Paul Leighton

1 month ago | thebeverlybeat.substack.com | Paul Leighton

I was driving by the city’s newest marijuana dispensary, Reverie 73, the other day and had two thoughts: First, what the heck does the ‘73’ stand for? And second, how much money is the city getting from these marijuana businesses, of which there are now three? The first answer is easy — ‘73’ refers to 1973, the year the first state decriminalized cannabis (Oregon). The second answer is a bit more complicated.

1 month ago | thebeverlybeat.substack.com | Paul Leighton

The Cabot has a new executive director. The theater announced on Thursday that Brian Ridolfo, who has had leadership roles at major arts institutions in South Carolina and Florida, will succeed Casey Soward as executive director. The selection comes at a key time for The Cabot, which is about to undertake an extensive renovation of the outside of the historic 1920 theater, including the installation of a new marquee.

1 month ago | thebeverlybeat.substack.com | Paul Leighton

I have to admit I was surprised one day last week when I looked out the window and saw a yellow school bus in our neighborhood. Wasn’t this school vacation week?, I thought. Then I remembered. The teachers’ strike. Or maybe we should call it The Teachers’ Strike, considering the impact it had, and continues to have, on the city.

1 month ago | thebeverlybeat.substack.com | Paul Leighton

The mystery of why 16 houses in North Beverly have been sitting unused for over a year is over. The houses are owned by the U.S. Coast Guard and had been used as homes for U.S. Army and Coast Guard members and their families since they were built in 1958. Two years ago the Coast Guard began moving people out and wouldn’t say why. In the midst of a housing crisis, they now sit empty in a nice neighborhood on Laurel Street, near the North Beverly Elementary School.

2 months ago | thebeverlybeat.substack.com | Paul Leighton

Notes and quotes on a Friday afternoon …2025 promises to one of the most competitive election years in Beverly in quite awhile. There are three good candidates for the state rep seat that opened up when Jerry Parisella became a judge — city councilors Hannah Bowen and Todd Rotondo, who will meet in the Democratic primary on April 15, and Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce President Medley Long, who is running as a Republican and will face the Bowen/Rotondo winner in the May 13 final election.