https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefsThe daily local brief for Rockport, MA.en-ushttps://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-10-09https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-10-09Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Susan (Marshall) Makkonen, 81, who taught math in the Gloucester and Rockport public schools for more than 25 years, died October 3 at her home in Wildwood, Fla., after a long illness. Born December 27, 1944, she was raised on Upper Main Street in Rockport, the daughter of the late Henry and Marion Marshall. Her obituary was published Thursday, October 8.https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-10-08https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-10-08Thu, 08 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000400 Trees and the Cape Ann YMCA opened free registration on October 6 for Dirt Club, an outdoor nature-education program for elementary students focused on outdoor play, seasonal exploration and hands-on learning. Rockport Elementary sessions meet Wednesdays from 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. through the week of November 16, supervised by YMCA and 400 Trees staff. Children not enrolled in YMCA aftercare may join free with a parent or guardian.https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-10-07https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-10-07Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Rockport's transfer station will be closed Monday, October 12, for Indigenous Peoples' Day. The town's regulations list Columbus Day among its annual holiday closures. The regular schedule resumes Tuesday, and the station is open year-round on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-10-06https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-10-06Tue, 06 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Jessie Palm, LICSW, a social worker with the Eastern Essex Regional Public Health Coalition, is in the Rockport Public Library's Trustees Room from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today. She helps people connect with government benefits and services, nonprofit organizations, support groups and other local resources in a confidential setting, and no appointment is needed. The open office hours are held every first and third Tuesday of the month.https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-10-05https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-10-05Mon, 05 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Second Essex District state representative candidates Kristin Kassner (D), the incumbent, and Daniel Kelly (R) will take questions on a range of topics from 6:30 to 8 p.m. tonight at True North Ale Company in Ipswich, ahead of the Nov. 3 election. The free public forum is hosted by the Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce with Ipswich Local News and Hamilton Wenham News, and the public may submit questions through an online form. ICAM will record the event.https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-10-04https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-10-04Sun, 04 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Cape Ann Animal Aid's 2.6-mile Tails on the Trails hike starts at 10 a.m. today from the water tower at the top of Summit Avenue and loops through Dogtown Woods. Late arrivals are welcome until noon, and the organizers say the trail can be rocky and uneven. Registration is $30 for adults and $10 for children 5 and older, while dogs and kids under 5 walk free, and all funds raised support homeless animals at Cape Ann Animal Aid.https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-10-03https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-10-03Sat, 03 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000The 10th anniversary Cape Ann Plein Air competition and festival begins today. Thirty-five outdoor artists will be painting across Rockport and surrounding Cape Ann towns through Oct. 11.https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-10-02https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-10-02Fri, 02 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Rockport Exchange Farmers Market runs Saturday, October 3, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Harvey Park, with farm-fresh and craft goods from vendors including Cape Ann Sea Salt Co., Bonny Breads, Far From the Tree Cider and Marshview Farm. Steve Lacey will provide live music, and the Rockport Rotary will be on hand with information.https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-10-01https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-10-01Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Blues, soul and gospel artist Ruthie Foster takes the stage tonight, Thursday, October 1, at 7:30 p.m. at the Shalin Liu Performance Center, 37 Main St. Raised in a gospel family in Gause, Texas, Foster studied music at a community college in Waco and later sang with the Navy band Pride. She will be joined by Larry Fulcher on bass, Hadden Sayers Binion on lead guitar and Brannen Temple on drums.https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-30https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-30Wed, 30 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000The free Greater Cape Ann Regional College & Career Fair runs 6 to 7:30 p.m. tonight in the Lower Gymnasium at Ipswich High School, 134 High Street. The Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce organized it with Ipswich, Gloucester, Rockport and Manchester-Essex high schools, and it brings more than 150 colleges and universities along with local business leaders. Representatives from the trades, the Armed Forces and other fields that do not require a college degree will also be on hand.https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-29https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-29Tue, 29 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000Author Ashley Woods will visit Rockport Elementary on Oct. 6 for an interactive session that uses music, movement and storytelling to bring Spanish to life, and she will visit all grade levels. The Education Foundation for Rockport is funding the visit. Families can order signed books through a form or QR code on the school's posting.https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-28https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-28Mon, 28 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000Sunday's nor'easter brought heavy rain, strong winds, beach erosion and scattered power outages to Rockport and Cape Ann. At high tide on Long Beach, the August shelf of sand was gone and the seawall's rip rap was exposed, but all staircases remained intact and the tides met the wall with little splash over. Yard furniture at front-row cottages and the pea stone pathway appeared undisturbed.https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-27https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-27Sun, 27 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000A nor'easter brought 50 mph wind gusts, large waves and power outages to the coast Saturday. Town Administrator Mitchell Vieira urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel, calling power outages, coastal flooding and erosion the biggest concerns, with the worst expected in the afternoon and overnight. Most businesses and roads stayed open as sightseers gathered at the beaches, and a local surfer warned of strong currents.https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-26https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-26Sat, 26 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000Thomas J. Randazza, 35, of Gloucester, died suddenly on September 23. He lived most of his life in Gloucester, attended Rockport and Gloucester high schools, and earned a Bachelor of Science in IT management from Southern New Hampshire University. His obituary was published September 25 on Legacy.com by Greely Funeral Home.https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-25https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-25Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000A rare September nor'easter is forecast to hit the coast from Friday through the weekend. Waterfront businesses in Rockport are closing for the weekend and boaters are pulling vessels from the water, though it remains uncertain how hard the storm will hit. Winds could reach 50 mph, strong enough to break heavy branches that could damage homes and cars, and tree crews have been trimming around the clock to reduce the risk of falling limbs and power outages.https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-24https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-24Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000A group exhibition featuring Willie Alexander, Joan Mullen, Martin Sorger and Julia Talcott opens Thursday at Cove Gallery, 37 Rocky Neck Avenue in Gloucester, and runs through Oct. 18. Working across painting, printmaking and sculpture, the four artists each weigh how much of the world to include and how much to strip away. Thursday gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m., and an opening reception is set for Sunday, Sept. 27, from 4 to 6 p.m.https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-23https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-23Wed, 23 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000Residents are raising money for the two families who lived above Rockport House of Pizza and for the restaurant's employees after Sunday's fire destroyed the downtown building. A fundraiser for the workers has passed $3,000 toward an $11,000 goal. General manager and part-owner Brenden Kolterjahn, who began working there at 16 and helped reopen the shop in July 2025, said he and the other employees are now out of work and unsure what comes next.https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-22https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-22Tue, 22 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000James Robert Milne, 62, known as Jim, died July 6 at Beverly Hospital after a long and courageous battle stemming from a severe 2004 auto accident. A 1982 graduate of Rockport High School, he studied computer science at GTE Sylvania Technical School in Waltham and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1987, working as an avionics instrument repair technician at the rank of Senior Airman. A memorial Mass is set for Monday, September 28, at St. Joachim in Rockport, followed by burial at Beech Grove Cemetery.https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-21https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-21Mon, 21 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000A four-alarm fire Sunday morning at 19 Broadway Avenue, home to Rockport House of Pizza, forced two families and several businesses to evacuate. Firefighters knocked down the blaze by 1 p.m.; no injuries were reported. The cause remains under investigation by the Rockport Fire Department and Massachusetts State Police.https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-20https://nanopress.net/rockport-ma/briefs/2026-09-20Sun, 20 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000Rockport Public Schools announces a half-day for students on Tuesday, September 22, with professional development for faculty. The annual RMHS Open House will be held Thursday, September 24 at 6:00 p.m.