Daily Current, Sunday, October 11

Transcript

Good morning. It's Sunday, October 11. This is the Daily Current, free public information for Cape Ann from the Cape Ann Current. I'm Kerry Jane. Today we look at the week of public meetings ahead, preview Tuesday's Gloucester City Council agenda, and share the state's voter guide for the November election.

We start with Crosscurrents, the reader voice column. This week's question is: Town budgets are tight across Cape Ann. What is one town service you would protect no matter what? You can weigh in at capeanncurrent dot com slash crosscurrents.

Here is the week ahead in public meetings. On Tuesday, the Gloucester City Council meets at 6:30 p.m., and the Licensing Board also meets. In Essex, the Board of Selectmen meets at 6 p.m., followed by the Finance Committee at 7 p.m. Manchester by the Sea has several boards meeting Tuesday evening, including the Planning Board and Conservation Commission. In Rockport, the Council on Aging meets at 5 p.m. On Wednesday, October 14, the Gloucester School Committee meets at 6 p.m. Rockport's Affordable Housing Trust meets at 6:30 p.m., and Manchester by the Sea has several boards meeting. On Thursday, October 15, the Rockport Planning Board meets at 6:30 p.m., along with the Board of Health and several other boards across Cape Ann.

In Gloucester, the City Council meets Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall and on Zoom. According to the agenda, the council will consider accepting 256,300 dollars in state grants for downtown improvements and housing zoning. The city auditor is also sending the council the latest valuation of retiree health care benefits as of June 30, 2026, which shows a total liability of about 181.2 million dollars. The council will also vote on changing the funding source for a 1 million dollar budget fix voted on June 16, and review state required updates to the city's marijuana rules.

Across Cape Ann, the deadline to register to vote in the November 3 state election is Saturday, October 24. According to the Secretary of the Commonwealth, early voting runs from October 17 to October 30. The state's Information for Voters booklet, which covers the nine statewide ballot questions, was mailed to households in the middle of September. The City of Gloucester posted on Thursday that the guide is also available online in audio, accessible formats, and five languages.

In events today, Magtoberfest runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Lexington Avenue in Magnolia. The Cape Ann Artisans Open Studios fall tour wraps up today across Cape Ann. The North Shore Arts Association in Gloucester hosts an Art Sale and Open Gallery from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Tuesday, Cape Ann Lanes in Gloucester hosts Music Video Bingo from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

In high school sports, the Gloucester field hockey team reached a record of 10 and 0 with two shutouts this week, and the football team beat Salem 35 to 17 on Friday. In Saturday's soccer finals, the Rockport girls beat Gloucester 3 to 1, while the Gloucester boys shut out Rockport 1 to 0. Also on Saturday, the Manchester Essex girls soccer team fell to Salem 2 to 1, and the field hockey team lost to Sandwich 7 to 0. On Columbus Day Monday, the Manchester Essex and Rockport field hockey teams both play on the road at 10 a.m.

The National Weather Service expects mostly cloudy skies today with a high near 60. Rain showers are expected tonight, with a half to three quarters of an inch of rain possible, before clearing up for a partly sunny Columbus Day with a high near 63. In Gloucester Harbor, midday high tides will be near 10 feet today and tomorrow. The state moved Cape Ann to a Level 2 drought on Friday, and Rockport's total ban on outdoor water use is still posted on the town's website.

That's the Daily Current for Sunday. Everything you heard, with its sources, is at capeanncurrent dot com, along with short editions for each town. I'm Kerry Jane, the Cape Ann Current's host. Everything we share is free public information from public records and government data, and every source is listed on our website. Catch the Daily Current again tomorrow. Keeping Cape Ann current.

Stories in this episode

• Before Tuesday's Gloucester City Council: $256,300 in state grants for downtown and housing zoning, the election warrant and a $1 million budget fix
• Voter registration closes Oct. 24, and the state's guide to the nine ballot questions is online
• Mostly cloudy Sunday, then a soaking rain tonight before a drier Columbus Day
• Sunday on Cape Ann: Magtoberfest in Magnolia, the last day of the Artisans open studios and a plein air art sale
• Scoreboard: Rockport girls and Gloucester boys split the soccer doubleheader, Manchester Essex falls twice
• Weekly roundup: Gloucester field hockey reaches 10 and 0, football beats Salem, and Rockport and Gloucester split a soccer doubleheader

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