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Schools closed in 3 Massachusetts communities Tuesday as teacher strike continues

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Schools closed in 3 Massachusetts communities Tuesday as teacher strike continues


GLOUCESTER – Still at a deadlock, 10,000 students in three North Shore communities have classes canceled on Tuesday, as the teacher strike continues in Gloucester, Beverly, and Marblehead.

The three unions spoke together Monday night, accusing their school committees of digging in their heels at the bargaining table while school leaders accused the unions of colluding to drag negotiations.

All three teacher union contracts expired on August 31st, 2024.

“It is not a coincidence, it’s a message that these issues are felt widely and deeply across the North Shore,” said Andrea Sherman, co-president of the Beverly Teachers Association.

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“It is the school committee and their attorneys for all three districts that are colluding together to draw this out,” said Jonathan Heller president of the Marblehead Education Association.

Teacher Strikes Massachusetts
Teachers and supporters display placards during a rally, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in Gloucester, Mass., held to call attention to pay, paid parental leave, and other issues.

Steven Senne / AP


In Gloucester, right now, school leaders say the town and teachers are $800,000 a year apart on salaries alone, plus school officials said under the union’s proposal 24 teachers would be laid off over three years.

“We are committed to mediating long into the night, but our teachers should be in the school during the day with their students,” said School Committee President Kathy Clancy. “That is unacceptable and most definitely not in the best interest of our students.”

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“To meet their proposal would mean either a tax override resulting in a permanent increase to taxes or cuts to services to our taxpayers and residents,” said Gloucester Mayor Greg Verga.

Striking teachers rally together  

Monday afternoon, teachers on the picket line from each district rallied with their biggest goals in mind: better wages for underpaid paraprofessionals and safer schools.

“It feels amazing because we have seen so much community support and this is just really empowering us to continue to do right by our students,” said Beverly Teacher Lauren Lauranzano.

Since teacher strikes are illegal in Massachusetts, a judge had ordered the Gloucester and Beverly teachers to be back in the classroom on Tuesday, but now they’ll be headed to court.

Marblehead will start it’s strike which was announced on Friday after failed negotiations.

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The president of the state teacher’s union is in solidarity with the teacher unions, saying these are issues educators face statewide.

“Our members are saying get to the bargaining table, let’s stay all night, lets resolve these issues. These are not new issues, all of these locals have been bargaining for months and months,” said Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. 

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‘No way to leave’: Mass. families stuck in Middle East amid war in Iran

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‘No way to leave’: Mass. families stuck in Middle East amid war in Iran


Massachusetts families are stuck in the Middle East amid the war in Iran, and Democratic Sen. Ed Markey says the State Department needs to do more to get them home.

The Trump administration is telling Americans to leave the region, and families would love to, but they haven’t been able to get out.

Stacey Schuhwerk of Hingham has been sheltering in place in a Doha hotel since Saturday.

“We hear the missiles outside,” she said. “We can see them.”

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The Hingham mother and her son are among nearly 1,600 Americans trapped in the Middle East with no way to get home.

“Airspace is shut down. There’s no planes,” said Schuhwerk. “There’s no way to leave.”

Flights between Boston and the Middle East are canceled or delayed as travelers express anxiety over the conflict.

At first, U.S. officials told people to shelter in place and register with the State Department — something Schuhwerk did days ago.

“There’s no help there. The last time we called was 20 minutes ago, and they continue to say that ‘We don’t know anything about any plans for government help to get people out,’” she said.

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Embassies and consulates across the region — including the U.S. Embassy in Israel — have now suspended services, saying they simply can’t get Americans out.

“They did not have a plan to conduct this war, and they clearly did not have a plan as to how to evacuate innocent families,” Markey said.

The senator says his office is hearing from Massachusetts families, and he’s pressuring the Trump administration to come up with an evacuation plan fast.

“We are going to apply that pressure on the State Department until every American who wants to leave that region is out,” he said.

Back in Doha, Schuhwerk keeps watching the war outside her window.

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“The talk here is ‘How much defensive ammunition’s left?’ Good question, you know, because the missiles aren’t stopping,” she said. “So how long are we going to be safe here?”

With no clear end to this conflict, she’s worried she could be stuck there for weeks.



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Snow, ice, rain to impact roads in Massachusetts – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

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Snow, ice, rain to impact roads in Massachusetts – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News


Happy Tuesday! While today started off dry, we’re already looking at snow out there across the area. While this event will primarily stay as rain on the Cape and islands, it will be an icy mix of snow, ice and rain for the rest of us.

The rain/snow line will continue to advance from the south to the north as the evening progresses. Before the changeover, there will be a quick coating to 2 inches for most of our area.

The threshold between the snow and rain will feature sleet and freezing rain, leading to that icing.

For the rest of the night, there will primarily be rain with continued pockets of freezing rain, leading to increasing spotty ice accretion. Be extremely careful on roads, especially since switching between rain and freezing rain can wash off any road salt.

The rain and freezing rain will exit by 6 a.m. Wednesday, but temperatures will still be close to freezing during the morning commute, so watch out for some spotty black ice.

The rest of Wednesday will be really nice! Highs will warm up to the mid 50s with the help of ample sun.

Thursday we start off in the mid 20s and top off in the mid 40s. We’ll be partly sunny with another chance for some wintry weather Thursday night. This primarily looks like some rain and freezing rain, rather than the triple threat with snow too. We’ll keep an eye on that for you.

That will continue into Friday morning. The rest of Friday: cloudy with a chance for a spot shower and highs cooler again in the upper 30s. Saturday will be dry, breezy and cloudy but gorgeous near 50 degrees! There’s a chance for some rain showers Saturday night. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward an hour before you to go bed!

Sunday we start the day mild in the 40s and make it all the way into the upper 50s with more sun. Monday and Tuesday both look bright and in the 60s! Stay tuned.

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Massachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks

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Massachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks




Massachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks – CBS Boston

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Poya Sohrabi hasn’t heard from his family since they took shelter from attacks in Tehran. WBZ-TV’s Mike Sullivan reports.

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