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BEACH DAY
With Exhausted Crew Asleep, Fishing Boat Runs Aground in Truro
TRURO — A 70-foot groundfishing vessel, the F/V Guardian out of New Bedford, ran aground on the back shore here on Jan. 3, about a mile north of Wellfleet’s Newcomb […]
PERTUSSIS
A Resurgence of Whooping Cough Reaches Cape
TRURO — Pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough for the piercing inhalations or “whoops” that punctuate its painful coughing attacks, has re-emerged in New England this year after four […]
TAXATION
Eastham Board Votes 3 to 2 Against RTE
EASTHAM — For the fifth year in a row, the select board voted 3 to 2 on Monday against adopting a residential tax exemption (RTE) for the coming fiscal year. […]
TRURO TREASURE
DPW Price Tag Will Be $26M to $30M, Says Project Manager
TRURO — The projected cost of an upgraded Dept. of Public Works (DPW) facility, which has been on the town’s agenda for at least 13 years, has climbed back up […]
REMEMBRANCE
Commanding and Modest, Ike Williams Dies at 86
John Taylor Williams, known to all as Ike, died on Dec. 26, 2024 at his home in Cambridge, surrounded by family. He was 86. Ike lived much of every year […]
NUMBERS GAME
When Housing Stability Arrives by Lottery
PROVINCETOWN — Humberto Ortega and Maria Pinelo were working at Shirts N Stuff on Commercial Street on Aug. 1 when Deputy Housing Director Mackenzie Perry called Ortega on his cell […]
WAVE ACTION
Complexities of ‘Coastal Erosion Structures’ Come Into View on Mayo Beach
WELLFLEET — Seawalls and bulkheads built to fend off coastal flooding are becoming a thing of the past here and in communities all along the Massachusetts coast. They are, with […]
RESOLUTIONS
Decluttering With Mom
In early December, I visited my mom at her house, a small cottage in Hyannis, where we had plans to set up her Christmas decorations. But when I arrived, she […]
THE WHOLE TABLE
Color Me Kitchari
I have very strong opinions about food colors. My friends have already heard me out on this: I will not touch anything that has Red No. 3, Yellow No. 40, […]
MEET THE MAKER
When Glass Speaks
In his basement studio in Wellfleet, John Best is sweeping fragments of glass out of the way, searching for his early-1900s optician’s pliers. He finds them: the business end of […]
NATURAL SELECTION
She’ll Be Green, Come Spring
What future does Cassandra see for herself in the winter reflection of a Wellfleet kettle pond? Probably one that involves rain or snow. Or ducks. The ericaceous shrub Chamaedaphne calyculata, […]
THE PLUNGE
Polar Bears Go All In for Sharks
PROVINCETOWN — Thick fog and relatively balmy 47-degree air greeted the brave participants lined up at Provincetown Harbor for the Polar Bear Plunge on New Year’s Day. The water was […]
ROCK ON
Curling Glides Into a New Season
ORLEANS — The third part of the answer to the Sphinx’s riddle for Oedipus was on view, with a twist, at Charles Moore Arena in Orleans on Jan. 5, where […]
IN VIEW THIS WEEK
RED SKY AT NIGHT
RED SKY AT NIGHT HOME FOR CHRISTMAS This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Jan. 7 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
ASTRAL PROJECTIONS
This Is No Time for Resolutions
Every year it’s the same song and dance: we emphasize resolutions, as if we’re going to completely change our lives the minute the calendar rolls over. We’re a week into […]
TOWN HALL
Wellfleet Gets New Assistant Town Administrator
WELLFLEET — Millis resident John Bugbee began work as Wellfleet’s assistant town administrator on Dec. 4, filling a key staff position that had been open for nearly a year. A […]
MENTAL HEALTH
ARPA-Funded Behavioral Health Clinician Serves the Outer Cape
EASTHAM — Even in the best of circumstances, accessing mental and behavioral health care can become a Herculean journey. The country’s mental health care system is byzantine, there are rarely […]
PROVINCETOWN: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Raising a Bulkhead
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Provincetown are held in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting you want to attend on the calendar at provincetown-ma.gov for a […]
TRURO: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Not Just Wednesdays
Meetings Ahead Meetings in Truro are often held remotely. Go to Truro-ma.gov and click on the meeting you are interested in for an agenda and details on how to join. Thursday, Jan. […]
WELLFLEET: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Just a Little More Time
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Wellfleet are in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting you are interested in on the calendar at wellfleet-ma.gov for details. All […]
EASTHAM: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
No More Dock Work at Rock Harbor
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Eastham are in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting you are interested in on the calendar at eastham-ma.gov for details. All […]
IN THE STUDIO
The Ebb and Flow of a Life in Art
Helen Miranda Wilson’s studio sits at the center of her Wellfleet house, which was built in the 1850s. The studio seems set up for ideas to unravel and find form: […]
INDIE SCREEN
Gazing at Stars When Times Are a-Changing
Just who is Bob Dylan? It’s impossible to pin down the man born Robert Allen Zimmerman in Duluth, Minn. in 1941, because his persona as songwriter and performer has always […]
POETRY
The Glorious First
In Britain, Aug. 12, “the Glorious Twelfth,” marks the start of the red-grouse-shooting season. In Eastham, Nov. 1 marks the start of the recreational oyster-gathering season. “Shooting-box”: a small country […]
POETRY
The Bear
My aggressive hunger for something that I wanted appeared in a dream as a huge brown bear, […]
INSCRIPTIONS
Revelations in the Margins
Madelein Larson has probably looked more closely at nearly every work at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum than anyone else has. Larson is the collections manager and registrar, and […]
MUSIC
Indie Playlist: New Sounds
Every new year is an opportunity to renew ourselves: to plan new experiences, start a new exercise routine, or quit drinking (at least temporarily). It’s also a great time to […]
Arts Briefs
Kareem Sanjaghi Plays a Bit of Everything Kareem Sanjaghi, who grew up in Brewster and now lives in Plymouth, has been playing the drums for 25 years and leading his […]
VIGNETTE
Oh Deer!
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PORTRAIT
A True American
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THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Charmed by the Wild World
It is the darkness itself that is so humbling, so profound — pitch black and dark as death. Driving through Truro on a January night, there is an otherwise lunar […]
LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER AND EDITOR
A New Year’s Progress Report
After three years of dreaming, planning, and raising start-up funds, plus a month or so of online posts, the first regular weekly edition of the Independent was published on Oct. […]
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters, January 9, 2025
Condos Versus Rentals To the editor: Re “Developers Propose 40 Condos, 30 Below Market” [Dec. 26, front page]: Conversion to condo is a terrible idea, particularly with regard to the […]
OBITUARY
Art Enthusiast and Gardener Robert Speiser Was 71
Former Provincetown resident Robert D. Speiser died in Amherst on Oct. 3, 2024 after suffering a stroke. He was 71. The son of Marvin and Laura Greene Speiser, Robert was […]
OBITUARY
Economist and Banker Wayne Ayers Jr. Dies at 78
Wayne Mathew Ayers Jr. died peacefully on Dec. 19, 2024 at his home in Provincetown. The cause was complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said his friend Steve Nason. Wayne […]
TIDE CHART
Provincetown and Wellfleet Harbors
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Real Estate Transactions
Recorded at the Barnstable County Registry of Deeds from Dec. 23, 2024 to Jan. 3, 2025. PROVINCETOWN Dec. 31. Kristin E. Hein and Philip C. Cozzi to Stephanie Jacobson-Landon. 508 […]
CLASSIFIEDS
Classifieds Jan. 9, – Jan. 16, 2025
EVENTS Outermost Contra Dance presents Cape natives Jonathan Ford on fiddle, Christopher Marchio on piano, and Thomas Marchio on guitar. They’ll be playing lively music to the calling of Eastham […]
Indie’s Choice
Step by Step (Thursday, Jan. 9) Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 spy thriller The 39 Steps, starring Robert Danot and Madeleine Carroll, screens at WOMR Davis Space (494 Commercial St., Provincetown) on […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Zigging and Zagging Through History
You know already that this is an odd and special place. It’s one reason we — and others before us — figured Outer Cape Cod needed its own newspaper. All […]
TAKING THE WHEEL
The Arctic Voyages of Miriam Look MacMillan
A thick mist crawled like hot condensed breath across the surface of the water, blotting out the horizon and merging with soft hills that could have been sand or snow […]
WASHASHORES
The Last of Sam Bellamy’s Pirate Crew
It was “The End of Piracy,” wrote Cotton Mather, the Puritan minister, owner of enslaved people, revolutionary, and witch-hunter who is often called the “grandfather of Evangelicalism,” in a 1717 […]
HAWKWATCH
Irma Penniman, Keeper of the Gate
In the early 1900s, a slaughter took place every fall in the mountains above Drehersville, Pa. at the foot of Blue Mountain, a ridge of the Appalachians in the eastern […]
1902
Charles Ayling Recalls Taking a Drive
Charles Ayling, whose wealthy family owned homes in Chestnut Hill and Centerville, was 27 when he decided he would “experiment with something that had been talked about and seen occasionally: […]
1936
How the Sea Turned a Bountiful Fishing Colony Into a Shoal
WELLFLEET — “Ocean Conquers Once Prosperous Island,” blared the headline in the New Bedford Standard-Times on Feb. 16, 1936. “High Tide Now Covers Island.” It was news, but it had […]
REFUGE
Sea Rescues, Spy Glasses, and Skinny-Dipping
The Cape Cod Oracle of Thursday, March 17, 1988 included a letter to the editor from Lawrence H. Gallagher, the younger brother of Russell Gallagher. In 1953, Russell had purchased […]
1951
The Washashore Fabulist
One of Provincetown’s most sought-after mid-century tastemakers, Peter Hunt seemed to leave town as mysteriously as he had appeared. At least that’s what the Oct. 18, 1951 installment of the […]
QUIRKS AND CRACKS
That’ll Be ‘Mrs. Jazz Garters’ to You
Lisa King, a local Provincetown historian who describes herself as a “West-End girl,” grew up hearing stories full of townspeople remembered by their nicknames. Some were straightforward references to people’s […]
1986
In Search of The Rushes
Is it possible to feel nostalgia for a place you’ve never been? Last year, my husband found a poster for a long-shuttered Provincetown guesthouse called The Rushes in an online […]
1960
Coffee Sodas, Condoms, and Coping With the Summer People
The central aisle of a drugstore might seem like a strange place to learn how to strut like a stripper with certain exaggerated shoulder and hip moves. But learn — […]
GRIST FOR THE MILL
A Relic of a Bygone Age
EASTHAM — Sailors approaching Cape Cod’s ports in the 18th and 19th centuries would have seen the windmills first. They stood like sentinels over the bay, with an astonishing 67 […]
NIGHTLIFE
Even on a Tuesday in Winter, Piggy’s Was Packed
Ask people who lived in Provincetown in the 1970s about Piggy’s — a modest bar filled with salvaged wood on Shank Painter Road — and you’re practically certain to see […]
HEART BEAT
The Good Doctor of Provincetown
One December evening in 1971, a masked man knocked on the side door of Dr. Daniel H. Hiebert’s home in Provincetown. “Turn around, I want to see your back,” the […]
1927
The Magic of the Attic
In my genealogical pursuits, countless hours have been spent trying to break down a few “brick walls” — those questions one cannot find definitive answers to — in my great-grandmother […]
MALVACEAE
Down the Garden Path
Once known as Hollyhock Lane, the narrow pathway between 271 and 273 Commercial St. was a frequent postcard subject and tourist attraction as Provincetown became more of a vacation destination […]
Lost to Time
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Greetings from Cape Cod
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“Grape-Nuts”
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MUSES
Painting With Ferocity and Freedom
Bob Thompson came to Provincetown in 1958 and met a group of peers who would influence his art and his life. “I Am Myself: Early Works by Bob Thompson and […]
DRAWING LIFE
On the Hunt for Courtney Allen
On a long wooden table in the quiet confines of the Cobb Archive in Truro, the beasts don’t circle as much as they overlap, still menacing but yellowed with time. […]
TIDE CHART
Provincetown and Wellfleet Harbors
Know when to hit the flats. This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
CLASSIFIEDS
Classifieds Jan. 2, – Jan. 9, 2025
EVENTS Crone’s Team Trivia is back at Bay Cafe every Tuesday at 7 p.m. throughout the winter. Prizes, fun, food and drinks. All welcome. Join us at 177 Commercial St., […]
Wellfleet Legal Notices
Town of Wellfleet Conservation Commission Public Hearing January 15, 2025 Please take notice that the Wellfleet Conservation Commission, in accordance with M.G.L. Chapter 131, Section 40, and the Wellfleet Environmental […]
Town of Truro Legal Notices
Town of Truro Community Preservation Committee Public Hearing January 16, 2025 The Truro Community Preservation Committee will hold a public hearing on Thursday, January 16, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. in […]
Provincetown Legal Notices
Town of Provincetown Historic District Commission Public Hearing January 15, 2025 The Provincetown Historic District Commission will hold a Public Hearing at 3:30 P.M. on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, in […]
Eastham Legal Notices
TOWN OF EASTHAM TOWN WARRANT PUBLIC NOTICE The Warrant for the Eastham Annual Town Meeting to be held on Monday, May 5, 2025, opens Monday, January13, 2025 and will close […]
PARENTING
Piecing Together Postpartum Care on the Outer Cape
TRURO — On a Thursday morning in early December, Rana O’Laughlin arrives at Jelena Duarte’s house, greeted by Pickle the cat and Duarte’s 18-month-old daughter, Vera. The atmosphere is subdued, […]
WATER QUALITY
Sewer District Lots Exempted From Upgrades
WELLFLEET — The board of health got mixed reactions when it brought an amended version of its new septic system regulations to the select board on Dec. 10. The resulting […]
PROVINCETOWN HOUSING
Developers Propose 40 Condos, 30 Below Market
PROVINCETOWN — The latest effort to create middle-income housing here underwent a major revision this month when the select board endorsed a change in plans for a new 40-unit building […]
MENTAL HEALTH
ARPA-Funded Behavioral Health Clinician Serves the Outer Cape
EASTHAM — Even in the best of circumstances, accessing mental and behavioral health care can become a Herculean journey. The country’s mental health care system is byzantine, there are rarely […]
ON PAUSE
Political Signs Are a Reminder of Unenforced Bylaw
TRURO — A fleet of roadside signs urging drivers to “Vote NO” on Question 7 remained on the public right-of-way along Route 6 for weeks before and after election day […]
CENTENARIANS
A Man of Habit and Adventure
WELLFLEET — It seemed to Frank Koebel that he was always the youngest in everything. When he started school in Columbus, Ohio at five, he was young for his class. […]
DEVELOPMENT
With Septic Plan Approved, Collins Cove Sale May Proceed
EASTHAM — Despite a bitter disagreement between the sellers and a prospective buyer, the Collins Cove Cottage Colony, a cluster of summer rentals on the shore of Town Cove owned […]
HISTORY
In Search of Helltown
PROVINCETOWN — It’s here — you just have to picture it. Imagine it’s midwinter in 1871 and your frozen feet are planted on a sandy stretch of what is now […]
THE ESSENTIALS
A New Year’s Tradition Based on an Old-World Confection
As traditions often do, this one developed at our house out of necessity. It’s a celebratory cake made with oranges and almonds but without wheat flour, milk, butter, or leavening […]
MORNING FLIGHT
When a Bird Ignores Its Zugunruhe
Zugunruhe is one of those perfect German words that have no equivalent in English, so we Anglophones just decided to steal it outright. The word translates as “migration-anxiety” and describes […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s early deadline on Monday, Dec. 23 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s […]
TO THE MAT
Start the New Year Humming Like a Bee
There are lots of opportunities to be as busy as a bee during these winter holidays. As we hustle toward the dawn of the New Year, it can be hard […]
TRACK
A New Runner Sets Her Sights on an Old Record
EASTHAM — Amina Iliusinova had never run track before she joined the team at Nauset Regional High School as a junior last spring. She had been a high jumper at […]
NATURAL SELECTION
Never Too Soon for Sunscreen
Last week we marked the winter solstice, the daylight’s yearly nadir; now, each subsequent day will bring with it incrementally more sunshine. Xanthoria parietina is ready. The orange coloring of […]
GRAVEYARD SHIFT
A Tree Grows in Truro. But Who Planted It?
TRURO — Planting a tree is an act of hope, a belief in tomorrow, a promise to future generations one will never have the chance to meet. It makes sense, […]
ASTRAL PROJECTIONS
Preparing for This New Year, Patience Prevails
With the Sun in Capricorn guiding us through the final days of 2024, it’s clear that ambition combined with responsibility and structure is the way to a happy and healthy […]
PROVINCETOWN: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Winter Wednesdays
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Provincetown are held in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting you want to attend on the calendar at provincetown-ma.gov for a […]
TRURO: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Rescued by Rescue Plan
Meetings Ahead Meetings in Truro are often held remotely. Go to Truro-ma.gov and click on the meeting you are interested in for an agenda and details on how to join. Monday, Dec. […]
WELLFLEET: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
A Charge of Bullying
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Wellfleet are in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting you are interested in on the calendar at wellfleet-ma.gov for details. All […]
EASTHAM: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Taxpayer Assistance Fund
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Eastham are in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting you are interested in on the calendar at eastham-ma.gov for details. All […]
MUSIC AND ART
Garrett Dutton Finds a Different Rhythm
Garrett Dutton is best known by his stage name, G. Love. Since the early 1990s, he’s fronted the hip-hop blues band G. Love and Special Sauce, which maintains an active […]
INDIE SCREEN
The Cinematic Art of Forbidden Fruit
William S. Burroughs is a familiar figure in the countercultural Beat movement, along with his friends Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. He is also one of the greatest and most […]
MUSIC
From Eastham to Hollywood and Home Again
Four years ago, Natalia Bonfini, who grew up in Eastham, found herself in Nashville, face to face with American Idol judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan. She would […]
FICTION
What We Carry With Us
Phone. Wallet. Keys. A modicum of dignity. An ocean of guilt. For me, the humiliation of Bobby Chandler beating me up in fourth grade. For her, a grandmother’s dictum that […]
Arts Briefs
John Shuman Is Looking for Answers Wellfleet-based actor and memoirist John Shuman has a lot of questions about the important things we often take for granted, like laughter, music, and […]
VIGNETTE
Unexpedited
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STEAMERS
Wishless
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FIRST SNOW
A Child’s Christmas in Wellfleet
Working at Wellfleet Town Hall, I find that memories of growing up here come back easily to me. All it takes is a slight change in the light, a sound, […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Cultch Clash
There’s a kerfuffle going on in Wellfleet over clamshells. The town shellfish department uses cultch — recycled clam and oyster shells that form a bed for oyster larvae to grow […]
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters, December 26, 2024
A Firing Squad in Truro To the editor: Your story about the Truro Select Board’s goals for the town manager’s performance (Dec. 19, page A5) reads more like the assemblage […]
OBITUARY
Paul Banner, 102, Railroad Executive and Lover of Frozen Oysters
Paul Herbert Banner, a railroad executive and consultant who lived in Wellfleet for 40 years, died on June 18, 2024 at the Redwoods Retirement Home in Mill Valley, Calif., where […]
OBITUARY
Master Boatbuilder Lawrence Meads Sr. Dies at 90
Lawrence W. Meads Sr., a master boatbuilder who worked at Flyer’s Boat Yard in Provincetown for 45 years, died peacefully on Dec. 5, 2024 at Cape Cod Hospital, surrounded by […]
TIDE CHART
Provincetown and Wellfleet Harbors
Know when to hit the flats. This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.