m. (9.6 feet) and 10:32 p.m. (9.8 feet). Low tides at 3:50 a.m. and 4:14 p.m.

Rockport's high tides come about a minute earlier than Gloucester Harbor's. In the Essex River, they come about 12 to 14 minutes later.

Still a mild drought

The state's most recent drought declaration, from Sept. 10, keeps the Northeast region, which includes Cape Ann, at Level 1, a mild drought. The state's drought task force meets Thursday at 9:30 a.m. Rockport still bans all outdoor water use, and its water committee meets Wednesday at 2 p.m. Why Rockport banned outdoor watering as the drought eased. Read the rules for each town.

Earlier coverage: Clear and breezy tonight, then a sunny, gusty, cooler Tuesday (Oct. 5), Monday's forecast.

The Cape Ann Current has a new page that puts property taxes in all four Cape Ann towns side by side: Property taxes on Cape Ann.

What you can do there

• Price your own bill. Enter an assessed value and see the yearly tax at each town's current rate, for a home or a business.
• See 10 years of bills. The average single-family bill and home value in each town from fiscal 2017 to 2026, with each town's statewide rank.
• See why bills rise when rates fall. A chart shows how values, rates and bills moved together.
• Check the room under Proposition 2½. How close each town is to its legal taxing limits, which matters when a town asks voters for an override or a debt exclusion.
• Look at the tax base. Total assessed value, parcels by type, and how much of the tax load homes carry compared with businesses.
• Homes and households. Census estimates of owners, renters, seasonal homes and home values.

What the numbers show

The average single-family tax bill for fiscal 2026, according to the state Division of Local Services:

• Manchester-by-the-Sea: $16,371 on an average value of $1,881,670.
• Essex: $11,957 on $916,972.
• Gloucester: $9,502 on $1,020,656.
• Rockport: $8,548 on $1,010,388.

Every town's tax rate is lower than it was in fiscal 2017, but every town's average bill is higher. Gloucester's residential rate fell from $13.19 to $9.31 per $1,000 of value, while its average bill rose 36%. Rockport's bill rose 41%, Essex's 46% and Manchester's 34%. Home values climbed faster than town budgets, so rates dropped, but the bills grew with the budgets. The page explains how that works.

It stays current

The page draws on state and Census data and checks every night for new tax rates. Towns usually set new rates between November and January, and each town's new rate is added the night the state posts it.

Try the calculator and compare the four towns.

Earlier coverage: Gloucester's $179 million budget, line by line (Oct. 5), what the city's property taxes pay for.

Gloucester residents can learn Tuesday what a citywide arts and culture plan could do for the city.

The city's arts and culture coordinator and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, a regional planning agency, will host a community information and discussion session on Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Kyrouz Auditorium at City Hall.

The session is meant to hear from residents about what a plan could look like and why the city should have one, according to the city's notice.

The city asks people to RSVP through the link on its News Flash page.

A Gloucester Board of Health subcommittee meets Tuesday to look at a blasting study for the construction waste transfer station planned at 24 Kondelin Road in the Cape Ann Industrial Park.

The Eastern Waste Service Subcommittee meets at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, in the second floor conference room of the City Hall Annex, 3 Pond Road, and on Zoom.

What is on the agenda

According to the posted agenda, the subcommittee will:

• evaluate engineering feasibility documents filed by Seaside Legal Solutions, on behalf of the project, "to satisfy condition 19" of the board's approval,
• approve a memo to the Conservation Commission on the project's wetlands filing,
• and review a document tracking the status of the approval's conditions, for a briefing of the full board.

What condition 19 says

The Board of Health approved the site for the transfer station on June 18, 2025. Its decision lets Eastern Waste Services LLC handle up to 270 tons of construction and demolition waste a day, six days a week, inside a new enclosed building of about 11,800 square feet. The site is 1.5 acres of a 4 acre parcel.

The approval came with conditions. The company plans to blast and remove about 4,400 square feet of ledge at the south end of the site to make room behind the building, where trucks would unload. Because truck traffic on the site depends on that space, the board required the company to study whether blasting the rock face is feasible from a geotechnical and explosives engineering standpoint before it applies to the state Department of Environmental Protection for permission to build. That is condition 19.

If blasting is not feasible, the decision says, the company must ask the board to change the site approval and file revised site plans.

The documents themselves were not posted with the agenda. The city keeps the application, hearing records and decision on its Eastern Waste Services project page.

Wetlands filing pushed to Oct. 21

The project's wetlands filing, for a stormwater upgrade, parking lot repaving and a new fence near a wetland, is on the Conservation Commission's agenda Wednesday, Oct. 7. The filer has asked to continue it to Oct. 21, according to the agenda. The commission meets at 5:30 p.m. at the Rose Baker Center, 6 Manuel F. Lewis St.

Also this week in Gloucester

• Waterways Board, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 6 p.m., at the harbormaster's conference room, 19 Harbor Loop, and on Zoom. The harbormaster reports on the 2026 season: bookings, staffing, revenue and expenses. The board will also recap the Schooner Festival, discuss Magnolia Pier and its ramp and the timeline for the St. Peter's landing and boardwalk, and talk about fees proposed for next fiscal year and launch revenue.
• Gloucester Housing Authority, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 4:30 p.m., downstairs at its office, 259 Washington St. The board will interview two candidates for assistant executive director and vote on its fiscal 2027 budget, salary schedules, flat rents for federal public housing and Section 8 payment standards. Residents may speak for three to five minutes each.
• School Committee Building and Finance Subcommittee, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 5 p.m., in the Gloucester High School library, 32 Leslie O. Johnson Road, and on Zoom. Topics include the state's fiscal 2027 Circuit Breaker reimbursement for special education costs, tuition and transportation for students placed outside the district, and a new student activity account for Gloucester High theater.

The City Council committee meetings this week, on city fees, the Day Court housing permit and two police grants, are in our meetings roundup.

Earlier coverage: Gloucester planners take up Sargent Street subdivision Thursday as council panels weigh police grants (Oct. 1), the council committee and Conservation Commission agendas. Cape Ann this week: Plein Air turns 10, an Annisquam craft show and open studios next weekend (Oct. 4), which first listed the Waterways Board meeting.

Field hockey: Manchester Essex 6, Rockport 0

Manchester Essex shut out Rockport 6 to 0 at home Monday, Oct. 5, in the second meeting of the season between the Cape Ann neighbors, according to the MIAA. Scorers were not posted.

The Hornets visit Amesbury on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Rockport plays at Ipswich the same day at 4 p.m.

Volleyball: Gloucester 3, KIPP Academy Lynn 0

Gloucester swept KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate 3 to 0 in Lynn, the MIAA shows. Set scores were not posted.

The Fishermen play at Minuteman on Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. and host Saugus on Thursday at 5:45 p.m.

Boys soccer: Marblehead 2, Gloucester 0

Marblehead won 2 to 0 at Gloucester. Gloucester hosts Winthrop on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.

Girls soccer: Marblehead 6, Gloucester 0

Marblehead beat Gloucester 6 to 0 at Marblehead. The Fishermen visit Winthrop on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

Golf: Danvers 43.5, Gloucester 28.5

Danvers beat Gloucester 43.5 to 28.5 at Wenham Country Club. Gloucester hosts Marblehead at Bass Rocks Golf Club on Tuesday at 3:45 p.m.

Coaches and parents can report a game with scorers and highlights.

Earlier coverage: Scoreboard: Rockport visits Manchester Essex in field hockey, Gloucester soccer takes on Marblehead (Oct. 5), today's schedule; Gloucester volleyball swept at Swampscott; Rockport boys soccer falls 1 to 0 at North Reading (Oct. 1), which previewed the KIPP match.

Update, Oct. 6: The Gloucester girls soccer game at Winthrop on Wednesday is at 5:30 p.m., the MIAA schedule shows. This story first said 4:30 p.m. Read Tuesday's results.

Rockport's Select Board meets Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m. on Zoom with a long list of votes, from holiday plans downtown to the November election.

The meeting link and call in number are on the posted agenda. There is public comment at the start and the end.

What is up for a vote

• Christmas in Rockport. The board will consider a proposal for the downtown holiday festivities.
• Comcast talks. The board will consider a disclosure from the law firm KP Law for joint representation in Cape Ann cable negotiations with Comcast.
• Election warrant. Approval of the warrant for the Nov. 3 state election.
• Public works contracts. Four on call contracts: construction equipment rental, camera inspection and jet cleaning of pipes, catch basin cleaning, and pipe lining and manhole repair. The board will also consider declaring a 2006 Ford cargo van surplus for scrap.
• Rockport Art Association and Museum. A one day alcohol license request.
• Long Beach. A request to rebuild a retaining wall at 82 Long Beach. On the consent agenda, which is usually approved in one vote: family transfers at 84 and 146 Long Beach and a sale at 63 Long Beach.
• Housing. Acceptance of a donation to the housing trust from the former Rockport Housing Partnership.

Two appointments

The board will interview Margot Hintlian for the Finance Committee and Tom Flaherty for the Rights of Way Committee and consider appointing them.

Budget and Town Meeting

Town officials will give a finance update on the fiscal 2027 operating and capital budgets and grants, and a recap of Town Meeting.

Water committee Wednesday

The town's Ad Hoc Water Committee meets Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 2 p.m. Its agenda includes reconciling the state's and the public works department's drought levels and water use at Granite Pier. Rockport still bans all outdoor water use.

Earlier coverage: The drought eased. Why did Rockport ban outdoor watering? (Oct. 4), on the ban and Wednesday's water committee meeting.

Monday's finals, Oct. 5

• Field hockey: Manchester Essex 6, Rockport 0, at Manchester Essex.
• Volleyball: Gloucester 3, KIPP Academy Lynn 0, at KIPP.
• Boys soccer: Marblehead 2, Gloucester 0, at Gloucester.
• Girls soccer: Marblehead 6, Gloucester 0, at Marblehead.
• Golf: Danvers 43.5, Gloucester 28.5, at Wenham Country Club.

Scores are from the MIAA. Read the results.

Friday's football, in case you missed it

• Gloucester 28, Winthrop 7. The Fishermen are 3 and 1 and host Salem Friday at 7 p.m. Read the story.
• Amesbury 46, Manchester Essex 8. The Hornets are 0 and 4 and play at Hamilton-Wenham Friday at 6 p.m. Read the story.

The rest of the week

• Tuesday, Oct. 6: Beverly at Gloucester, field hockey, 4:30 p.m., a meeting of the Northeastern Conference's two unbeaten teams. Rockport at Manchester Essex, girls soccer, 4 p.m. Manchester Essex at Rockport, boys soccer, 6 p.m. Georgetown at Manchester Essex, golf, 3:30 p.m. Ipswich at Rockport, golf, 3:30 p.m. Marblehead at Gloucester, golf, 3:45 p.m. Gloucester at Minuteman, volleyball, 5:45 p.m.
• Wednesday, Oct. 7: Winthrop at Gloucester, boys soccer, 4:30 p.m. Gloucester at Winthrop, girls soccer, 4:30 p.m. Manchester Essex at Amesbury, field hockey, 4 p.m. Rockport at Ipswich, field hockey, 4 p.m. Amesbury at Manchester Essex, cross country, 3:30 p.m.
• Thursday, Oct. 8: Ipswich at Rockport, boys soccer, 6 p.m. Rockport at Ipswich, girls soccer, 4 p.m. Amesbury at Manchester Essex, boys soccer, 4 p.m. Manchester Essex at Amesbury, girls soccer, 4 p.m. Amesbury at Manchester Essex, golf, 3:30 p.m. Saugus at Gloucester, volleyball, 5:45 p.m.
• Friday, Oct. 9: Salem at Gloucester, football, 7 p.m. Manchester Essex at Hamilton-Wenham, football, 6 p.m. Gloucester at Danvers, field hockey, 3:45 p.m. Haverhill at Rockport, field hockey, 4 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 10: Rockport at Gloucester, girls soccer, 4 p.m., and boys soccer, 6 p.m. Sandwich at Manchester Essex, field hockey, 12:30 p.m. Salem at Manchester Essex, girls soccer, 5 p.m.

Gloucester field hockey's Fiona Black and Mia Rodolosi lead the area in scoring. See the area leaders.

Coaches and parents can report a game with scorers and highlights.

Earlier coverage: Scoreboard: Gloucester and Beverly field hockey meet Tuesday in a week of rivalry games (Oct. 4), the weekend scoreboard and full week schedule.

Expect a clear, breezy night and a sunny but cooler and gusty Tuesday, the National Weather Service says, with more sun and warmer air by Thursday.

The forecast

The National Weather Service in Norton expects the following in Gloucester, in its 7:20 p.m. update:

• Tonight: Clear, with a low around 46. Northwest wind around 17 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph.
• Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 57. Northwest wind of 14 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph.
• Tuesday night: Clear, with a low around 42. West wind of 8 to 14 mph.
• Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 62. Southwest wind of 5 to 12 mph.
• Wednesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 56.
• Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 68.

On the water

A small craft advisory is in effect for Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay until 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Tonight, northwest winds of 15 to 20 knots and seas of 3 to 4 feet. Tuesday, northwest winds of 15 to 20 knots ease to 10 to 15 knots in the afternoon, with gusts up to 25 knots and seas of 2 to 3 feet. Tuesday night, west winds of 10 to 15 knots ease to 5 to 10 knots after midnight. Wednesday, southwest winds of 5 to 10 knots build to 10 to 15 knots in the afternoon, with gusts up to 20 knots.

Tides

High tides in Gloucester Harbor, according to NOAA predictions:

• Monday: 7:08 a.m. (8.4 feet) and 7:29 p.m. (9.7 feet). Low tides at 12:47 a.m. and 1:05 p.m.
• Tuesday: 8:15 a.m. (8.7 feet) and 8:36 p.m. (9.7 feet). Low tides at 1:54 a.m. and 2:14 p.m.
• Wednesday: 9:16 a.m. (9.1 feet) and 9:37 p.m. (9.8 feet). Low tides at 2:55 a.m. and 3:17 p.m.

Rockport's high tides come about a minute earlier than Gloucester Harbor's. In the Essex River, they come about 10 to 14 minutes later.

Still a mild drought

The state's most recent drought declaration, from Sept. 10, keeps the Northeast region, which includes Cape Ann, at Level 1, a mild drought. The state's drought task force meets Thursday. Rockport still bans all outdoor water use, and its water committee meets Wednesday at 2 p.m. Why Rockport banned outdoor watering as the drought eased. Read the rules for each town.

Earlier coverage: Mostly sunny Sunday, showers tonight, then a breezy, milder Monday (Oct. 4), the Sunday forecast.

Update, Oct. 5, evening: The forecast and marine sections now use the National Weather Service's evening updates. Tuesday's high is now near 57, with gusts up to 32 mph. Tide times are unchanged.

A full week of art and music on Cape Ann starts today. Here is what's on, Sunday through next weekend.

Today, Sunday

The Cape Ann Symphony plays the 75th anniversary concert it had to postpone during last weekend's nor'easter, at 2 p.m. at Manchester Essex Regional High School. The program is French: Boulanger, Debussy and Berlioz. Adult tickets are $65, and tickets bought for the original date are good today.

Also at 2 p.m., the rescheduled Cape Ann Cake Fest is at the Windhover Center for the Performing Arts in Rockport. Advance registration is $50.

More on this weekend.

Cape Ann Plein Air turns 10

Painters are working outdoors across Cape Ann all week for the festival's 10th year, with demonstrations most days at noon, including Granite Pier in Rockport on Monday and Hammond Castle on Tuesday. The schedule is on the festival's calendar.

• Monday, Oct. 5, 6 p.m.: a free opening reception at the Beauport Hotel in Gloucester, according to the festival listing.
• Friday, Oct. 9, 6 to 8 p.m.: the anniversary gala and art sale at the North Shore Arts Association, 11 Pirates Lane, with more than 175 paintings made during the week by 36 artists. Tickets are $100 in advance and $125 at the door.
• Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 10 and 11: the art sale stays open to everyone at the North Shore Arts Association.

During the week

• Tuesday, Oct. 6: Hammond Castle is free for Gloucester residents from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., as it is every Tuesday this season. Bring proof that you live in Gloucester. That night at 7, guitarist Scott Ouellette plays a classical program at the TOHP Burnham Public Library in Essex.
• Thursday, Oct. 8, 7 p.m.: Strictly Sinatra with Michael Dutra at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport.
• Friday, Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m.: jazz singer Stacey Kent at the Shalin Liu. Tickets are $35 to $49.

Next weekend

• Annisquam Arts and Crafts Show, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 10 and 11, at Annisquam Village Hall, 34 Leonard St., with about 30 artisans and painters. See the show's site for hours.
• Cape Ann Artisans Open Studios, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Twelve studios open their doors for a self guided tour. Maps are at the Chamber and visitor centers.
• Rockport Farmers Market, Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Harvey Park.

Meetings worth knowing

The Essex School Building Committee holds community meetings on the Essex Elementary School project Thursday, Oct. 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Essex Elementary School, and Tuesday, Oct. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Manchester Memorial Elementary School, according to the school district's calendar. Gloucester's Waterways Board meets Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the harbormaster's office, 19 Harbor Loop. See the rest of this week's meetings.

Sports fans: Beverly visits Gloucester for unbeaten field hockey Tuesday, and Salem plays at Gloucester Friday night. See the full week.

Everything else is on the Cape Ann Current calendar.

Update, Oct. 5, evening: The Essex County district attorney's office on Monday named the man who died, Carl Potter, 67, of Beverly, and the man still missing, James Wolcott, 37, of Hamilton. The Coast Guard suspended its search Sunday, according to a Coast Guard news release and reports by The Boston Globe and WHDH.

Manchester police, fire and harbormaster crews resumed the search Sunday for a man still missing after a fishing boat with three men aboard got into trouble off Singing Beach on Saturday afternoon, the Manchester-by-the-Sea Fire Department said.

One of the men died, according to reports by NBC Boston, Boston 25 News and WHDH. A second was flown to Massachusetts General Hospital, the department said; NBC Boston reported he was in critical condition.

Sunday's search

The Essex harbormaster, the Massachusetts Environmental Police, State Police, the Beverly Police drone unit and the Coast Guard are helping, the department said in a Sunday update. Police Chief Mark McCoy and Assistant Fire Chief Robert Cavender are running the search from a command post at Reed Park, and Deputy Harbormaster Andrew Vanikiotis is directing the search on the water from the town's public safety boat.

What happened Saturday

The first alert came in through North Shore Regional 911 at 4:13 p.m., according to the department. Firefighters on Engine 1 responded, and the town's public safety boat was on the water by 4:20 p.m.

Manchester's paramedics took one man to Beverly Hospital. A second was brought by Beauport Ambulance from Tucks Point to Masconomo Park and flown to Mass. General. The third has not been found.

The three men were 67, 65 and 37 years old, and a dog aboard was found alive, NBC Boston and Boston 25 reported. The boat was a 30 foot center console fishing boat, NBC Boston reported. Gloucester, Essex and Hamilton firefighters, the Beverly Fire Department dive team and Essex police also helped Saturday, the department said.

The man who died was Carl Potter, 67, of Beverly, and the man still missing is James Wolcott, 37, of Hamilton, the Essex County district attorney's office said Monday. The 65 year old man is still in the hospital; the district attorney's office did not release his name. The incident remains under investigation, the office said.

Officials have not said what caused the boat to take on water.

Cape Ann Current will update this story as officials release more information.

Update, Oct. 5, evening: Added the names released by the Essex County district attorney's office and the headline now reflects them.

Update, Oct. 5, 5:10 a.m.: The Coast Guard suspended its search for the missing man on Sunday, according to a Coast Guard news release and reports by The Boston Globe and WHDH. The headline now reflects the suspended search.

Update, Oct. 4, 1:15 p.m.: Added the fire department's Sunday search update and its account of Saturday's response. The first alert time is now the department's 4:13 p.m., replacing earlier TV reports of shortly before 4:30 p.m.

No games this weekend

Cape Ann's varsity teams had Saturday and Sunday off after Friday night football. See Saturday's scoreboard for the full results.

Friday's football, in case you missed it

• Gloucester 28, Winthrop 7. The Fishermen won their homecoming game and are 3 and 1. Read the story.
• Amesbury 46, Manchester Essex 8. The Hornets are 0 and 4. Read the story.

College: Sunday

• Field hockey: Middlebury 6, Endicott 1. The Gulls lost at Middlebury in Vermont. Middlebury is 8 and 1.

This week

• Monday, Oct. 5: Rockport at Manchester Essex, field hockey, 4 p.m. Marblehead at Gloucester, boys soccer, 4:30 p.m. Gloucester at Marblehead, girls soccer, 4:30 p.m. Gloucester at KIPP Academy Lynn, volleyball, 5:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, Oct. 6: Beverly at Gloucester, field hockey, 4:30 p.m., a meeting of the Northeastern Conference's two unbeaten teams. Rockport at Manchester Essex, girls soccer, 4 p.m. Manchester Essex at Rockport, boys soccer, 6 p.m. Georgetown at Manchester Essex, golf, 3:30 p.m. Gloucester at Minuteman, volleyball, 5:45 p.m.
• Wednesday, Oct. 7: Winthrop at Gloucester, boys soccer, 4:30 p.m. Gloucester at Winthrop, girls soccer, 4:30 p.m. Manchester Essex at Amesbury, field hockey, 4 p.m. Rockport at Ipswich, field hockey, 4 p.m. Amesbury at Manchester Essex, cross country, 3:30 p.m.
• Thursday, Oct. 8: Ipswich at Rockport, boys soccer, 6 p.m. Rockport at Ipswich, girls soccer, 4 p.m. Amesbury at Manchester Essex, boys soccer, 4 p.m. Manchester Essex at Amesbury, girls soccer, 4 p.m. Amesbury at Manchester Essex, golf, 3:30 p.m. Saugus at Gloucester, volleyball, 5:45 p.m.
• Friday, Oct. 9: Salem at Gloucester, football, 7 p.m. Manchester Essex at Hamilton-Wenham, football, 6 p.m. Gloucester at Danvers, field hockey, 3:45 p.m. Haverhill at Rockport, field hockey, 4 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 10: Rockport at Gloucester, girls soccer, 4 p.m., and boys soccer, 6 p.m. Sandwich at Manchester Essex, field hockey, 12:30 p.m. Salem at Manchester Essex, girls soccer, 5 p.m.

Gloucester field hockey's Fiona Black and Mia Rodolosi lead the area in scoring. See the area leaders.

Coaches and parents can report a game with scorers and highlights.

Gloucester's field hockey team kept its perfect record and its football team won on homecoming night, in a short week for Cape Ann's high school teams. Here are the varsity results from Sept. 30 through Saturday, from the MIAA's official scores and MaxPreps, and the week ahead.

Gloucester

Field hockey beat Danvers 5 to 2 on Oct. 1 and is 8 and 0. The big one is Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., when Beverly visits Gloucester High School. The Panthers are 6 and 1 in the MIAA's scores, with their only loss to St. Mary's of Lynn. Read the Danvers story.

Football beat Winthrop 28 to 7 at Newell Stadium on Oct. 2 to open Northeastern Conference play. The Fishermen are 3 and 1 and host Salem on Friday at 7 p.m. Read the story.

Volleyball swept Georgetown on the road Sept. 30, then was swept at Swampscott on Oct. 1. The Fishermen are 4 and 6. Read Thursday's results.

Both soccer teams lost to Swampscott on Sept. 30: the boys 1 to 0 on the road and the girls 4 to 0 at home.

Manchester Essex

Field hockey shut out Newburyport 2 to 0 on Sept. 30, its second straight shutout, and is 6 and 2 with a tie. Read the story.

Boys soccer held unbeaten Newburyport to a 0 to 0 tie on the road Oct. 1. The girls lost 7 to 0 to the Clippers the same day. Read the story.

Football, which includes Rockport players, lost 46 to 8 to Amesbury at Hyland Field on Oct. 2 and is 0 and 4. The Hornets visit Hamilton-Wenham on Friday at 6 p.m. Read the story.

Rockport

Field hockey tied North Reading 1 to 1 on Sept. 30 and is 2 and 5 with two ties.

Boys soccer lost 1 to 0 at North Reading on Oct. 1 after a scoreless first half. The Vikings are 3 and 6 with a tie. The girls lost 5 to 1 to North Reading the same day.

The week ahead

Monday, Oct. 5

• Field hockey: Rockport at Manchester Essex, 4 p.m.
• Boys soccer: Marblehead at Gloucester, 4:30 p.m.
• Girls soccer: Gloucester at Marblehead, 4:30 p.m.
• Volleyball: Gloucester at KIPP Academy Lynn, 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 6

• Field hockey: Beverly at Gloucester, 4:30 p.m.
• Girls soccer: Rockport at Manchester Essex, 4 p.m.
• Boys soccer: Rockport and Manchester Essex, 6 p.m.
• Golf: Georgetown at Manchester Essex, 3:30 p.m.
• Volleyball: Gloucester at Minuteman, 5:45 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 7

• Field hockey: Manchester Essex at Amesbury, 4 p.m.; Rockport at Ipswich, 4 p.m.
• Boys soccer: Winthrop at Gloucester, 4:30 p.m.
• Girls soccer: Gloucester at Winthrop, 4:30 p.m.
• Cross country: Amesbury at Manchester Essex, 3:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 8

• Boys soccer: Amesbury at Manchester Essex, 4 p.m.; Ipswich at Rockport, 6 p.m.
• Girls soccer: Manchester Essex at Amesbury, 4 p.m.; Rockport at Ipswich, 4 p.m.
• Golf: Amesbury at Manchester Essex, 3:30 p.m.
• Volleyball: Saugus at Gloucester, 5:45 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 9

• Football: Salem at Gloucester, 7 p.m.; Manchester Essex at Hamilton-Wenham, 6 p.m.
• Field hockey: Gloucester at Danvers, 3:45 p.m.; Haverhill at Rockport, 4 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 10

• Soccer doubleheader, Rockport at Gloucester: girls 4 p.m., boys 6 p.m.
• Field hockey: Sandwich at Manchester Essex, 12:30 p.m.
• Girls soccer: Salem at Manchester Essex, 5 p.m.

See where every Cape Ann team stands in the MIAA power rankings, and check the daily scoreboard for the latest.

Earlier coverage: Gloucester field hockey stays perfect as Hornets and Vikings set up a week of rematches (Sept. 30), last week's roundup.

Coaches and parents can report a game with scorers and highlights.

The Topsfield Fair is in its first weekend, and Sunday's program is full from morning church services to a classic rock show at night. The fair runs through Monday, Oct. 12, at 207 Boston St. in Topsfield.

Animals and contests

• Dock Dogs: Big Wave at 11 a.m., Speed Retrieve at 1 p.m. and the Big Air finals at 3:30 p.m., all at the grandstand.
• Horse pulling in the arena at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. (free-for-all classes), and 7 p.m. (horses 3,435 pounds and under).
• Swifty Swine racing and swimming pigs on Grange Road at 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5 and 6:30 p.m.
• Open sheep shows in the show tent starting at 10 a.m.
• State Police K-9 Unit demonstrations at the Essex County Farmyard at 1 and 4 p.m.
• Maxwell Station six-horse hitch on the grounds at 1:30 p.m. and in the arena at 2 p.m.
• A hay tossing contest at 11 a.m. and the money pole at noon, 3 and 6 p.m., both at the farmyard.

Shows

The Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show performs on Arena Road at 12:30, 3:30 and 6 p.m. Weekend food contest winners are announced in Coolidge Hall at 2 p.m.

Music

• Trianon Stage: Northshore Junction Band at noon, Jimmy Three Times at 3 p.m. and Desperate Measures, classic rock, at 7 p.m.
• Picnic Area: Billy Goodrich at 10 a.m., Paul Prue and the Bradford Boys at 12:30 p.m., Kerr Griffin at 3:30 p.m. and the L&M Rhythm Kings at 6 p.m.
• New Meadows: the Johnnie Bubar Show at 11 a.m., Tom O'Carroll at 2:30 p.m. and Don Bartenstein at 6 p.m.
• Flower Barn: folk harpist Pamela Roberts at 10 a.m.

Tickets

Admission is $20, and children under 8 get in free with an adult ticket, according to the fair. Sales are final. Ride tickets are sold separately. The fair's website does not list daily hours or parking prices; call 978-887-5000 or see topsfieldfair.org.

Each day's schedule is on the fair's daily program page.

Cape Ann gets one more mostly sunny day before a round of showers moves through tonight. The National Weather Service expects a milder, breezy Monday and a run of sunny, cool weather after that.

The forecast

The National Weather Service in Norton expects the following in Gloucester:

• Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60 and an east wind of 5 to 8 mph.
• Sunday night: A 40% chance of showers this evening and overnight, with patchy fog after 11 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. Where showers fall, a quarter to half an inch of rain is possible.
• Monday: Mostly sunny and milder, with a high near 66 and a west wind of 3 to 14 mph.
• Monday night: Clear, with a low around 46 and a northwest wind around 13 mph.
• Tuesday: Sunny and cooler, with a high near 58 and a west wind of 9 to 14 mph.
• Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 62.

On the water

The marine forecast for Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay calls for east winds of 5 to 10 knots today with seas around 2 feet. Tonight brings patchy fog, a chance of showers and visibility of 1 to 3 nautical miles at times. Winds turn west Monday, building to 10 to 15 knots with gusts to 25 knots in the afternoon. Monday night, northwest winds of 15 to 20 knots with gusts to 25 knots and seas of 3 to 4 feet. Winds stay gusty Tuesday morning before easing in the afternoon.

Tides

High tides in Gloucester Harbor, according to NOAA predictions:

• Sunday: 5:58 a.m. (8.3 feet) and 6:18 p.m. (9.7 feet). Low tide at 11:55 a.m.
• Monday: 7:08 a.m. (8.4 feet) and 7:29 p.m. (9.7 feet). Low tides at 12:47 a.m. and 1:05 p.m.
• Tuesday: 8:15 a.m. (8.7 feet) and 8:36 p.m. (9.7 feet). Low tides at 1:54 a.m. and 2:14 p.m.

Rockport's high tides come up to two minutes earlier than Gloucester Harbor's. In the Essex River, they come about five to 14 minutes later.

Still a mild drought

The state's most recent drought declaration, from Sept. 10, keeps the Northeast region, which includes Cape Ann, at Level 1, a mild drought. The state's drought task force meets Thursday. Rockport still bans all outdoor water use. Why Rockport banned outdoor watering as the drought eased. Read the rules for each town.

Planning the week? See what's on across Cape Ann.

Earlier coverage: Sunny and cool on Cape Ann this weekend (Oct. 3), the weekend forecast.

The family foundation tied to Woodman's of Essex says it has now given more than $1 million to local students and organizations since 1988.

The L. Dexter Woodman Family Foundation counts more than 224 students and groups among those it has helped, according to its website. It announced the milestone on its site this year.

How it started

The foundation began in 1988 as the L. Dexter Woodman Scholarship, created by Virginia "Gini" Woodman after her husband, Lawrence Dexter "Deck" Woodman, died. It became the Mr. and Mrs. L. Dexter Woodman Scholarship after she died in 2011. In 2022 the family renamed it the L. Dexter Woodman Family Foundation so it could give more broadly, including to families in need and groups such as Action Inc.'s Cape Ann Kids Fund.

Woodman's, at 119 Main St. in Essex, has been in business since 1914.

Where the money goes

• Scholarships for graduating seniors from Manchester Essex Regional High School, or any senior who attended Essex Elementary School: one $7,500 scholarship through the high school, a $3,000 scholarship through the Essex Lions Club, a $3,000 scholarship through the Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce and one through the Massachusetts Restaurant Association for a student going into hospitality.
• Clamshells for Scholars, a drawing started in 2011 for Woodman's student workers in at least their second year of college or in a graduate or trade program. This year five students received $3,000 each. The foundation says it has given $88,500 in employee scholarships.
• College book money for Woodman's college age staff, up to $300 a year. Since 1998, more than 210 students have received nearly $80,000, the foundation says.

Other recipients listed on its site include Beverly Bootstraps' back to school backpacks, NAMI Cape Ann and Ipswich Caring.

Coming up

• Wednesday, Oct. 14: The James, 55 Main St., Essex, gives 10% of the day's proceeds to the foundation, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., with live music by Jeff Fraser from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Reservations are suggested at 978-890-7200.
• Saturday, Oct. 24: a Left Right Center dice game night at American Legion Post 113, 10 Central St., Manchester. Tickets are $35, or $300 for a table of 10, with cash prizes, raffles, a cash bar and free pizza. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the game starts at 6:15.
• Giving Tuesday, Dec. 1: Woodman's will give 10% of the day's proceeds to the foundation.

Details and registration are on the foundation's website. Both October events are also on the Cape Ann Current calendar.

The weather looks sunny and cool for the weekend, and Cape Ann has plenty going on. Here is what is new on our calendar. For Cape Ann Plein Air, the Cape Ann Symphony's season opener, Sunday's Tails on the Trails dog walk and the Rockport farmers market, see our week-ahead picks.

Saturday, Oct. 3

• Dahlia sale, Gloucester, 10 a.m. Generous Gardeners sells bouquets of the Stacy Boulevard dahlias, cut that morning, near the tennis courts. It ends at noon or when the flowers run out, and the volunteers expect a line. Read our story.
• Blessing of the Animals, Gloucester, 11 a.m. The Catholic Community of Gloucester and Rockport blesses pets in the rectory parking lot at Our Lady of Good Voyage, in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, whose feast day is Sunday. Family friendly pets are welcome on a leash or in a carrier.
• Three new shows, Rockport, 1 to 3 p.m. The Rockport Art Association and Museum holds a reception for its Fall Exhibition of juried artist members, a solo show by Bethany Peck and "Riding the Waves," juried members' work inspired by the schooner Adventure. The Peck show runs through Oct. 15 and the other two through Nov. 8.

Sunday, Oct. 4

• Opera on the big screen, Rockport, 1 p.m. The Shalin Liu Performance Center shows the Metropolitan Opera's live HD broadcast of Mozart's comedy "Così fan tutte." Tickets are $30 and $27, plus fees.
• Cake Fest, Rockport, 2 to 4 p.m. Bring a homemade cake at least 8 inches across, then swap slices with everyone else at the Windhover Center for the Performing Arts, 247 Granite St. Advance registration is $50. Most of the money goes to The Open Door and the rest to Windhover. Bring a server, a plate or stand, a fork and a list of ingredients.
• Manhattan Short Film Festival, Rockport, 7 p.m. The festival's last showing at the Shalin Liu. Ten finalist short films screen, and the audience votes for a winner. Tickets are $10, or $7 for seniors and students, plus fees.

Know of something we missed? Add your event to the Cape Ann Current calendar.

If you hear a cannon or see flares over Gloucester Harbor today, it is planned.

Gloucester's Community Safety Day is Saturday, Oct. 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Harbor Loop, the city announced Friday. The U.S. Coast Guard and the National Guard will give demonstrations, and the city warned that they may be loud enough to hear well beyond the event.

The schedule

• 11 a.m.: cannon firing by the National Guard.
• Noon: a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter swim rescue demonstration.
• 1 p.m.: a live flare demonstration by the Coast Guard.

The city's notice did not list parking, road closures or other activities.

The weather

The National Weather Service expects a sunny Saturday in Gloucester, with a high near 61 and a light northeast wind. Low tide in the harbor is at 10:48 a.m. See the full weekend forecast and tides.

The safety day is one of several things going on around Cape Ann this weekend, including the Generous Gardeners dahlia sale on Stacy Boulevard at 10 a.m.

Earlier coverage: This weekend on Cape Ann (Oct. 3) rounds up the weekend's events. This week on Cape Ann (Sept. 30) listed the safety day before a time and place were posted.

Two small Gloucester boards meet next week with items that could matter to a lot of residents.

What's in a name

The Council on Aging board, which oversees the city's senior center, has "Rebranding of the Rose Baker Center" on its agenda for Wednesday, Oct. 7. The agenda does not say what the rebranding would involve, such as a new name or a new look.

The board meets at 9:30 a.m. in the second floor conference room of the center, which the agenda calls the Rose Baker Center for Aging Well, at 6 Manuel F. Lewis St., and on Zoom.

The rest of the agenda is a tour of senior services: updates from the city Health Department, the YMCA at Gloucester Crossing and the Cape Ann Transportation Authority, programs held in Magnolia and Lanesville, congregate meals, the Ambassador Service and Seniors-on-the-Go buses, and lessons on spotting fraud and staying safe online. The board will also hear about building work at the center, including a silent alarm, a mural, new windows, a generator, powered bathroom doors, accessible entrance doors and security cameras.

Old money, new ideas

On Tuesday, Oct. 6, the city's Board of Commissioners of Trust Funds meets to review the balances of the trust funds the city holds.

The commissioners plan to discuss ideas for spending the income that has built up in the Huntress Fund and to hear an explanation of how large the fund is and where it is held. They will also get updates on two funds tied to probate court decrees, the Margaret Irving Powers Memorial Fund and the Clough Vocational School Fund, and on a commissioner's research into the Fernald Fund involving Action, the Housing Authority and the state attorney general's office. The agenda also notes that an ornamental tree fund was transferred to the Department of Public Works.

That meeting is at 9:30 a.m. in the first floor conference room at City Hall, 9 Dale Ave., and on Zoom.

The agendas list no dollar amounts. We will report what the boards decide.

Earlier coverage: This week's meetings (Oct. 1) previewed the City Council committees and other boards meeting Oct. 5 to 8.

Correction, Oct. 3: An earlier version of this story called the building the Rose Baker Senior Center. The Council on Aging agenda names it the Rose Baker Center for Aging Well. The story also left out that the Fernald Fund research involves Action, as the trust fund agenda lists.

The Manchester Essex Regional School Committee meets Tuesday, Oct. 6, and the district's two elementary schools are near the top of its list.

Essex Elementary Principal Kim Provost and Memorial School Principal John Willis are scheduled to update the committee on their schools' improvement plans and the outlook for the 2027 budget year, according to the agenda.

The meeting runs from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the middle and high school Learning Commons, and online through WebEx.

Also on the agenda

• A report from the subcommittee on elementary facilities and the Essex School Building Committee, which is weighing the cost of a new Essex Elementary School. Read about the building committee's Sept. 22 meeting.
• A first reading of background check policies from the policy subcommittee.
• A curriculum update from Heather Leonard, the district's director of curriculum and instructional technology, and an operations and facilities update.
• Approval of out of state travel for a high school social studies trip to the 9/11 Memorial, on the consent agenda.
• Public comment, a student report and the superintendent's update.

Fees on the finance agenda

Earlier Tuesday, from noon to 1 p.m., the committee's finance subcommittee meets online. Its agenda lists an update on closing out the 2026 budget year, the auditor's report and an ongoing discussion of fees, including what the district charges to rent its buildings and its student activity fee.

The full committee meets again Oct. 20. Agendas and the WebEx link are on the district's agenda page.

Earlier coverage: Schools this week (Sept. 30) listed the meeting before its agenda was posted.

Gloucester's unbeaten field hockey team is ninth of 53 teams in Division 3 in the MIAA's latest state tournament power rankings, released Friday with scores entered through early Friday morning.

The Fishermen are 8 and 0 and have the third best average margin in the division. They sit behind eight teams because the formula also counts strength of schedule, and Gloucester's opponents rate below the division average so far. The MIAA adds a team's average margin, capped at 3 goals a game, to the average rating of its opponents.

That could change quickly. Gloucester hosts Beverly, the Northeastern Conference's other unbeaten team, on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. (Read what happened.) See the area's top scorers.

In field hockey, soccer and volleyball, the top 32 teams in each division make the state tournament, regardless of record.

Football

Gloucester is fourth of 36 teams in Division 5, down from third in the first rankings this week. Read about the first rankings. The new list counts the Fishermen at 2 and 1, so it does not include Friday night's 28 to 7 win over Winthrop. Read about that game. Swampscott, Shawsheen Valley Tech and Northeast Metro RVT rank ahead of Gloucester.

Manchester Essex is 24th of 31 in Division 7 at 0 and 3, a record that also predates Friday's loss to Amesbury.

In football, the top 16 teams in each division qualify, but only if they have at least 3 wins and have played 7 games.

Where everyone else stands

• Field hockey, Division 4: Manchester Essex is 10th of 48 at 6, 2 and 1. Rockport is 34th at 2, 5 and 2.
• Boys soccer: Manchester Essex is 25th of 73 in Division 4 at 4, 1 and 4. Rockport is 26th of 72 in Division 5 at 3, 4 and 1. Gloucester is 56th of 70 in Division 3 at 3 and 4.
• Girls soccer: Rockport is 17th of 59 in Division 5 at 1, 5 and 1. Manchester Essex is 30th of 74 in Division 4 at 1, 5 and 2. Gloucester is 50th of 74 in Division 3 at 1, 4 and 2.
• Volleyball: Gloucester is 55th of 68 in Division 3 at 4 and 6.

Records are the ones schools entered with the MIAA and may differ from other sites. The MIAA updates the rankings every Tuesday and Friday through the regular season.

Cape Ann now has one place to look up what police were called about in your town. Our police log lets you search calls by town, date, street and type, and it grows every day as departments send us their logs.

Here is what is in it, where it comes from and what we are learning so far.

Where the logs come from

Every police department in Massachusetts must keep a daily log of its calls and arrests, and state law makes that log a public record. We ask each Cape Ann department for its log and load it as it arrives.

• Rockport emails us its daily call log. The first one arrived Oct. 2 and covers Oct. 1 to 2.
• Manchester-by-the-Sea posts a weekly log on the police department's website, usually about 10 days after the week ends. We have loaded every week from July 5 through Sept. 12.
• Essex police agreed this week to add us to their press log. We will load it as soon as the first one comes in.
• Gloucester is next. We are working on getting the city's log.

When a new log comes in, it goes on the site the same day after our privacy checks. We hope to always keep it up to date, and the page shows the date range we have for each town.

What we are learning

So far the log holds 1,366 calls: 1,315 from Manchester and 51 from Rockport.

Most police work is not what people picture. In Manchester, a third of all calls, 440 of 1,315, were logged as directed patrols, when an officer is assigned to patrol a particular area. Next came citizen assists (99), motor vehicle stops (84), abandoned, false or disconnected 911 calls (74), selective enforcement (74) and lost and found property (63). Manchester police logged about 130 calls a week this summer.

In Rockport's first day of logs, more than half the calls, 28 of 51, were logged as area checks.

Arrests are rare in the logs. Manchester's 10 weeks include 8 arrests or summonses. Rockport's first day had none.

What we leave out

The log is a public record, but some of it should not be on a website. We never publish names, ages or house numbers, only the street. We hold back entire calls involving domestic violence, sexual offenses, children, mental health, overdoses and deaths, and those show only as "Call withheld for privacy." Six Manchester calls are withheld that way. We do not add to or rewrite what a department wrote, and a call in the log is not proof that anyone did anything wrong.

The full list of what we leave out is on the police log page. The arrests page also lists adult arrests for the four towns' police departments from the state's crime reporting system, with no names.

Help us keep it current

If you see something wrong in the log, email news@capeanncurrent.com. We will look at it the same day. How we handle removal requests is on our standards page.

Friday, Oct. 2: Gloucester 28, Winthrop 7, football

Gloucester gave its homecoming crowd a win at Newell Stadium, beating Winthrop 28 to 7 to open Northeastern Conference play. The Fishermen are 3 and 1 and have won two straight. Winthrop is 2 and 2. Read the story.

Gloucester hosts Salem on Friday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 2: Amesbury 46, Manchester Essex 8, football

Amesbury beat the Hornets at Hyland Field. Manchester Essex is 0 and 4 and visits Hamilton-Wenham on Friday, Oct. 9, at 6 p.m. Read the story.

Power rankings

Unbeaten Gloucester field hockey is ninth in Division 3 in the MIAA's new state tournament rankings, and Manchester Essex is 10th in Division 4. Gloucester football is fourth in Division 5, in rankings counted before the Winthrop win. See where every Cape Ann team stands.

Saturday

No varsity games for Gloucester, Rockport or Manchester Essex today.

Saturday college results

• Football: Endicott 55, University of New England 27. The nationally ranked Gulls won at UNE in Biddeford, Maine. UNE is 0 and 5.
• Field hockey: Endicott 6, Gordon 0. The Gulls shut out Gordon in Beverly. Gordon is 1 and 10.
• Volleyball: Endicott 3, Kean 2. The Gulls lost the first two sets at Kean in Union, N.J., then won the next three.

Next week

• Monday, Oct. 5: Rockport at Manchester Essex, field hockey, 4 p.m. Marblehead at Gloucester, boys soccer, 4:30 p.m. Gloucester at Marblehead, girls soccer, 4:30 p.m. Gloucester at KIPP Academy Lynn, volleyball, 5:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, Oct. 6: Beverly at Gloucester, field hockey, 4:30 p.m., a meeting of the Northeastern Conference's two unbeaten teams. Rockport at Manchester Essex, girls soccer, 4 p.m. Rockport and Manchester Essex boys soccer, 6 p.m. Georgetown at Manchester Essex, golf, 3:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, Oct. 7: Winthrop at Gloucester, boys soccer, 4:30 p.m. Gloucester at Winthrop, girls soccer, 4:30 p.m. Rockport at Ipswich, field hockey, 4 p.m.
• Friday, Oct. 9: Salem at Gloucester, football, 7 p.m. Manchester Essex at Hamilton-Wenham, football, 6 p.m.

Gloucester field hockey's Fiona Black and Mia Rodolosi lead the area in scoring. See the area leaders.

Coaches and parents can report a game with scorers and highlights.

Essex selectmen will be asked Monday to approve a job description for a full time fire chief, and to hear how the town plans to recruit both a new chief and a new town accountant.

Both items are in Town Administrator Brendhan Zubricki's report on the agenda for the board's Oct. 5 meeting, at 6 p.m. in the third floor auditorium at Town Hall, 30 Martin St. Residents can also join remotely. The agenda lists the topics without details. Read our earlier story on the fire chief budget.

Also in the administrator's report

• A summary of the downtown Essex visioning meeting held Sept. 29. Read our story on what residents said at the forum.
• Projected costs for replacing Essex Elementary School.
• The draft warrant for fall town meeting.
• A new application form for public events.
• A community planning grant for inclusionary zoning, which sets rules for including affordable homes in new housing.

At 7 p.m. the board holds a hearing on a change of manager for Marshview Farm Store. Selectmen are also expected to appoint Ryan Crompton and Cory Goodwin as probationary firefighters and EMTs, for terms ending June 30, 2027, if they pass their screenings. The board will keep working on a social media policy.

The rest of the week

• Tuesday, Oct. 6, Conservation Commission, 7 p.m. Hearings begin at 7:15 p.m. on the second floor of Town Hall. Bell Point LLC's plans for an open space residential development off Essex Park Road are back, continued from an earlier meeting: a road, utilities and a leaching facility, plus separate filings for houses on five lots and a retaining wall on a sixth. The commission will also hear Essex County Greenbelt's amended utility work for the causeway repair at 82 Eastern Ave. and a new driveway and porch at 114 Western Ave.
• Wednesday, Oct. 7, 7 p.m. Selectmen, the Board of Public Works and the Finance Committee meet in the Town Hall auditorium on public works projects. Read our preview.
• Thursday, Oct. 8, 6 p.m. A Manchester Essex school building community meeting at Essex Elementary School, 12 Story St., according to the selectmen's posting. Another is set for Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 6 p.m. at Manchester Memorial School. The district's calendar has listed Oct. 7 for the Essex meeting, so check with the district before you go.

The selectmen's next regular meeting after Monday is Oct. 19 at 6 p.m.