Disabilities Commission Re-Established

            On October 16, a group of volunteers agreed to work collectively to rebuild the Mattapoisett Disabilities Commission. An earlier version of the commission petered out after the loss of a prime mover of the group. Now the town and the newly re-established commission are picking up the pieces.             To that end, Assistant Town […] Read more »

Read the Fine Print

My father had many aphorisms. One which I use frequently is, “figures don’t lie, but liars figure.” The drug companies are masters at using numbers to mislead; they will make big print statements that are accurate but convey a message not consistent with real value.             You might see “Our new cancer drug lets patients […] Read more »

Innovative Public Services

If you have been inclined to take a nice walk or bike ride on the Rail Trail on a beautiful fall weekend and have driven downtown to do so, you may and have found, after searching for a space in the parking lot (the lot designated for motor vehicles, not the empty one for boat […] Read more »

ORRHS Appoints New Interim Assistant Principal

Superintendent Michael S. Nelson and Old Rochester Regional High School Principal Michael Devoll are pleased to announce that Lauren Millette has been appointed interim high school assistant principal.             Millette most recently served as the Director of Guidance for the Old Rochester Regional High School (ORRHS) and Junior High School for three years. The current […] Read more »

Saving The Sea Turtles

Once again, the Marion Natural History Museum hosted an informative and thought-provoking speaker bringing real-time urgency to all creatures great and small as they fight to survive.             The October 19 event featured Karen Dourdeville, Sea Turtle Research Coordinator for the Massachusetts Audubon of Cape Cod. Armed with taxidermy examples of turtles and many decades […] Read more »

Marion Officials Participate in EMA Tabletop Exercise

On Tuesday, October 8, MEMA staff visited the Marion Police Department and facilitated a tabletop exercise with participants from the police and fire departments, Department of Public Works, Council on Aging, Public Information, Board of Health, Sippican Elementary School, and Community Emergency Response Team.             A tabletop exercise is a part of MEMA training that […] Read more »

What to do When Your Insurance Company Won’t Pay

We are living in an era, in the U.S., when the insurance company often overrides your doctors’ decisions. Less often with traditional Medicare but more with commercial health insurance and Medicare Advantage plans, you may find that a test or procedure your physician ordered is refused payment by your insurer and you are stuck with […] Read more »

Numbers, Letters, and More Letters

The Muppet character Count Von Count on Sesame Street must have been inspired by the federal government. Let me explain. The United States government is obsessed with numbers, just like the Count. There is the U.S. Census Bureau which is charged with counting every resident in the country, plus all manner of other data. With […] Read more »

Returning To The Baile –Ireland

Local resident Anne Johnson’s voice was full of joyful lilt as she recently shared her immigration story with us. She stated several times how much coming to America in 1954 meant to the McEntee kids, twin brother Patrick, brother Brendan, and sister Bridget. The family dreamed of coming to America, their mother’s country of birth. […] Read more »

Things That Go Bump…

…in the night. Jeff Belanger has been for many years curious about what lies beyond that thin invisible veil that separates the living from those not living. He has authored numerous books detailing legends and studying ghost stories now published in one of his many books. The author, actor, television director, producer, podcaster, expert of […] Read more »