Latest Stories

NO KINGS

American flags were the most common symbol at Eastham protest EASTHAM — Demonstrators at the “No Kings” protest here on June 14 seemed surprised by the size and intense spirit […]

ENVIRONMENT

WELLFLEET — A menace stalks the shores of Wellfleet in the thousands: the European green crab, Carcinus maenas, an invasive species that feasts on juvenile shellfish and clips eelgrass to […]

IMMIGRATION RAIDS

PROVINCETOWN — Thirty-six of the 38 people arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket more than three weeks ago have still not been identified […]

AT SEA

ORLEANS — A Coast Guard search and rescue operation on June 11 located a 30-foot commercial dragger out of Rock Harbor that had been reported missing the day before. The […]

TRURO HOUSING

TRURO — Two cottages that were moved to a town-owned lot on South Highland Road in February 2024 were supposed to be renovated and ready to house town employees by […]

ON THE WARRANT

EASTHAM — There’s only one item up for a vote at Eastham’s special town meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 23: a $170-million authorization for a sewer system around […]

PLANNING DEPT.

PROVINCETOWN — Some of Cape Cod’s charming roads have so many twists and turns that it’s easy to imagine the horses and buggies that once traveled them. Old King’s Highway […]

SUMMER JOURNALISM FELLOWS

The Provincetown Independent’s four summer fellows, supported by the Local Journalism Project, have arrived and will be working at the newspaper through mid-August. We invited them to introduce themselves on […]

CENTENARIANS

TRURO — Anne Irwin wishes that people were more curious about her living room. After 100 years on Earth, 89 summers on the Cape, and 35 years of living in […]

MILLION-YEAR PICNIC

Meteor showers, eclipses, and other unusual celestial events get a lot of press. Sometimes this is deserved. The total solar eclipse of 2024 was stunning; in 2020, Comet NEOWISE was […]

THE WHOLE TABLE

Each summer for a couple of weeks, my family trades our hometown tourist destination for another one: we make the short trip across Nantucket Sound to Martha’s Vineyard. Like all […]

THIS WILD CAPE

No matter the season, people are always asking me about eastern bluebirds. Musicians and poets want to write about them. There’s no question that whatever our fondness for birds may […]

THE SCUTTLEBUTT

Striped bass are playing hide and seek with us now. One day we have them good, with big numbers of fish around and feeding well, and the next day there […]

CROSSWORD #64

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GRAVEYARD SHIFT

TRURO — Few took notice of the unimposing whitewashed cottage with a red roof and green shutters when it was completed in May 1930. The one-room structure, built on land […]

FOUND AT THE FARMERS MARKET

June 11, 2025 8:15 a.m., Wellfleet Chris Murphy of Truro’s Nestwood Farm has two kinds of bok choy on offer, Mei Qing Choy and Black Forest. They come complete with […]

CAPE COD BASEBALL

ORLEANS — At 8 a.m. last Saturday, welcome signs of summer were visible at Eldredge Park. Despite a lingering chill and under overcast skies, the first blankets and beach chairs […]

BOYS LACROSSE

BARNSTABLE — A captivating season for the Nauset boys lacrosse team that included a march to an unprecedented second consecutive Final Four appearance, came to an abrupt end on June […]

NATURAL SELECTION

Maybe the cattle of Europe and western Asia, where Leucanthemum vulgare is native, once upon a time had striking yellow eyes with thick white lashes. Otherwise, it’s hard to imagine […]

RARA AVIS

Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, June 17 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]

WEATHER

Welcome to summer. At 10:42 p.m. on June 20, the earth’s tilt toward the Sun will reach its maximum point in the Northern Hemisphere, with the sun passing directly over […]

THAT WAS THEN

From the June 24, 1920 issue of the Provincetown Advocate, selected and edited by Kaimi Rose Lum Groton, Conn, June 19 — With water from the famous Pilgrim Spring, one […]

IN VIEW THIS WEEK

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ASTRAL PROJECTIONS

It’s been real, Gemini, but the Sun moves into nurturing Cancer on June 21. Get ready for a shift from immersion in the social and intellectual realms to contending with […]

PROVINCETOWN: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS

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 link to […]

TRURO: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS

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, June […]

WELLFLEET: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS

Most meetings in Wellfleet are in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting that interests you on the calendar at wellfleet-ma.gov for details. All meetings are at […]

EASTHAM: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS

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 meetings are […]

DOG DAYS

Alexis Trice lives in New York City, where she was born and raised, but it’s the natural world that has captured her imagination. Her jewel-like, unsettling paintings of dogs (often […]

THEATER

The Willa Cather short story that Brenda Withers has adapted as a play is set in a 19th-century Nebraska farm community, but in the Harbor Stage Company’s production of The […]

BOW AND BRUSH

The Outer Cape, weathered and romanced by the Atlantic and bathed in a certain extraordinary light, has long inspired visual artists. Their work is all around us. What would happen, […]

COLOR AND FORM

Canadian artist Laurie Skantzos makes thick plywood constructions with vibrant, painted edges that blur the line between painting and sculpture. She thinks of them as “wall sculptures.” Approaching a piece […]

POETRY

The uncluttered elegance of Marie Howe’s voice has held its power over the 40-plus years she has been publishing poetry. And nowhere is it heard more lovingly than here in […]

BODY HORROR

Just before Carmen Maria Machado left for graduate school, she came down with swine flu. The year was 2009: Barack Obama had just started his first term as president, Bitcoin […]

Electric Six Still Wants to Take You to a ‘Gay Bar’   It’s a safe bet that when Electric Six plays at Provincetown Town Hall this weekend, the song “Gay […]

VIGNETTE

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STEAMERS

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KEEPING WATCH

Eastham has not made it easy for residents to vote without reservation for the financing of its Targeted Watershed Management Plan (TWMP). The $170-million cost of the project is an […]

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Two weeks ago in this column, I wrote about a group of kids on Long Island who have started a newspaper called The Ditch Weekly, which was described by its […]

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Tax Burden in Eastham To the editor: Re “In Eastham, Property Tax Is a Hot Topic” [June 12, page A12]: The article’s assertion that Eastham’s property tax burden is […]

OBITUARY

Alan J. Wagg, a founder of the Provincetown AIDS Support Group and longtime local real estate agent, died on June 8, 2025 at Life Care of Plymouth after suffering a […]

OBITUARY

Terry Siegel of Provincetown, retired English professor, carpenter, aquarist, athlete, and editor, died at the McCarthy Care Center in East Sandwich after a protracted struggle with cancer on May 27, […]

OBITUARY

A celebration of the life of writer and teacher Brent Harold of Wellfleet, who died at 86 on Oct. 29, 2024, will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. on […]

OBITUARY

A celebration of life for designer George E. Smithers of Provincetown, who died at 61 on Oct. 12, 2024, will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 28 at […]

OBITUARY

A celebration of the life of Paul Joseph of Wellfleet, who died at 82 on March 17, 2025, will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 29 […]

OBITUARY

A memorial for Star Chicaderis of Provincetown, who died at 69 on April 18, 2025, will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 21 with the unveiling of a stone […]

OBITUARY

Ronald Hazel, the legendary retailer known as Ronny whose wildly psychedelic store, Shop Therapy, has been attracting head-shop fans to Provincetown since 1978, died at his home on Center Street […]

TIDE CHART

Know when to hit the flats.       This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.

Recorded at the Barnstable County Registry of Deeds from June 9 to June 13, 2025.  PROVINCETOWN June 9. The Kettler Family Trust (Myrna W. Kettler, trustee) to Stephen J. Tschida […]

CLASSIFIEDS

EVENTS  Observational drawing: Seeing reality. A 4-session workshop with artist Adam Graham at the Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill. June 30 to July 3. Sign up at […]

Fun and Frolic (Thursday-Monday, June 19-23) Frolic Weekend — formerly known as Men of Melanin Magic (MoMM) — celebrates “Summer Camp” in Provincetown with a weekend of brunches, social mixers, […]

ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS Pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 40-A, Section 11 and Wellfleet Section 235, the ZBA will hold public hearings on JULY 10, 2025, STARTING AT 7:00 […]

TRURO ZONING BYLAW AMENDMENT TOWN OF TRURO, ATM MAY 4, AND 5, 2024, ARTICLE 34 Truro Zoning By-Laws by adding a new Section §40.9, entitled: Time Share, Interval and Fractional […]

HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION The Commission will hold a Public Hearing at 3:30 P.M. ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 2025, in the Judge Welsh Room at Town Hall, 260 Commercial Street, Provincetown, […]

REVELRY

Provincetown personalities Austin Tyler and Mackenzie hosted the town’s Pride celebration over the past weekend. On June 7, after a rally on the steps of town hall, revelers made the […]

RADIOACTIVITY

PLYMOUTH — The Dept. of Environmental Protection determined last July that the proposed discharge of over one million gallons of radioactive wastewater from the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station into Cape […]

COMMUNITY

PROVINCETOWN — As legal protections for transgender people are stripped away at the federal level, the effects are being felt far beyond Washington. That is true even here in Provincetown […]

PROMISES, PROMISES

TRURO — The board of health is all too familiar with complaints about the Sandbars Inn at 570 Shore Road. Many of them stem from lack of oversight of the […]

HOUSING

PROVINCETOWN — The town’s effort to get 40 condos — 30 of which would be sold to town residents at below-market prices — built at the site of the former […]

IMMIGRATION

PROVINCETOWN — The Trump administration’s increased pressure on student visa holders nationwide — and its all-out campaign against Harvard — came into view in Provincetown last week when the Harvard […]

DOGE DISRUPTION

PROVINCETOWN — A federal judge in Maryland on June 5 blocked the Trump administration’s cuts to AmeriCorps, the community service agency, in 24 states including Massachusetts — reinstating, at least […]

HISTORIC

EASTHAM — With a new wing added over the winter, this town’s old yellow schoolhouse, which now serves as its museum, run by the local historical society, has been restored […]

TAXING

EASTHAM — Property taxes have been in the spotlight in Eastham this year. In the annual town election, two candidates for select board told the Independent that rising taxes were […]

SUMMER GEAR

Tony Muto grew up on Nauset’s outer beach. “I’ve been out there since I was in diapers,” he says, and he means that quite literally. Among his baby photos is […]

CLASS OF 2025

EASTHAM — Nauset Regional High School’s seniors — 203 of them — marched from the school’s new auditorium down a hall lined with applauding teachers and into the new gymnasium […]

GROWING WILD

“Right plant, right place.” This mantra, good for muttering to oneself at the nursery so as not to waste money on temptations that, though beautiful, have absolutely no business being […]

ONE FISH, TWO FISH

In her small, bright shop on Wellfleet’s Commercial Street, Nicole Gelinas holds up two thin pieces of wood: old shingles from Cape Cod houses. On one, a gold-and-black octopus sports […]

THE ESSENTIALS

It won’t be long now. Most anyone who keeps a vegetable garden is waiting and watching for the first peas, that fresh, green taste of springtime that means the weather […]

BIRDWATCHING

It wasn’t yet light out. This was the best time to get hands on the bird. This expert flier certainly wouldn’t allow capture if she could see me coming. My […]

RARA AVIS

Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, June 10 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]

THE SCUTTLEBUTT

We had another weekend washout with clouds and cool temperatures, but this time the weather didn’t stop the fish from biting. Striped bass moved north of Billingsgate Shoals and smack […]

BOYS LACROSSE

EASTHAM — Spurred by freshman attackman Jack Peno’s five-goal first-period outburst, the second-seeded Nauset Warriors (17-4) defeated Nashoba 16-10 to reach the Division 3 Final Four in boys lacrosse for […]

GIRLS LACROSSE

MEDFIELD — Medfield was seeded number one in Division 3 for a reason and its ranking was emphatically justified with a 22-3 victory over a determined but outgunned Nauset girls […]

TRACK

Ten Nauset students qualified for this year’s Mass. divisional track meet, held on May 30 and June 1 at Merrimack College. They joined top athletes from Falmouth, Scituate, and 40 […]

LOVEFEST

EASTHAM — Whoever coined the term “unified track” deserves an award for linguistic perfection. To view this sport, as practiced by the Nauset Regional High School Warriors, is to experience […]

NATURAL SELECTION

The pictured shrub, scientifically classified as Viburnum nudum — presumably for the smoothness of its shoots — has endured many a christening. Someone more focused on its fruit than its […]

ROAD TRIP

I didn’t think I needed the potato clock. I mean, everything I really need is close by: I can buy my printer paper across the street from here. If I […]

ASTRAL PROJECTIONS

No matter what your sign, you’ll find yourself assessing your social circle. Now’s a time for asking yourself who you’ll allow in — and whom you should keep at arm’s […]

PROVINCETOWN: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS

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 link to […]

TRURO: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS

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, June […]

WELLFLEET: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS

Most meetings in Wellfleet are in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting that interests you on the calendar at wellfleet-ma.gov for details. All meetings are at […]

EASTHAM: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS

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 meetings are […]

FIELD WORK

It is not uncommon in Provincetown to come across artists with their easels and paints set up along Commercial Street or out in the dunes. Painting en plein air — […]

JAMBALAYA

When David Eure plays his violin, its fingerboard dusted with rosin, he’s constructing a masterpiece of texture and inflection. In performance, he says, “Your audience is your canvas, and you’re […]

THE DRAG BUG

Mackenzie Miller, Provincetown’s self-declared “neon hype girl,” was born in the great state of Alaska, in Big Lake, an hour north of Anchorage. There, in the “arctic tundra,” she says, […]

ARTISTS

“Crossroads,” the name of André van der Wende’s current exhibition at Wellfleet Preservation Hall, alludes to a creative journey that offers resolution but also a continuous sense of possibility. The […]

FILM FESTIVAL

Murray Bartlett has won or been nominated for more than a dozen acting awards, but the one he’ll receive Saturday hits closest to home. Six years after moving to the […]

FILM FESTIVAL

Ari Aster, 38, represents a new generation of filmmakers unafraid to plunge into the darkest corners of human experience. He will receive the Filmmaker on the Edge Award at this […]

Art That Celebrates Power and Resilience Izzy Berdan, curator of an exhibition at the Provincetown Commons this month commemorating Juneteenth, has strong opinions about “America’s second Independence Day.” The Texas […]

VIGNETTE

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STEAMERS

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WATERCOLOR

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THE YEAR-ROUNDER

On a cold night in October more than 50 years ago, the staff at Ciro & Sal’s restaurant was getting ready to close. It was after nine o’clock, there had […]

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

The alert about a last-minute concert at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House came too late for an announcement in the newspaper. Jennifer Shannon, president of the congregation, emailed on Friday […]

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Eastham’s Water To the editor: At the June 2 meeting on the Eastham wastewater project, the select board and other town officials presented a thorough and cogent explanation of the […]

OBITUARY

A Funeral Mass for Maria Andrews of Provincetown, who died on June 2, 2025 at 67, will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at St. Peter […]

OBITUARY

Donna Marie Thomas died at her home in Yarmouth on May 8, 2025, surrounded by loved ones. She was 67. Donna was born on March 5, 1958 at Cape Cod […]

OBITUARY

Joan Muriel (Dutra) Russell died on May 29, 2025 at Seashore Point Wellness Center in Provincetown after a long, courageous fight against cancer. Having survived squamous cell cancer and then […]

OBITUARY

A celebration of the life of Phil Cole, who died on March 6, 2025 at 77 of complications from a brain aneurism, will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. […]

TIDE CHART

Know when to hit the flats.     This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.