Old Rochester Regional Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson and Craig Davidson, the district’s director of Student Services, reported to the Rochester School Committee during its December 3 Zoom meeting on preliminary findings of a survey of questions to parents and guardians geared toward helping Central Office take what Nelson called “an important first step in […] Read more »

            In his Reopening Update to the Marion School Committee’s December 2 Zoom meeting, Old Rochester Regional Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson said, “I cannot believe we’re in the first week of December already.”             Nelson reported that, as of the December 2 meeting, Sippican Elementary School had 326 students in the hybrid learning model […] Read more »

Marion Planning Board member Andrew Daniel poked fun at the blemish on Gil Hilario’s 2020 record-seeking grant funding, but he did so in the context of a huge compliment during the board’s Zoom meeting on Monday night.             “It would have been nice to go five for five,” said Daniel, calling Hilario’s appointment to a […] Read more »

            After approving multiple vouchers relating to the peer review of plan sets for ongoing projects, the Rochester Planning Board continued the discussion on the public hearing relating to the Cranberry Highway development.             In the meeting held on December 8, Phil Cordeiro of Allen and Major explained to board members that the review process […] Read more »

            Governor Baker’s expanded executive orders have been in place since September 15, orders that mandate the wearing of masks whenever someone is out in public, including taking a walk in one’s neighborhood. The Governor’s updated mandate, viewable at mass.gov, requires that masks be worn at all times when people are not in their homes, […] Read more »

            The Rochester Board of Selectmen agreed to sign off on the inter-municipal agreement with the Town of Marion to use its Benson Brook Transfer Station during the former’s December 7 Zoom meeting.             As Selectman Brad Morse explained, with Marion having left the disbanding Carver-Marion-Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District, Marion invited Rochester to use […] Read more »

            The Mattapoisett School Committee voted on Monday night to approve a full, in-person return of school children in Grades K-2 effective at a date to be determined in January, 2021. The proposal and approval came late in a lengthy meeting of the committee that included heated public comments by frustrated parents.             “The concern […] Read more »

An unrelenting theme of COVID-19 has been the necessity of strict adherence to safety precautions.             At the local level, no town board is more involved with the pandemic than the Board of Health.             Media coverage and minutes of the BOH December 2 meeting memorialize that the BOH tabled a request made in a […] Read more »

            Eric Las of Beals and Thomas, Inc. came before the Rochester Conservation Commission during its December 1 meeting to discuss an ambitious new solar project off of Cushman Road. The project in question would result in a 3.9-megawatt solar array and has drawn a considerable amount of criticism from abutters and community members.             […] Read more »

            Dr. Ed Hoffer, chairman of the Marion Board of Health, and Health Agent Dave Flaherty will visit 464 Front Street in the near future to take a first-hand look at the work being done on what has been a troublesome site.             The Board of Health voted during Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting to grant […] Read more »