Photos that blew us away in 2025

Freezin' for a Reason co-organizer Mario Capano shakes off after plunging under the water at Short Beach in Nahant on New Year's Day.

Saugus' Demetri Breton makes a play on the puck as he slides across the ice.

Spectators take phone videos and photos as the fire dances across the Christmas trees burning in Marblehead's Annual Epiphany Tree Burning at Riverhead Beach on Monday.

Lynnfield's Chloe Grieves rips the ball away from a Newburyport defender.

English's Louis Ledesma flips the ball underneath Classical's Daryll DJ Reynolds..

Subroto Bhattacharya, a Swampscott resident for 25 years, uses his snow blower to clear the snow around his neighbor's home on Lexington Circle following the snow on Monday.

PLNR's Chloe Gromko follows her shot into the net after scoring on Falmouth.

Artist Rob Surrette points out sections of the Huckleberry Hill School Hero mascot that students assembled out of 40,000 LEGO bricks.

A man is thrown out of U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton's town hall meeting at Peabody City Hall by Peabody Police Tuesday evening after causing a scene and refusing to calm down.

Saugus' Nelson Avendano has a pair of Nigerian Dwarf goats named Chewey, left, and Paco, that love to eat the town's leftover pumpkins and Christmas trees.

A turkey "flies" from its perch high in a tree along Humphrey Street in Swampscott after watching over the rest of the gaggle from a safe distance.

Students of America Club co-founder Jason Tran, second from left, teaches, from left, Luke Moschella, Andrei Pena, and Rowan Atkinson, the proper technique for performing CPR.

Lynn Tech's Ulices Diaz draws a foul as St. Mary's Donel Kabongo Mutombo comes crashing down on him.

A BMW sedan was plowed in and trapped by a frozen snowbank after parking along Orne Street during the weekend's storm.

Lynn Water and Sewer Commission worker Mike Sherman uses a hydraulic breaker to chip away at the thick layer of ice on Logan Street while Joe Brown scoops in up in another backhoe.

A crew works to knock down flames after a five-alarm fire caused the building at 60 Estes St., to collapse Friday night.

Legendary WFNX DJ and Marbleheader Julie Kramer has been inducted into the New England Music Hall of Fame.

Huckleberry Hill School principal Lauren King celebrates her goal against Blades as the rest of the school cheers her on.

Summer Street School fourth-graders Rachel Reilly, left, and Olivia Martinez use their Chromebooks to work on a research project in the Media Center.

St. Mary's Bella Owumi pulls up and shoots a 3-pointer.

Service dog Spike III lies down to take a nap during the Marblehead Select Board meeting discussing the status of the MBTA 3A Zoning statute.

From left, Peabody Police School Resource officers Vincent Doucette, Eric Ricci, and Joanna Kamouzis sweep through a staircase in the former Nordstrom at the Northshore Mall as they search for a suspect during a training exercise.

Dick Winter takes part in the indoor curling event at Marblehead Council on Aging.

Anabella Rodriguez, of Kingston, is joined by a pair of dinosaurs on the step of Lynn City Hall as she supports SEIU Local 509 in their protest against Gov. Maura Healey's proposed cuts in the mental health field.

Bob Lennon, a member of the Essex County Marine Corps League, fires a volley to honor Lynn veterans who gave their lives during the Vietnam War.

Roseamelia Roeun joins the Kakrona dance group during the Khmer flag raising and new year celebration on Friday Lynn City Hall.

Painted turtles take advantage of a warm, sunny afternoon as they sunbathe in the middle of a pond at Pine Grove Cemetery in Lynn.

Smoke from a musket obscures the face of Danvers Alarm List Company member Donald Hayes, of Lowell, as a volley is fired to honor the seven members of the company who died during the Battle of Lexington 250 years ago during Peabody's Patriots Day ceremony on Monday.

Saugus' Jordan Rodriguez dives back to third and makes the tag on a Northeast Metro runner.

St. Mary's students Mia Piazza, left, and Abigail Surette cheer as Quinn Siharath, of Salem, rides her bike for the first time without any assistance during the 18th annual Autism Support Center Bike Clinic Thursday morning in Lynn.

Swampscott's Adam Sparacio dives head-first into home to score Big Blue's first run against Saugus as the ball bounces away from Nathan Soroko.

Lynn Urban Forestry Fellow Erica Holm helps pre-schoolers from Lynn's Early Childhood Center, from left, Elvin Maldonado Pojoy, Meziah Gonzalez, and Rosalie Pineda water the freshly planted Magnolia Galaxy tree during the Arbor Day celebration on Tuesday.

Huckleberry Hill School third-grader Deh’Lani Spence explores the International Space Station in virtual reality with his class, using a new pair of ClassVR goggles.

The computer connected to the large display screen behind, from left, Town Clerk Robin Michaud, Town Counsel Lisa Mead, and Town Moderator Jack Attridge, shows an ironic message as the start of Town Meeting was delayed, and eventually postponed, due to the middle school not being able to fit the more than 2,000 people attending the meeting Monday night.

AJ Patrick, of Salem, pushed a Tonka truck through the sand at Sandmagination in the Northshore Mall.

More than 1,700 residents gathered in the Marblehead High School field house Tuesday night as Town Meeting reconvened.

Johnson School Resource Officer Jason Hoffman makes the tag on fourth-grader Jax Tria during the wiffle ball game between the fourth grade and the Police Department on Monday.

Hood Elementary School students race around underneath a rainbow parachute as they enjoy the 55th Lynn Special Games.

Macio Paula, of Lynn, stands with his arms outstretched to catch the spray coming off of the fountain in Lynn Common during the city's 175th birthday celebration on Wednesday.

Bedel Ernst Pierre, of Lynn, channels Haitian revolutionary Jean-Jacques Dessalines as he yells a proclamation of Haiti's freedom during Lynn's Haitian Flag Day ceremony on Friday.

Julio Escobar, of Stone and Garden Solutions, lays down the inscribed pavers of those who donated to the War Memorial in Lynnfield on the path leading up to the memorial.

Lynn Community Development Director Jamie Marsh, left, and Lynn Memorial Auditorium Manager Henry Ryan stand in the auditorium, which has seen countless major acts come through since its renovation 20 years ago.

EMTs put a sheet over Peabody High student Myles Fitzgerald after he was pronounced dead during the mock car crash scenario at the school on Wednesday, meant to demonstrate the consequences of driving under the influence.

No, they weren't digging for buried treasure Thursday morning. In an effort to prevent flooding along Humphrey Street with a storm moving in, Swampscott DPW's Justin Mitchell and Steve Kent clear sand away from outfall pipes on King's Beach.

Tough defense from Swampscott's Jay Domelowicz forces Marblehead's Will Sullivan to turn the ball over.

Brickett Elementary School kidergartener Wisshama Joseph Antiochus uses a magnifying glass to study a sea urchin during the Northeastern University Marine Center visit to the school sponsored by the Friends of Lynn and Nahant Beach.

Lynn Tech's Francis Ucheigwe clears the bar as he competes in the high jump during the Lynn All City Track and Field Championships.

Higgins Middle School student Marcos Azeredo gets the hang of juggling during Try It Day.

Phil Colarusso, a marine biologist with the EPA, shows off a sample of eelgrass that he and his team are studying off the coast of Nahant.

Harrington Elementary School first-grader Angelique Rosado listens closely as Stephen Basden, who works with the Special Olympics and is an LPS alumni, reads "The Pigeon HAS to Go to School!"to her class during Harrington Elementary School Reads Day on Wednesday.

Fellow graduates are reflected in the sunglasses of Andrew Orlofski during Lynnfield's graduation ceremony.

Susan Lausier, the general manager of TITLE Boxing Club in Saugus, is organizing a Boxathon for Alzheimer's research and awareness.

Hundreds march around Lynn Common as they protest against ICE arresting and deporting immigrants during a demonstration on Tuesday.

Lynn Tech student Defi Beasnan hones his rowing skills out on Sluice Pond thanks to North Shore Maritime Center.

Nate Fontes-Fried, of Swampscott, skateboards with his sons Lucas, left, and Ethan.

A cyclist is framed by orange cones and a detour sign as he rides down Market Street in Lynn Tuesday morning amid the construction of the Northern Strand Expansion.

The face of Saugus' Lorelai Melanson lights up as she meets 17-year-old alpaca, Sir Erik, during his visit to Saugus Public Library on Wednesday.

Neymar Cruz, of Lynn, flies through a water jet at the Flax Pond Park splash pad while cooling off as temperatures approach 100 degrees.

Matthew Wolverton came prepared with goggles for the Beat the Heat event at Marblehead Community Center on Tuesday.

The In the Mak'n dance crew performs during Lynn's Pride flag raising ceremony on Tuesday.

Belly the Chihuahua tries to get the attention of her mom, Gillian Gibb.

Nicole Puzzo pushes her daughter, Stella, around Fisherman's Becah in a Mobi-chair that was donated to Swampscott by Bernard, Jessica, Deb, and David Newman.

Republic Services employes, from left, TJ, Hector, Netto, Johann, Jay, and Daniel wave as cars passing on Route 1 honk their support while they strike outside of the Peabody facility on Tuesday.

Mother Nature put on a display of her own as a crowd gathers in Red Rock Park for the Lynn/Swampscott Fourth of July celebration Thursday night.

A little bit of rain, and an occasional bolt of lightning, didn't stop the Lynn/Swampscott Fourth of July fireworks display from going off on time over Lynn Shore Drive Thursday night.

Darrell blows bubbles as he enjoys East Baptist Church's Vacation Bible School in Lynn on Tuesday.

Meryn braves the stream from a Lynn Fire Department hose as she cools off with other kids at the end of East Baptist Church's Vacation Bible School in Lynn on Tuesday.

Wyoma's Ben Zukowski hypes the team up after turning a double play against Swampscott.

Terrence Cullinane, of Lynn, glides along the water of Goldfish Pond as he takes his stand up paddle board to another body of water in the city.

Gurdeep Bhogal is a a Soul led and Shakti embodiment teacher, mediumship, and trance mediumship guide of the psychic arts.

A Marine One Sikorsky VH-92A helicopter, which is powered by two General Electric CT7-8A6 engines made in Lynn, circles over GE Aerospace in Lynn before landing Tuesday afternoon.

Saugus firefighter Derek Lanzillo high-fives Thea Curtis, of Saugus, during the fire safety demonstration at Saugus Iron Works on Wednesday.

Kate Borten, of Marblehead mourns the "death" of USAID under the Trump administration during the "Funeral for Democracy" demonstration in Marblehead on Thursday.

A large group gathers at the entrance to Monument Avenue in Swampscott on Thursday to take part in the Good Trouble Lives On demonstration in honor of civil rights advocate John Lewis.

Neil Shapiro, of the Salem Pirate Museum, shares stories of pirates, shipwrecks, and treasure during his visit to Saugus Senior Center on Friday.

A family is silhouetted as the run up the side of a hill at the newly opened Lynn Harbor Park.

William Macneil chucks trash bags into a trash shoot as he helps Marblehead residents deal with their trash and recycling at the Transfer Station amid the ongoing Republic Services worker strike.

U.S. Navy veteran Fred Allen, who lives at Alliance Health at Rosewood in Peabody, takes in the beauty of the Stearman biplane that he will soon take flight in, thanks to Dream Flights, as he's wheeled around the plane by Alliance Health at Rosewood Activities Director Sofia Rodriguez.

Slavian Borecki, of Poland, uses a straw to clear away sand debris as he works on his sculpture during the Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival on Friday.

Kderris Cotton, a contract worker with Cascade Engineering, positions a stack of new recycling barrels that will soon be distributed to residents in Lynn.

Bette Hunt is congratulated after winning the Marblehead Forever Award on Tuesday.

Pepper keeps her eyes locked on the wiffle ball as she gets ready to hit it with a bat.

A gray eastern screech owl calls out as she visits Saugus Public Library on Thursday.

Noted pianist Jacqueline Schwab enterains the crowd gathered at the Unitarian Universalist Church during a concert to benefit Ukrainian cultural workers and other Ukrainians in need as the war with Russia continues.

Save King's Beach founder Andrea Amour holds a UV light over water samples taken from along Nahant Beach. The brightly glowing samples indicate the presence of bacteria.

Vee VanRemootel, left and Amanda Leifer belt out vocals as Middles performs at Moon Base One in Salem.

Francis Medrano, of Lynn, makes note of the stop sign as he pedals through the obstacle course set up by Lynn Police for Bicycle Safety Day on Tuesday.

Boys & Girls Club member Jedana Charles throws a shovel-full of sand during the groundbreaking ceremony for Phase 2 of BGCL's expansion project on Thursday.

Lobsterman Susan Michaud tosses a lobster that she deemed too small back into the ocean.

A lobster flies back into the ocean after being freed by lobsterman Susan Michaud.

Swampscott painter Mark Shasha will often use a mirror to examine his paintings. Altering his perspective allows Shasha to see what parts of the painting are working, and which ones aren't.

A cyclist cruises past a gaggle of turkeys along Salem Street in Swampscott Tuesday afternoon.

Neptune the blue American lobster has been donated to the Northeastern Marine Science Center in Nahant. Research suggests that only one in every 2 million American lobsters is blue and that the odds of catching a blue lobster are one in 200 million.

With his mom, Shelby Flaherty, and dad, Eddie Marino by his side, Vinny Marino meets Peppy the horse during his Make-A-Wish party at Bertolino Foods celebrating one year of Vinny being cancer free and his upcoming Make-A-Wish trip to Rocking Horse Ranch.

The U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon performs at Fort Sewall in Marblehead during the Marine Week opening ceremony in honor of the 250th birthday of the Marines.

Nearly 30 English Golden Retrievers gathered at Chandler Hovey Park in Marblehead Thursday evening for a "family" photo.

A surprise rain shower certainly didn't dampen spirits as students left their first day back at Huckleberry Hill School in Lynnfield after summer break. Smiles could be seen all around as some students thought up creative ways to stay dry, while others embraced the cooling droplets.

Newhall Fields Community Farm Manager CJ Hughes picks cilantro at the farm on Thursday.

Bob Seelley, of Saugus, shows off his record-breaking tomato, weighing in at 5.33lbs, as he stands in J. Pace & Son for an official weigh-in.

Remi Delaney gets a fresh haircut before his first day of kindergarten by Randy Salvador during Connery Elementary's Back to School Celebration in Lynn on Tuesday.

The low evening sunlight casts deep shadows of soccer players from St. Mary's and Lynn Tech, creating the illusion of two games being played simultaneously.

Lynn English keeper Kevin Rojas blocks a shot by Lynn Classical's Edison Chacon.

Lynnfield's Lauren Mattia rifles a shot around Essex Tech's Makenna Chase.

McCarthy Elementary School student Hazel Wills climbs to the top of a new play structure at Lt. Ross Park/CyTenny Playground in Peabody.

A memorial honoring the firefighters and first responders who gave their lives to save others is displayed in the driveway of 484 Humphrey St., in Swampscott on the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Artist Sheila Farren Billings is painting a giant wave mural that runs the length of the Swampscott Department of Public Works building on Paradise Road.

Lynnfield firefighters stand at attention to honor the lives of first responders lost during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

A Welch Elementary School student leaps up to high-five Peabody Firefighter Anthony Robinson as, from left, firefighters Jon Padios and Ryan Gill, School Resource Officer Eric Ricci, and Officer Thomas Southern wait their turn during High Fives for Henry on Friday.

Lynn Classical's Tatiana De Leon gets her head on the ball.

Saugus' Daniel Ganda sprints and slides to just barely keep the ball out of the Sachem net.

The family of Patrick J. McManus, from left, John McManus, Laura Christensen, and Debbie McManus, unveil his plaque during the dedication of the Lynn Public Library Patrick J. McManus Building Thursday evening.

Tara Philbin, of Lynnfield, right, uses the prayer candles of Anna Lepore, left, and Jessica Grimmer, both of Reading, to light her own candles during a vigil for Charlie Kirk in Lynnfield Friday evening. After giving her name, Philbin said, "I am Charlie Kirk."

State Rep. Dan Cahill looks on as, from left, Lynn City Council President Jay Walsh, City Councilor Fred Hogan, state Sen. Brendan Crighton, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, and Mayor Jared Nicholson jump for joy during the ribbon cutting ceremony for Lynn Harbor Park on Tuesday.

Lynn English quarterback Shane Knowlton Simard celebrates a first down after a QB-keeper.

Dena Thibodeau, owner of Dance with Dena, is celebrating her 30th year of the Peabody dance studio.

The ceremonial final steel beam is raised and placed on the Peabody Public Safety Headquarters as the project reaches its halfway point.

Marblehead's Lila Moniz, left, and Sydney Faris each dive for the ball and keep it in play.

A black swallowtail butterfly shares a zinnia flower with a bee at Newhall Fields Community Farm in Peabody.

Joanna Kiriaki Alexander, who grew up in Lynnfield, discovered she had a spiritual gift after her grandmother passed away when she was 20.

Nahant Historical Society Executive Director Julie Tarmy looks through a book of illustrations created by Lydia Bishop which is housed in the society's private collection.

Flora Peach rides Pippin the pony around her family's Marblehead home as her dog, Rosie, looks on from the couch.

A giant spider has set up its web in front of 160-162 Norfolk Ave., in Swampscott.

The mottled black and orange coloring on calico lobster Jackie is caused by genetic variation, which causes her cells to produce different pigments.

A rare black squirrel munches on a peanut it found while grazing around Lynn Common Monday afternoon.

A dog checks to see how its human voted in the Ward 7 city council race during Tuesday's election in Lynn.

Gold Star Mother Doris Syrakos, of Lynn, who was instrumental in the dedication of the Massachusetts Gold Star Families Memorial Bridge, gives a thumbs up as she stands next to the plaque on the bridge that spans the Lynnway.

Army Col. Dennis Treece, of Lynn, chats with Johnson School third-grader Frederick John Blair before the start of the Veterans Day ceremony in Nahant on Friday.

Lynn English Marine Corps JROTC members Alex Gomez, left, and Jimmy Macario-Matul flip their rifles in unison as they perform during Lynn's Veterans Day ceremony.

Lindsay Wallin, owner of nine North Shore-area McDonald's restaurants, and Director of Operations Vipan Kumar, left, present Balbir Singh with a check for $40,000 for his 40 years of service to McDonald's at the Route 1 North location in Saugus on Monday.

Tom Kasper, owner of Pudgy's Towing & Auto Repair of Lynn, is hanging up the grease-covered rag and retiring. After 57 years, Pudgy's has been sold to a new owner.

From left, Sahil Patel, Soumil Dasgoupta, Ella Doherty, Nayla Dhahib, Cail Chase, and Charlie Cumming join the rest of the Lynnfield Unified Basketball League team as they put their hands together before their game against North Reading.

A crew of Lowe's red vest associates volunteered their time on Wednesday to tear out the old carpet of Lynn Shelter Association's Osmund Building as part of Lowe's $85,000 committment to replace the flooring of the building.

Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings gives a Thanksgiving turkey to Boys & Girls Club of Lynn member Daniel Nivar as he visits the club on Tuesday.

KIPP's Aavian Pena does a backflip after scoring a touchdown against Lynn Tech.