Around the Valley this week

The Middle Street bridge has reopened, restoring the crossing between Newburyport and neighboring West Newbury.

Officials said motorists crossed the bridge last week and that it marked the first time vehicles had used the crossing since 2018. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for next week.

National Grid plans to hold an open house Wednesday night in Haverhill to meet with residents and answer questions about its line project.

The utility plans to refurbish a corridor of electric lines covering 32 miles, and the work is centered in Haverhill. The open house is intended to let residents speak with company representatives and ask about the planned line work.

WHAV reported one description of the corridor that places it from the "Ward Hill Substation in Haverhill north to the New Hampshire border and south to Tewksbury", and that account identifies the substation as being on Cross Road. National Grid’s filings list the Ward Hill Substation on Cross Street.

National Grid is the utility carrying out the planned work.

The Daily News of Newburyport reported that a feasibility study was presented at the Amesbury School Committee’s Monday meeting.

After the presentation, Mayor Kassandra Gove said she had doubts about the proposal to regionalize with Georgetown Public Schools. Superintendent Stephen Zadravec expressed similar doubts following the study’s presentation.

The Town of Salisbury has posted voter guidance for the State Election scheduled for November 3, 2026. The material is available to Salisbury residents as a resource ahead of the election.

The town’s voter information page includes Early Voting Information so local voters can review the option of voting early before November 3.

Methuen Mayor D.J. Beauregard and City Councilor Mike Simard filed a letter and a joint resolution for the City Council to consider at its October 5, 2026 meeting.

The submission was announced by the City of Methuen on September 30, 2026.

Public Works issued a clarification that sections of three North Andover roadways are scheduled for work the week of September 28, weather permitting. The projects cover Summer Street between Salem Street and Farnum Street, Marbleridge Road between Salem Street and Johnson Street, and Rea Street between Johnson Street and Chestnut Street.

The town plans to begin on Summer Street, then move to Marbleridge Road, and finish with Rea Street. These segments are included in the Annual Roads and Sidewalk Restoration Program, and full-length restorations are planned to be added to the roadway restoration CIP over the coming years. Motorists should expect delays, detours and raised castings. A town official will be on site during work, and questions can be directed to the engineering department.

On 2026-09-23 the City of Lawrence published a notice titled "Smoke Alarms Save Lives!".

The City of Lawrence says it will provide free smoke alarms to households in the city and is asking residents to request a smoke alarm installation today. That means residents who want an installation can seek one through the city’s program as described in the notice. The announcement comes from the City of Lawrence and is directed to local residents.

The Colantoni Center, 51 W. Main Street in Georgetown, will host the Second Annual Oktoberfest on Saturday, October 10, 2026, from noon to 6 p.m., with a rain date of Sunday, October 11. The event is geared to all ages and will include seasonal drinks, a full bar serving beer, local food vendors, artisan booths, activities and games, and live music.

Flash Drive will open, followed by Back to the 80’s, a New England tribute band known for energetic covers of 1980s pop, rock and new wave performed in retro costumes. Advance admission is $7 and $10 at the gate; kids age 12 and under enter free. Guests are asked to bring lawn chairs. The Georgetown Council on Aging will run a food drive. Renegade’s Pub will offer food and drinks with indoor and outdoor seating and an outdoor fireplace. For vendor or sponsorship inquiries, call (978) 317-7999.

In West Newbury, the Select Board said it will not hold a Special Town Meeting this fall and that the message was issued by the board.

The Select Board says the Annual Town Meeting is intended to conduct town business and that special meetings should be called only for unanticipated matters that cannot wait until the Annual Meeting in April. The board says it began holding fall meetings routinely in recent years even when items were not urgent, that Town Meetings are expensive, and that convening non-urgent sessions wastes taxpayer money. The Select Board says it plans to return to the town's historical approach and concentrate on the spring Annual Town Meeting.

The Town of Andover says it has been notified about a discharge of untreated or partially treated wastewater from the Lowell Wastewater Treatment Facility.

The town says the release is linked to a combined sewer overflow in Lowell that occurred September 27–29. The town describes the material involved as untreated or partially treated wastewater.

The U.S. Department of Energy awarded funding to National Grid for a project called Dynamic Rating Enhancement Advancements and Modernization, or DREAM. The award is estimated to be about $49 million.

DREAM will deploy advanced transmission technologies intended to improve grid reliability, raise system efficiency and help meet growing electricity demand. Officials said the project will also improve visibility into transmission. WHAV published the report on 2026-10-01.