The Melrose Messenger

YMCA's LiveSTRONG Program Promotes Fitness for Cancer Survivors

The Melrose Family YMCA, with its historic building in the center of downtown, is a mainstay of community life. The YMCA provides a wide range of programs and services to people of all ages and needs. One of those is the LiveSTRONG program for cancer survivors, which offers support to individuals who have survived cancer and are looking to return to an active and healthy life.

City Council Looks at Road Safety Concerns on Franklin Street and Citywide

This week, the City Council heard from city officials about what the city is doing to address road safety concerns, particularly on Franklin Street. The Franklin Street corridor, from Main Street down into Stoneham, is an area of concern for many residents and has seen multiple crashes in the last few months.

Read More

Melrose Family Room Finds a New Home at Melrose Highlands

In December, the Melrose Family Room, which has been a resource for young families in Melrose and surrounding communities for over 35 years, moved from its longtime home in the Green Street Baptist Church to a new space at Melrose Highlands Congregational Church.

Local Writers Find Community at Follow Your Art Writers Studio

For the last five years, writers in Melrose have enjoyed a place to write and a community of fellow writers at the Writers Studio at Follow Your Art Community Studios (FYACS). Members of the Writers Studio include published authors and aspiring writers, and they represent a range of genres.

Mayor Discusses Potential Impact of Federal Funding on Melrose

On Tuesday, Mayor Jen Grigoraitis, along with other mayors and town administrators from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council Metro Mayors Coalition, met at the Massachusetts State House with House Ways and Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz to discuss how changes to federal funding over the next months and years could impact cities and towns across the state.

Read More

Temporary Library at the Beebe School Closes This Weekend

On Saturday, March 22nd, at 5pm, the temporary library at the Beebe School will close so that library staff can move operations into the newly renovated permanent library on West Emerson Street.

The library will be completely closed until April 15th. Patrons should keep any books they currently have checked out, and return them when the library reopens.

Read More

A Conversation With Young Adult Author Kip Wilson

Last month, Melrose-based author Kip Wilson launched her latest book: All the Love Under the Vast Sky, an anthology of short-stories-in-verse for a young adult audience.

DPW and Zero Waste Melrose Promote Recycling and Responsible Waste Removal

The start of spring is a time when many of us are seized by an urge to clean out - to sort through all the “stuff” that we routinely collect and to lighten our load.

Mayor Aims To “Pull Every Lever” To Lessen Cuts For Schools and City

In their most recent meetings, the City Council and the School Committee each received updates from Mayor Jen Grigoraitis on the process of setting the city’s budget for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26), which begins in July.

Read More

Swains Pond Ave to Get Sidewalks Through State Grant

Last week, the City Council voted to accept a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Complete Streets program to construct sidewalks on the stretch of Swains Pond Avenue between Beech Street and Penny Road.

Read More

Molly’s Bookstore Celebrates Two Years as Melrose’s Local Bookstore

Last week, Molly’s Bookstore celebrated its second anniversary. In the two years since it opened, Molly’s has become an anchor in Melrose, offering not only books, but also a place for people of all ages to gather and find community.

Polymnia Shines in Haydn’s “Lord Nelson” Mass

On Saturday night, Polymnia Choral Society performed Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Lord Nelson” Mass alongside contemporary composer Elaine Hagenberg’s Illuminare. The choir performed the two works with orchestra and professional soloists in the Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School auditorium to a crowd of supporters and fans of classical music.

The Bridge Hosts Annual Community Reading Day in Melrose Schools

On Tuesday, almost 100 Melrose residents came into preschool and elementary classrooms to read to students for Community Reading Day, an annual event that many Melrosians look forward to every year.