Amy Palmer

The Local News (Ipswich/Rowley, Topsfield/Boxford) • 7th April 2025

Ipswich Woman Starts Educational Scholarship with Spinal Cord Injury Group in Boston

IPSWICH — On October 12, 2004, resident Linda Riley and her husband, Steve, were driving back from a visit with friends in Canada when the unthinkable happened. Roughly two hours into their trip home, at around 9:30 a.m., their car went off the road, rolling down an 18-inch drop onto a pile of concrete rubble. Ten days later, Riley woke up from a coma. She was paralyzed from the breastbone down, and her sister told her that Steve had died almost immediately after the crash. He was 50 years old.“...

The Local News (Ipswich/Rowley, Topsfield/Boxford) • 28th March 2025

"Nothing Will Ever Top This": Ed Sheeran Treats Fans to once-in-a-lifetime Experience in Downtown Ipswich

IPSWICH — Ed Sheeran hit all the right notes during his Friday visit to Ipswich.In town for a music video shoot and the opening of his pop-up pub, the Old Phone, Sheeran showed Ipswich that he’s a down-to-earth crowd-pleaser — a trait that you might not expect from a star of his magnitude.Surrounded by a dozen police officers, Sheeran emerged from behind EBSCO’s Old Mill building, where his temporary pub is located, at around 1 p.m. But he didn’t let the protective bu...

The Local News (Ipswich/Rowley, Topsfield/Boxford) • 25th March 2025

Rowley to Pay $14 Million for Triton, Clashes with School Committee over $54 Million Budget

ROWLEY — The town must pay roughly $14 million for Triton in the upcoming fiscal year (FY26).Last week, the Triton School Committee approved its $54 million budget for FY26. This represents an increase of roughly $2.4 million, or 4.4%, from last year.Rowley’s required payment increased by $951,278, or 7.09%, from FY25, according to the Triton final operating budget. FY26 will be the most challenging fiscal year in Rowley’s recent history, according to finance committee chair Dennis Roy, with add...

The Local News (Ipswich/Rowley, Topsfield/Boxford) • 10th March 2025

Major Water and Wastewater Projects to Place “Tremendous Burden” on Ipswich Rate-Payers

IPSWICH — When water and wastewater director Vicki Halmen made her budget requests to the finance committee, she warned that major projects — such as the water treatment plant replacement — will place a heavy financial burden on the town’s rate-payers.“[Our operating and managing budget] is mostly pretty consistent, but our capital improvements are vast and expensive and are a tremendous burden on the rate-payers,” Halmen said.Because the water and wastewater departments are entirely funded by t...

The Local News (Ipswich/Rowley, Topsfield/Boxford) • 7th January 2025

A Reporter at the Pulpit: Rowley’s New Reverend Balances Faith and Journalism

ROWLEY — More than a decade ago, Rev. Jeff MacDonald spent months in a courtroom for the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bomber. He wasn’t there for the reasons you might expect. He wasn’t counseling the defendant or any of the victims, and he wasn’t serving as a juror or a witness. MacDonald was there as a reporter for USA Today. He covered the Boston Marathon bombing from the day of the attack through Tsarnaev’s trial, during which he was found guilty on all 30 federal counts a...

The Local News (Ipswich/Rowley, Topsfield/Boxford) • 29th October 2024

Should MCAS Be a High School Graduation Requirement? Local Educators Weigh In

ESSEX COUNTY — As Massachusetts voters head to the polls, one ballot question has drawn more attention from local educators than the rest.Question 2 asks residents to eliminate the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, better known as the MCAS, as a high school graduation requirement. If the measure passes, the MCAS would still be administered in schools, but students would no longer have to pass it in order to receive a high school diploma. Instead, they would have to complete district...

The Local News (Ipswich/Rowley, Topsfield/Boxford) • 3rd March 2025

Case Closed: This Court Officer Has Retired!

IPSWICH — When Michele Gaeta began her career as a court officer in 1987, she was one of five female court officers in all of Essex County, she said. At the time, there were probably about 100 court officers in the county, according to her estimates.Working in such a male-dominated environment certainly had its challenges, Gaeta said. “It wasn’t easy all the time working in a ‘man’s world.’”She can easily recall walking into a room and being the only woman there, listening to male officers discus...

The Local News (Ipswich/Rowley, Topsfield/Boxford) • 29th January 2025

“We Took an Oath … and It’s the Law”: Selectmen Say Rowley Must Vote on 3A Again

ROWLEY — Rowley will vote on 3A once again. And this time, the board of selectmen said the town has to comply.“In light of the SJC’s decision and what’s come out, we don’t have a choice,” vice chair Sheri David said on Monday night.The Supreme Judicial Court upheld the controversial multifamily zoning law on January 8 and ruled that the state has the power to enforce it. Any community that fails to comply will lose access to certain state grants and will almost certainly face a lawsuit from the...

The Local News (Ipswich/Rowley, Topsfield/Boxford) • 13th December 2024

Trifecta: MSBA Invites Ipswich, Triton, and Whittier Tech into Funding Process

ESSEX COUNTY — The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) board of directors voted unanimously to invite the Ipswich, Triton, and Whittier Tech school districts into the state agency’s school building program.A total of 22 schools were invited to join the 270-day eligibility period, which kicks off the MSBA’s funding process. During this phase, the MSBA will assess whether each district “is ready to manage and fund a capital project,” identify planning and bu...

The Local News (Ipswich/Rowley, Topsfield/Boxford) • 11th December 2024

Small-Town Rowley Struggles with a Big Town Meeting

ROWLEY — Rowley’s special town meeting on November 25 was plagued with issues.Dozens of residents had to wait outside for nearly 30 minutes to check in. Inside the Pine Grove auditorium, others were unable to find seats. About 40 attendees were sent to an overflow room, where technical difficulties made it hard to follow the meeting. Many people in the auditorium had trouble hearing the speakers, and others grew frustrated as the meeting, scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m., was delayed by 40 minute...

The Local News (Ipswich/Rowley, Topsfield/Boxford) • 5th November 2024

Miniature Clam Box Earns Major Recognition

IPSWICH — Richard Josselyn has been a loyal patron of the Clam Box for more than 30 years.He visits every spring and fall, to avoid the summer crowds, and orders his signature dish: a plate of fried clams and scallops served with a side of onion rings and coleslaw. Josselyn likes the Clam Box so much that he decided to create one of his own. In the unfinished basement of his Andover home, he spent nearly 30 hours crafting a miniature replica from scratch, using pictures from his last trip as a r...

The Local News (Ipswich/Rowley, Topsfield/Boxford) • 18th September 2024

Winfrey’s Fudge Celebrates 45 Years This Fall

In September of 1979, Winfrey was just a last name belonging to a nurse and a candy-maker living in Peabody. That nurse and that candy-maker, Christine and Stuart Winfrey, had just brought home twin baby boys. The two left their jobs and started making fudge in the basement to make ends meet. Their plan was simple: sell fudge to anyone who would pay for it.Forty-five years later, Winfrey’s Fudge and Chocolates has exploded across the North Shore, with five locations offering more than 30 types o...