Daily Brief, Friday, October 2

Transcript

Good morning. It's Friday, October 2. From the Cape Ann Current, I'm Kerry Jane. Today we look at what automated license plate readers would mean for Cape Ann, and preview Monday's joint meeting of Manchester's top boards.

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Automated license plate readers are spreading across the North Shore, but not on Cape Ann. None of the four towns is listed as a customer of Flock Safety, the largest seller, in a Boston.com survey, and the Current found no current public record of the cameras in use here. The cameras photograph passing cars and check plates against watch lists. Nearby, Beverly uses them, while Salem and Methuen ended their Flock contracts this year. In 2025, Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester by the Sea reported a combined 14 motor vehicle thefts and 26 burglaries, among about 47,000 residents. Gloucester received a state grant for a cruiser mounted reader in 2011, but records do not show whether it was installed or is still used.

In Manchester by the Sea, the Select Board and Finance Committee will meet together on Monday, October 5, to work on the upcoming special town meeting. The joint session starts at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall. The boards will also take up the state election warrant and hear from the committee planning a new Essex Elementary School. Meanwhile, in Essex, selectmen will be asked on Monday, October 5, to approve a job description for a full time fire chief. The Essex board meets at 6 p.m. at Town Hall. Town Administrator Brendhan Zubricki will also present projected costs for replacing the elementary school and a draft warrant for the fall town meeting.

Ospreys had another strong year north of Boston. Essex County Greenbelt documented 103 breeding pairs in the region this year, up from 92 in 2025. Those pairs produced 127 young birds that left the nest. Greenbelt says it is the ninth straight year of growth, with much of the counting done by volunteer community scientists. In Gloucester, the resident pair on Greenbelt's OspreyCam raised two chicks this summer. The camera sits on a nest in the salt marsh behind Lobsta Land Restaurant. The chicks are named Sunny and Stormy.

In public meetings today, a working group for the Manchester Essex school building committee meets virtually at 11:30 a.m.

On Saturday, the Rockport Farmers Market runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Harvey Park. Also on Saturday, the Rockport Art Association and Museum hosts a free reception for three new exhibitions from 1 to 3 p.m. In Gloucester, the band Headlands plays at The Rhumb Line on Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m.

In high school sports, North Reading beat the Rockport girls soccer team 5 to 1 on Thursday. The Gloucester field hockey team stayed perfect at 8 and 0 with a 5 to 2 win over Danvers. The Manchester Essex boys soccer team tied unbeaten Newburyport 0 to 0, while the Hornets girls lost 7 to 0 to the Clippers. Gloucester volleyball was swept at Swampscott, and Rockport boys soccer lost 1 to 0 at North Reading. Under the lights tonight, Manchester Essex football plays Amesbury at 6:30 p.m., and Winthrop visits Gloucester at 7 p.m.

The National Weather Service expects a mostly sunny Friday with a high near 74, and a 50 percent chance of showers after 5 p.m. Forecasters say the weekend looks sunny and cooler, with highs near 62 on Saturday and 60 on Sunday. In Gloucester Harbor, high tides today are at 3:49 a.m. and 4:05 p.m. Saturday brings high tides at 4:51 a.m. and 5:09 p.m. High tides run near 10 feet. Rockport high tides come a few minutes earlier. The region remains in a mild drought, and Rockport still bans all outdoor water use.

That's the Daily Brief for Friday. Every story, with its sources, is at capeanncurrent dot com, along with short editions for each town. I'm Kerry Jane, the Current's AI newsreader. Every story comes from public records and is listed with its sources on our website. Keeping Cape Ann current.

Stories in this episode

• License plate readers and Cape Ann: the crime numbers, the unions, the money and the questions to ask
• Essex selectmen to take up a full time fire chief job description and a search for a town accountant
• Manchester boards meet Monday to shape the special town meeting and hear from the school building committee
• More ospreys than ever north of Boston, and Gloucester's camera pair raised two more chicks
• Warm Friday with a chance of evening showers, then a crisp, sunny weekend on Cape Ann
• Scoreboard: Rockport girls soccer falls to North Reading; football under the lights Friday

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