WELLFLEET — Sunday mornings on the Outer Cape are, for many people, about relaxing at home or enjoying a leisurely walk on the shore. But for some 20 Jamaicans, Sunday […]
Archives for July 2021
ON TOUR
Abandoned Sears Houses Are Focus of Walsh Committee
A year in the making, a planning group takes a first walk together
TRURO — July 19 was a day of firsts for the members of the Walsh Property Community Planning Committee. That morning, they met each other in person for the first […]
PANDEMIC
Provincetown Brings Back Indoor Mask Mandate
Rising case count includes 171 Provincetown residents
PROVINCETOWN — The board of health and select board held their second emergency joint meeting in only seven days on July 25 and imposed an indoor mask mandate, effective immediately. […]
TAXES
Part-Time Residents Say Tax Exemption Policy Is Unfair
Once again, it’s time to talk about the residential tax exemption
PROVINCETOWN — “We just all want to be treated fairly,” said Patricia Miller during the open comment segment of the Provincetown select board meeting on July 12. Miller, who is […]
CONSPIRACIES
Misinformation on Covid Vaccines Abounds
The U.S. Surgeon General urges everyone to join the fight, a ‘moral imperative’
A bitter rift has opened between those vaccinated against Covid-19 and those who have chosen to remain unvaccinated. Evidence of it is easy to find: just check out the comments […]
DEVELOPMENT
Community Center Gets T-Time Committee Endorsement
The group will consider whether to recommend building a pool
EASTHAM — The T-Time Committee has begun homing in on its recommendations for development of the town-owned 11-acre property at 4790 Route 6, agreeing at a July 20 meeting a […]
APPOINTED ROUNDS
USPS Worker Shortages Slow Outer Cape Mail Delivery
Local post offices strain under ‘last mile’ load
PROVINCETOWN — Mail service on the Outer Cape has been plagued by delays in the past month, many customers report. Sources both inside and outside the post office say the […]
FESTLESS
OysterFest Cancellation Hurts, but How Much?
Losing biggest weekend could damage Wellfleet oyster ‘brand’
WELLFLEET — The board of the nonprofit Shellfish Promotion and Tasting (SPAT) announced on June 25 that the annual Wellfleet OysterFest, scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 16 and 17, […]
PANDEMIC MATH
On Outer Cape, Data Show Whites Have Lowest Vaccination Rate
The Jamaican pastor of Truro's Chapel on the Pond leads by example
PROVINCETOWN — The official statistics from the state Dept. of Public Health say that 114 percent of the residents of Provincetown have been vaccinated against Covid-19. Obviously, that is impossible. […]
OLD RELIABLE
Hotel Project Back in Court and Likely Headed to Trial
Legal action could keep it stalled for years
PROVINCETOWN — Christine Barker’s proposal for a mixed-use waterfront development on the former site of the Old Reliable Fish House is once again mired in Land Court, with two of […]
RESTOCKING
Swap Shop Finds
Minimalists can now unload, and that means offbeat decorations for the rest of us
The Outer Cape’s swap shops are re-opening, and that’s welcome news for those whose anti-materialist leanings went unsatisfied during these long months of isolation. De-acquisitioning that odd lamp (still working), […]
MILLION-YEAR PICNIC
Finding Beauty in a Globular Cluster
M4 is a bright gem at the heart of our home galaxy
Since writing last month about the Milky Way, our home galaxy, I’ve wanted to take you deeper into its heart. That’s where you’ll find M4 — a beautiful and interesting […]
LOCAL CATCH
A Summer-Only Cape Cod Secret, With Thanks to Dr. Bluefish
The blues go well with bold flavors of tomatoes, olives, and capers
Bluefish are misunderstood on the mainland. Detractors there moan about them being “too oily” or “fishy.” But Cape Codders wait hungrily for this season. What we know is that, handled […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
An Anxious Week on the Wharf
The effects of the Covid cluster are felt on the waterfront
It certainly has been a strange week on the waterfront. First, we are getting some weird sunsets over the water, as the atmosphere is filled with smoke from the Western […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, July 27 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]