Small paper, now with a bigger bench 

I'm giving this week's one-sentence summary over to some good news: the Independent is growing. Here are the people making that true.

Start with Steve Rood (far left, above). If you scrolled our frame-by-frame coverage of the 60th Marblehead Festival of Arts — the model sloops crossing Redd's Pond, the horns at Crocker Park, the harbor illumination going up in a ring of red fire — you were looking at his work alongside Katie Ring's. The June frames of the Gerry No. 5 handtub back at the pond, the first time in eight years the 1845 Hunneman pumper sprayed water in public, were his too.

Steve has been a professional concert photographer for more than 40 years. It started at Glover School in the 1970s and carried through the junior high and high school newspapers and yearbooks. Then came 38 years in Los Angeles, where he worked in film and real estate and shot the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Phish and the Grateful Dead, along with the Nervous Eaters, the Fools and the Dogmatics closer to home. His pictures have run in the Los Angeles Times, Variety, Relix, Forbes and People, and they hang in the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas. He moved back to help his parents. Now he points that same lens at handtubs, festival crowds and the Horribles Parade. I will take it, gladly. 

Katie is already a familiar name here. She has been documenting Marblehead's arts and civic life for us for several months. This month she started something of her own: "Marblehead Morsels," an occasional column about food and dining that pairs her photography with first-person reporting from the table.

Her inaugural column features the soft opening of Le Petit Comptoir, the new wine bar at 118 Washington St., where a neighbor she had met once at the Barnacle insisted on fixing her a plate from the grazing table so she would not miss out while she was shooting. The column takes its name from our town, but she says she will follow good food wherever it goes. Send her suggestions at hello@katiering.com.

Marc Grazado (far right, above) is our newest reporter. I mentored him through his senior project at Marblehead High School in the spring of 2025. He is now a sophomore at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, studying communication and media studies, and he is home for the summer. He will file year-round and carry a fuller load on breaks, covering the town as a generalist — sports is his passion, but he wants to round himself out. He is eager, curious and a good writer, and I was delighted when he reached out.

Joanna Shellenberger (middle, above) has joined as our business adviser. She spent more than 25 years in finance and fundraising operations, most recently running gift administration across Harvard University. Now she is looking at the finance and revenue underneath our reporting. Her first project is a full assessment of the Independent.

We're lucky to have this much talent in one small newsroom — so if it's worth your time, forward this to neighbors, family and friends, or encourage them to sign up here for our free weekly newsletter. 

Cheers,

Will 

Alongside our 122 members, this edition of The Independent's newsletter is made possible by the support of Glover Property Management Inc.: 

Two top Town Hall jobs are turning over at once

Marblehead is about to replace its two most senior administrators within months of each other — right as it begins spending the biggest tax increase voters have ever approved. Who's going, when, and why the timing has people talking.

 The departing CFO breaks her silence

Aleesha Nunley Benjamin pushes back on the idea that her exit signals trouble at Town Hall — and insists she's leaving the books in good order. Her real reason is more personal.

 How much of the old

Coffin School should stay public?

Officials seem to agree it's finally time to bring in developers for the vacant Turner Road school. What split the Select Board recently was how much of the 3 acres to keep for the town — and whether to decide before the bids come in. No vote yet.

 The town wants to text you a question 

Marblehead has signed on with a company that pushes one-minute surveys to residents who opt in. Officials say it'll sharpen decisions; survey researchers say it hinges on one thing. Here's how to sign up — and the catch.

 Markey and Moulton, face to face at last

The first question was about Sen. Ed Markey's age. Within a minute the Senate primary debate had become a fight over money, trust and who can really take on Trump — two Democrats with two very different theories of power.

Why the sky went orange

Wednesday's blue summer sky turned an eerie orange — and no local fire was to blame. The haze had traveled hundreds of miles, with a thicker plume on the way. What caused it, and who should take extra care. COURTESY PHOTO / RONNIE KNIGHT

Missed an issue? The Independent’s newsletter archive keeps the whole run in reach 

 The Marblehead Independent’s newsletter archive gives readers one place to revisit past editions, catch up on weeks they missed and track how the town’s biggest stories unfolded over time. It is an easy way to browse the paper’s recent history in the format many readers know best: a full, curated weekly edition built around the stories that mattered most. 

The Driftwood is back — and the fried dough stays

After 45 years of Galvin family stewardship and a brief closure, the Front Street mainstay has reopened under new owner Maria Torres. The Select Board's very first question wasn't about hours or seats. 

Our reporting remains free and open to all. It’s sustained by readers who choose to support it, making it possible for us to keep producing rigorous, document-based local reporting without paywalls or promotional framing. Right now, 121 readers support The Marblehead Independent with a monthly or annual contribution:  Click here to become an Independent member.

Marblehead remembers Noel Young, 1940–2026

Glasses raised, members of the Marblehead Media Group honor their founder, Scottish editor Noel Young, during a July 9 gathering at Stramski's. The group, one of Young's enduring legacies in Marblehead, continues to meet after his death June 27 at age 86. Read our tribute.

 COMPUTERS 101:
Using AI without losing your head

AI will either revolutionize the world or write your grocery list, depending on who's talking. Our columnist lands in between — she uses it nearly every day (and calls hers Chester), but works to keep it from turning her brain to mush. How to lean on it intentionally, not lazily.

 COLLEEN'S GARDEN:

Before the rain, after the heat 

Before the rain, after the rain, before the heat, after the heat — a summer garden keeps its own tempo, and Colleen Connor plans her days around it. A gentle midsummer meditation on morning coffee, deadheading, the beetles on the roses, and how it's suddenly 4 p.m.

 MARBLEHEAD MORSELS:
A new wine bar wins the room

Le Petit Comptoir threw open its doors for a soft launch, and some of Marblehead's friendliest faces turned out for wine and a grazing table. Our columnist set the camera down long enough to pull up a chair — proof that at the next table over, you're one plate away from a new friend. A warm first taste of Alex Lewis's new spot.

 Eight teams, one patio, and the friend who wasn't there 

On the Council on Aging bocce court where Josie Crowley spent so many afternoons, friends gathered for a tournament in her name. Known for her blue hair and warm welcome, she drew a crowd back to the game she loved.

AROUND TOWN

This week's community bulletin highlights key town deadlines, meetings, programs, events and civic reminders. Click any blue item to go directly to source material, registration pages or full details.