Latest Stories

FOURTH OF JULY

We asked our contributing photographers to show us what they were seeing on the streets on July 4th. They answered with candy scramblers, stilt-walkers, beachgoers, protesters, and flag-wavers (and wearers), […]

PUBLIC SAFETY

PROVINCETOWN — Over two days last week, two different bias crimes are alleged to have happened on Bradford Street: a physical attack on a gay man near the intersection of […]

HEALTH CARE

PROVINCETOWN — This spring, the U.S. House of Representatives took a cue from the 27 Republican-controlled states that have restricted gender-affirming health care for minors and put an even more […]

ENTITLEMENT

WELLFLEET — Chellise Sexton and her son Kevin Sexton have failed again in their effort to wrest the land at Fred Bell Way from the town. The Sextons have pursued […]

LAND USE

TRURO — A state Land Court judge has set a pretrial conference for Aug. 14 to discuss three appeals related to whether the bulk sale of landscaping material on the […]

HOUSING

WELLFLEET — As house prices become increasingly unaffordable on the Outer Cape, interest is growing in ways that individual property owners could help create opportunities for year-round residents to own […]

BLUE ECONOMY

PROVINCETOWN — State data finalized in April show that 2024 saw the smallest sea scallop haul from the Outer and Lower Cape’s ports since at least 2019. The in-shell weight […]

PUBLIC WORKS

PROVINCETOWN — The town is moving forward with plans to renovate its public restrooms to the gender-inclusive standards in the state’s newest building code — a shift that would replace […]

CIVICS

This article was updated on July 10. TRURO — With the terms of all the members of the ad hoc building committee set to expire at the end of June, […]

BIRDWATCHING

It doesn’t seem possible that these hills around us were planted. We know they were clear cut; Europeans and their ships had not seen trees this size in centuries. It […]

THE WHOLE KITCHEN

I have never been to France, never eaten a true French crêpe or croissant, never walked over the “Japanese Bridge” painted in multiplicity by a man with a long beard […]

GARDEN TOUR

Artist and gardener Alex Tureaud never wants to mow the lawn again. “Having a lawn is a very demanding chore to have to do at a beach house,” he says. […]

GRAVEYARD SHIFT

On March 5, 1864, Massachusetts ceded jurisdiction of Provincetown’s Long Point to the United States for a military reservation. People in town didn’t like the idea much, although they did […]

THE COCKTAIL

It’s weird how many drinks we consider classics were first mixed in France — a country that doesn’t really do cocktails. Admittedly, many of them were concocted largely for American […]

FOOD

To Elspeth Hay, it has always seemed clear that, when it comes to food, we take more from this planet than we give. In her new book, Feed Us With […]

GOOD FENCES

We never put much effort into the woods at the back of our property. Hurricane Bob took out most of the locust trees, then sycamore maples, honeysuckle, and runaway privet […]

THE SCUTTLEBUTT

The waterfront was alive with activity this past week, culminating in a spectacular fireworks show on one of those 10-out-of-10 Chamber of Commerce perfect summer days. Given how much awful […]

CAPE COD BASEBALL

ORLEANS — The beaches of San Diego are about as far away as you can get from Cape Cod and still be in the continental U.S., but two Orleans Firebirds […]

NATURAL SELECTION

If Dolly Parton were a flower, she might just be a butterfly weed. Just like Dolly, Asclepias tuberosa is small in stature but bursting with life (native bees and bugs […]

RARA AVIS

Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, July 8 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]

ICE DREAMS

ORLEANS — Harper Meads said she was feeling “more excitement than nerves” as she and her friend and fellow skater Sloane Young ripped across the ice at the Charles Moore […]

WEATHER

If you watch the news or follow the weather at all, chances are you’ve heard of the Bermuda high. Meteorologically, the Bermuda high is really an extension of the Azores […]

FOUND AT THE FARMERS MARKET

July 5, 2025 Orleans Garlic has come early to the market, a result of dry and hot weather. Many farmers have garlic on offer, but Benjamin Chung of Caroline’s Corner […]

DATE AND TIME

By Charles O. Stickney, from the July 12, 1890 issue of the Boston Evening Transcript, selected and edited by Kaimi Rose Lum  The daylight of one of the loveliest of […]

VIEWFINDER

TWICE AS NICE DAYTIME FIREWORKS This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.

I SCREAM

At the Independent, many things change every year: the headlines, the bylines, the deadlines, and, for a few, the hairlines. But some things never change. Independent writers are back in […]

ASTRAL PROJECTIONS

While we walk boldly into a new era of ideas, be prepared for the small changes. They sometimes affect us more than the big ones. With Uranus freshly stationed in […]

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, July […]

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 […]

PATHWAYS

Drawing is a personal art. There’s often not much more than a line of ink or graphite dividing an artist’s idea from the artwork. It is both direct and exploratory. […]

BOOKS

Betty Friedan worked so hard she forgot to pee. Norman Mailer was married twice in four days. The only way to get Leonard Bernstein out of bed was to play […]

ARTS FUNDING

Provincetown artist Laura Shabott, playwright Patrick Riviere, and the executive director of the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival were relieved to learn that they had been selected for grants from […]

GUTS

Before David Hills began following fishermen, he rarely saw the sea. Born in Iowa City, Iowa, Hills grew up in Houston, where his father, Kent, was a physicist working on […]

ARTISTS

Walking into the Shirley Gorelick exhibition at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, one is “knocked out with color,” as exhibition curator and PAAM CEO Christine McCarthy puts it. Many […]

DRAG DESK

The day after the debut of his new summer show at the Crown & Anchor last month, Jeffery Roberson — the beating heart of Provincetown drag, better known as Varla Jean […]

COMICS

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Barbara Cohen Captures Four-Legged Frolic A college art teacher once warned Barbara E. Cohen against becoming an abstract painter, advising her that only “realists” can support themselves through their art. […]

VIGNETTE

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STEAMERS

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THE YEAR-ROUNDER

It has been two years since I discovered David Read’s painting on a seawall in the East End of town (“Painting on the Seawall,” June 29, 2023). That amounts to […]

INDEPENDENCE DAY

On the evening of July 3, I and 69 million other Americans who get Social Security benefits received an email “celebrating the passage of the One Big, Beautiful Bill, a […]

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

A March 27 pronouncement titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” ordered the secretary of the interior to take action to ensure that public properties “do not contain descriptions, […]

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Safety in Restrooms To the editor: Our trans siblings have experienced violence and a lack of safety in our public restrooms. They have asked to be seen, heard, included, and […]

OBITUARY

Artist, cat lover, and bohemian Peter Hutchinson died on June 26, 2025 exactly as he wanted to, sleeping in his favorite chair in his Provincetown home with a glass of […]

OBITUARY

A memorial service for Elizabeth G. Welsh of Provincetown, who died at 72 on March 27, 2025, will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 11 at the Nickerson […]

OBITUARY

Longtime Wellfleet resident Amy Jo Paine died at her home in Rock Harbor Village in Orleans on June 24, 2025. She was 62. The cause was complications of rheumatoid arthritis, […]

OBITUARY

Helene Rabinovitz, therapist, tennis player, Broadway aficionado, and longtime Provincetown summer resident, died of ovarian cancer at her home in New York City on May 27, 2025. She was 83. […]

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 30 to July 3, 2025.  PROVINCETOWN June 30. John Vasconcellos Trust 2022 (John Vasconcellos and William T. Barr, trustees) to […]

CLASSIFIEDS

MUSIC Irish, old time, folk, and country music sessions hosted by Denya LeVine and Tim Dickey has a new schedule: Music every other Tuesday (July 15 and 29, Aug. 12 […]

Round Two (Friday, July 11) RSVPtown Gallery (120 Commercial St., Provincetown) celebrates its second season with a reception on Friday, July 11, 6 p.m., featuring new paintings and collages by […]

LICENSING DEPARTMENT PUBLIC HEARING NEW ANNUAL ALL ALCOHOL ON-PREMISE POURING LICENSE And NEW BUSINESS LICENSE COMMON VICTUALER The Truro Select Board will hold a Public Hearing on TUESDAY, JULY 22, […]

SELECT BOARD 27 CAPTAIN BERTIE’S WAY LICENSE AGREEMENT The Board will hold a Public Hearing on MONDAY, JULY 28, 2025 AT 7:00 P.M. in the Judge Welsh Room, Town Hall, […]

PLANNING BOARD Pursuant to the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws, c.40A sec 5, the Eastham Planning Board will hold a Public Hearing at 5:00 PM ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2025, […]

Moving Parts (Thursday, July 10) Wellfleet Public Library (55 West Main St.) offers “Chain Reactions & Creative Contraptions” — an interactive workshop by Playful Engineers featuring “catapults, exploding popsicle sticks, […]

A Woman Named Carlos: New Girl in Town Post Office Café & Cabaret Thurs, July 10 and Thurs., July 17, 10 p.m. $35-$45 plus fees at postofficecafe.net   Alexis Mateo: […]

PORTUGUESE FESTIVAL

PROVINCETOWN — The Sun came out for Provincetown’s 78th annual Blessing of the Fleet on June 29. Boats of all sizes mustered in the harbor, decked in festival flags, as […]

TOWN HALL

TRURO — The select board voted unanimously on July 1 to interview only one of 16 applicants for the job of town manager: current acting Town Manager Kelly Clark. She […]

PUBLIC HEALTH

PROVINCETOWN — There’s a newcomer on the Cape’s tick scene. It bites hard, reproduces fast, and, in some cases, leaves victims allergic to red meat. It’s the lone star tick. […]

SHERIFF’S DEPT.

PROVINCETOWN — When Barnstable County Sheriff Donna Buckley announced her campaign for that office in March 2022, she told the Independent that “the sheriff’s responsibility is not to do law […]

DEMOLITION WATCH

WELLFLEET — When Helen Miranda Wilson spent $900,000 to purchase the 3.7-acre property at 177 Peace Valley Road in late May, she hoped to restore at least part of the […]

PLANNING DEPT.

PROVINCETOWN — Every year in May, after town meeting and the annual town election, the select board scores the town manager’s progress and writes a new set of “goals and […]

PLANNING

WELLFLEET — After nearly two years of review, the planning board unanimously denied site plan approval for a 10-lot subdivision sandwiched between Dow Drive and Somerset Avenue. The 8-acre property, […]

GRACE GOUVEIA SERVICE AWARD

PROVINCETOWN — There were still 20 minutes left of the documentary, and Bruce Mason wanted to know if he could finish it before giving an interview. It was the day […]

I SCREAM

At the Independent, many things change every year: the headlines, the bylines, the deadlines, and, for a few, the hairlines. But some things never change. Independent writers are back in […]

THE SEASIDE GARDENER

Foxgloves have a sense of mystery about them — even their name is a subject of lore. They are, however, very easy to grow in a Cape Cod garden if […]

GOOD HUMOR

A jolly jingle electrifies the air in the parking lot at Thumpertown Beach in Eastham. Seconds later, Nicki Waite swings into view, driving her vintage ice cream truck: a 1973 […]

FOOD MEMORIES

I lived out in Oregon for more than a decade before moving home to the Cape in 2022. My husband and I often planned trips here around the Fourth of […]

CONSTITUTIONAL

Diane Midura is still flying her knitted Ukrainian flag outside Ocean Purls, her Eastham yarn shop. “I started knitting it days after the Russian invasion,” she says. She didn’t think […]

ON THE BEACH

I wait all winter for the precious June afternoons when the wind and sun are at my back, and the tide is low and incoming. These are perfect conditions for […]

THE SCUTTLEBUTT

The game of hide and seek we’re playing with our striped bass continues — they seem to be unwilling to settle into an area and stay put. It’s a daily […]

TRAP SHOOTING

EASTHAM — The story among members of the Nauset Rod & Gun Club is that their first trap house — the shelter from which clay pigeons were thrown — was […]

FASHION FORWARD

It’s a warm Tuesday morning in Provincetown and artist Paul Rizzo is wearing knee-high athletic socks with garters, a royal blue vintage speedo, a black leather chest harness, and a […]

RARA AVIS

Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, July 1 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]

STRANGE BIRD

ORLEANS — George Hoskey has a low, gravelly voice that draws strength from his diaphragm. If he pulls it taut, he can release a piercing squawk. A friend once measured […]

NATURAL SELECTION

There’s something kind of human about a mature patch of Opuntia humifusa, the Eastern prickly pear cactus. Maybe it’s the plant’s new growth and round fruits that attach along the […]

WEATHER

One of the busiest times of the year on Cape Cod — the Fourth of July — is upon us, and the weather looks to cooperate quite nicely through the […]

FOUND AT THE FARMERS MARKET

June 28-29, 2025 Wellfleet and Truro If you’ve just missed the farmers market, try exploring some of the local farm stands. Sea and Soil Botanical Designs (Pole Dike Road, Wellfleet) […]

DATE AND TIME

From the July 4, 1918 issue of the Provincetown Advocate, selected and edited by Kaimi Rose Lum To write an honest article about a patriotic poster show wants, as our […]

VIEWFINDER

  POLLEN NATION This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.

ASTRAL PROJECTIONS

The stars invite transition. Fine, you say: things are constantly shifting, changing, and creating friction in the cosmos. But sometimes the effects are subtle, and other times they come 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, July […]

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

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 […]

CIRCUS

The mosquito has a monologue. The bees perform synchronized aerials. And the praying mantises fight to the death. What’s the Buzz?, the latest production from Payomet’s Cirque by the Sea, […]

TRADITION

Kenny Neal can’t say for sure which was the first instrument he ever played. It seems to him he’s always been a musician — growing up in Baton Rouge, La., […]

COMEDY

The astonishing thing about the opening night of Judy Gold’s annual run at the Post Office Café & Cabaret wasn’t that she killed it. She did kill it, resoundingly, but […]

BOOKS

Susannah Cahalan writes that Rosemary Woodruff Leary is “everywhere and nowhere.” Her point is that the woman who was the fourth of five wives of Timothy Leary — the Harvard […]

THEATER

Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were Italian immigrants who joined the early-20th-century anarchist and labor movements in Massachusetts. In 1921, they were convicted of killing a paymaster and a guard […]

POETRY

Open my eyes with the sun,                 bright over my shoulder,                 and uniform clear blue […]

POETRY

The air felt like May, but the water said it would rather be March. They negotiated through a fog that rose from the moors and burned off in my lungs. […]

An Artistic Dialogue at Seashore Point Gallery Anne Flash and John Koch met in a class at Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill around 10 years ago. The […]

VIGNETTE

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STEAMERS

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WATERCOLOR

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INDEPENDENCE DAY

Ben Franklin and others admired the founding document that unified the Haudenosaunee peoples (who were called the “Iroquois” by the colonists), which some said had influenced the founding of this […]

WELLFLEET HOUSING AND TAXES

An article directing Wellfleet to dedicate 80 percent of its rooms tax revenue to affordable housing was narrowly defeated — the vote was 90 to 101 — at this year’s […]