Good Local News from MA’s FY26 Budget, Police News, and Registrar Eileen Duff Follows Through on Cleaning Up “Dirty Deeds”

Something must be in the air.  Local police departments responded to two separate incidents early week—one involving a string of vehicle break-ins around Gloucester, and the other a serious crash in Essex that led to a drunk driving arrest. 

On Monday, July 21, Gloucester Police reported that multiple cars parked outside local fitness centers had their windows smashed and personal belongings stolen.  The incidents occurred rapid-fire style between 6:35 a.m. and 6:54 a.m., hitting vehicles outside Freedom Fitness in Magnolia, Fitness Zone in the Blackburn Industrial Park, and NorthShore 24 Fitness by the Gloucester MBTA station.  In each case, the thief or thieves targeted parked vehicles while owners were inside working out.  A vehicle found near Dory Road was also missing license plates in an incident that may or may not be related.  Gloucester Police are actively investigating. 

Manchester Chief Todd Fitzgerald said there have been no similar incidents reported in Manchester—but cautioned residents not to be complacent.

“This is the time of year this usually ramps up,” Fitzgerald said. “I would remind residents to lock their vehicles and secure all of their valuables, and don’t leave anything in plain view that might invite this type of behavior.”

Then, in a separate incident early (as in 1:15 a.m.) that same morning in Essex, a 2002 Lexus driving on Western Avenue crashed through two residential yards, struck a wall, and rolled onto its side—before finally coming to rest against a parked Jeep in a driveway.  The driver, 27-year-old Anthony Maglione of Ipswich, was treated at the scene and transported to Beverly Hospital, where he was arrested by Essex Police.

Maglione faces charges of Operating Under the Influence of Liquor, Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle, and a “Marked Lanes Violation.”  He was arraigned in Gloucester District Court on Tuesday. 

No injuries were reported in either incident. 

 

Manchester-by-the-Sea will receive a small but meaningful state earmark to support accessibility upgrades at the Manchester Public Library, thanks to the efforts of MA Sen. Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) and MA Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante (D-Gloucester), who announced the earmark after the state’s $60.9 billion FY 2026 budget signed by Governor Maura Healey on July 4. 

The $5,000 allocation will support improvements to make the library more accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  While modest in size, the earmark reflects a focus on community-identified priorities, according to Tarr.   “State funds come at a high cost to taxpayers, and they need to be spent carefully,” he said. 

It’s also worth noting that with all the DOGE-related aid cuts at the federal level, every municipality and non-profit is girding for life with dramatically fewer grants, so any increase in state funding to wealthy towns such as Manchester should be filed under, “That was close!”

The budget also includes $166,200 in additional Chapter 70 education funding for the Manchester Essex Regional School District—bringing total K-12 funding to $3,514,666, a five percent increase over the previous year.  In addition, Manchester will receive $276,841 in Unrestricted General Government Aid(UGGA), a $3,012 increase over FY25.   

Ferrante framed the funding as part of a broader commitment to municipalities at a time when support from the federal government is uncertain. “The FY26 budget continues to strengthen the services and infrastructure that our communities rely on,” she said. “These local investments support projects and programs that will make a real difference to CapeAnn residents.”

The budget also calls for a statewide DESE review of the Chapter 70 formula and continues universal free school meals.  Findings on the funding formula review are expected by June 2026. 

 

The Southern Essex District Registry of Deeds has officially begun the process of removing illegal and discriminatory language from property records in Massachusetts.  On Tuesday, Register of Deeds Eileen Duff reported the recording of the first 13 affidavits to “clean” so-called “dirty deeds”—property documents that still contain restrictive covenants barring ownership or occupancy based on race, religion, or ethnicity.

“These were once standard legal tools used to segregate neighborhoods and deny basic rights,” said Duff.“  We are working to ensure they are not carried forward.” 

Duff, the Gloucester resident who campaigned in 2024 on a pledge to confront the legacy of housing discrimination, has made the Dirty Deeds Project a central priority since taking office.  Her team has partnered with Harborlight Homes and the North Shore NAACP, which initially identified around 600 such deeds in the region.  Legal interns from UMass Law in Dartmouth have uncovered an additional 200, running the total up to near 800 deeds in towns from Nahant to Gloucester. 

Although these restrictions have been unenforceable since the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, they often remain in the legal record—quietly preserved in deeds passed from one homeowner to another.  Duff’s office said the oldest in the deeds is from 1913 and the newest is from 1957.  One common example reads that a property can’t “be sold or licensed to persons of Negro blood.”Many others simply assert that the property holder must be “Caucasion and not Jewish.” Still others include permanent deed restrictions prohibiting ownership by anyone from a list of cultural backgrounds, including Italians, Greeks, Spanish, Armenian, Turkish, Russians, Polish, among others. 

Duff’s office is reaching out directly to affected property owners to offer a way to remove the language through a recorded affidavit.  Once completed, these addenda ensure that the outdated language will not appear in future title transfers. 

Most deedholders are unaware of the language in their deeds. The restrictive language, according to Duff’s office. In fact, one of 13 property owners who recently came into Duff’s office to cleanse their deed was a Danvers family with two children.  One of the children said, “According to our deed, we’re not allowed to own our home.” The family is Jewish, and unknowingly, had been living in their home with “no Jews” deed restriction. 

The Southern Essex effort reflects a growing national movement to address historical injuries embedded in property law.  Similar “clean deed” initiatives are underway or under consideration in states including California, Minnesota, and Washington.

“This project is about transparency and responsibility,” Duff said. “We can’t change the past, but we can change what we carry forward.”