Independent, daily reporting for 01945 — powered by readers and built on intention, context, clarity and care. Our newsroom shows up for accountability, for the life of this town and with a long memory.

We founded The Marblehead Independent on a simple idea: local news should be steady, present and rooted in the community it serves. Our focus is not breadth but purpose — choosing coverage that helps neighbors understand their government, their history, their schools and the place they call home.

Every story we produce is free to read and shaped by what strengthens Marblehead. We publish new reporting every day, along with deeper features, arts and culture coverage and local history that gives today’s decisions the context they deserve.

Our journalism stays. It listens. It connects past and present. Click here to subscribe to our free newsletter.

Will Dowd
Founder and editor

Will Dowd launched his reporting career in Marblehead in 2012 and has failed spectacularly at leaving. He covered the town first as a young reporter at The Marblehead Reporter and now as founder and editor of The Marblehead Independent. Over the years, he has reported and edited for The Marblehead Current, which he co-founded, the Salem Gazette, the Swampscott Reporter and the Cambridge Chronicle. He spent six years simultaneously managing full coverage for both the Salem Gazette and Swampscott Reporter. He currently strings for the Winchester News.

Dowd’s reporting centers on accountability, clarity and civic life, including Select Board and School Committee coverage, budgets and zoning, public safety, elections, arts and history. He founded The Marblehead Independent to build a sustainable, reader-powered, digital-only newsroom for 01945, guided by an editorial ethos rooted in curiosity, independence, accuracy, fairness and respect for every source and subject.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Chris Stevens
Reporter and contributor

Chris Stevens is one of Marblehead’s most recognizable local journalists, with years of reporting and editing experience in town and a deep understanding of how 01945 works — its boards, its people and its daily civic rhythm. As the former editor of the Marblehead Reporter, she helped shape Marblehead’s news coverage with a steady, reliable voice, earning trust through clear, accurate and community-rooted reporting. Before that, she spent many years covering Lynn for The Daily Item and has written for newsrooms across the North Shore, bringing a regional sensibility alongside her close knowledge of Marblehead’s civic life. 

Stevens is a versatile storyteller with experience in general news, features, multimedia reporting, photography and even food writing — including her former weekly column “Side Dish.” She also runs Gotta Know Medford and, like Will, contributes to Winchester News, reflecting her long commitment to local journalism. She lives on Little Nahant with her husband, Rich, and their cat Jill, and enjoys cooking, reading, crossword puzzles and seaside life — all of which shape the warmth and humanity she brings to her work.  

Colleen Connor
Columnist, Colleen’s Garden

Colleen Connor is a Marblehead gardener, community volunteer and co-president of the Cottage Gardeners of Marblehead and Swampscott. As the Independent’s inaugural columnist, she writes Colleen’s Garden, a seasonal, practical feature rooted in years of hands-on work in her cottage garden. Her guidance reflects a deep familiarity with Marblehead’s coastal conditions and a lifelong love of tending plants, shaped by childhood years spent gardening on her family’s farmland.

Known for her encouraging, neighborly voice, Connor helps readers understand what tasks matter most throughout the year and how small adjustments can help a garden thrive. She lives in Marblehead with her family and brings the same curiosity, energy and joy to her writing that she brings to every garden bed she touches.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Ryan Park
Columnist, Beneath the Blue

Ryan Park is a Marblehead resident, practicing dentist and freediver whose column, Beneath the Blue, offers readers a rare, intimate look at the underwater world along the town’s coastline. A passionate diver who explores local waters nearly every day, Park documents Marblehead’s marine life, rocky terrain and shifting tides through photography and firsthand observation, sharing the challenges and discoveries of diving on a single breath.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Theresa Myung Hee Milewski
Columnist, Computers 101

Theresa Myung Hee Milewski is a Marblehead resident, former software engineer and longtime owner of All Computers Great and Small, where she provides patient, personalized tech support to residents and small businesses across the North Shore. In her column Computers 101, which she introduced in October 2025, Milewski teaches readers the fundamentals of technology with clarity and warmth, an approach shaped by more than 30 years of experience helping beginners gain confidence with computers. Her writing breaks down complex topics into plain English, from basic computer anatomy to operating systems and online safety, making digital life less intimidating for readers of all ages.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

What we cover

We focus on the core issues that shape life in 01945. Our reporting is direct, clear and independent — no corporate owners, no national ad networks, no generic templates. Just journalism tailored to the town and its people.

Our primary beats include:

• Town government and Select Board decisions
• Public schools, budgets and leadership
• Elections, zoning and public safety
• Arts, culture and Marblehead history
• Local opinion, letters and — when warranted — editorials

We connect the dots across stories, providing the backstory and follow-through that help residents stay informed and engaged.

How the community shapes this newsroom

Readers help guide coverage by sharing what they see, what they know and what they care about. Community submissions are a defining part of this newsroom’s identity.

You can:

• Send letters to the editor
• Share announcements and reminders through the Independent Notebook
• Contribute essays, op-eds and columns
• Submit news tips
• Ask questions about Marblehead’s government, neighborhoods or culture through Ask the Independent

Click here to learn how to submit content.

Support the work

The Independent is open to all and funded by many.

• Become a member — recurring support sustains daily reporting
• Join the Founders’ Circle — leadership donors investing in a long-term newsroom
• Sponsor our coverage — local businesses keep reporting free and accessible
• Share our newsletter — help neighbors find reliable local news

​​​​​​​​​Click here to learn ways to support the Independent.