PROVINCETOWN — A recent safety grant from the state’s Seaport Economic Council will pay for the installation of six new ladders rising from the water of Provincetown Harbor onto MacMillan […]
STRICT SCRUTINY
Proposed Beach Stairs Get OK From Cape Cod Commission
Homeowners’ proposal went through unusual state review after a local denial
TRURO — The Cape Cod Commission voted 11-1 on Sept. 5 to grant a Development of Regional Impact exemption for a proposed 200-foot stairway from a house at 3 Corn […]
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
Notes From a Naive Swimmer
Panic and transcendence on a cold sojourn in the bay
PROVINCETOWN — The intensity of the physical and emotional exertion I was about to undertake didn’t hit me until I was packed into the last Funk Bus full of neoprene-suited […]
OLD COLONY
Riding the Rails and Rallying the Resolute
That time 150 years ago when Ulysses S. Grant took the train to Provincetown
PROVINCETOWN — Preident Ulysses S. Grant’s visit to Cape Cod and the Islands in late August 1874 was more than a mere celebration. Ostensibly, Grant was here to commemorate the […]
AT TOWN HALL
Grief Redoubled by a Death Certificate Delayed
A seven-week odyssey in search of a vital record
TRURO — Richard Pask, 72, came to the select board on Aug. 27 distraught. His wife, Carol Harris, 69, who had ALS, had died at home in hospice care on […]
PLAYING THROUGH
The Swinging Sisters Are Good on the Green
A foursome’s fun and fierce style fits the spirit of the Eastham Golf Tournament
EASTHAM — Susan Everett, Carol Aro, Eileen Miller, and Dawn Skiba finished each other’s sentences. This tendency, like their golf games, evolved over their four-decades-long friendship, their strengths and foibles […]
WELLFLEET HARBOR
Marina Committee Blames Former Staff for Poor Management
Interim harbormaster says budget is inadequate to address concerns
WELLFLEET — Following three resignations in the harbormaster’s office within a two-week period earlier this summer, members of the town’s marina advisory committee claimed former staff failed to address critical […]
WELLFLEET HARBOR
Hydraulic Fluid Spills; Oysters Deemed Safe
Wind, tides, and the movement of boats disperse a slick over 2 acres
WELLFLEET — Local and state agencies sprang into action when a sheen — later identified as spilled hydraulic fluid — was seen coating the surface of Wellfleet Harbor on the […]
BOOKS
Object Permanence and What Remains in Absence
In The History of Sound, Ben Shattuck traces the meaning of objects across time
August is a poet with a fellowship in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. He’s lonely. The intoxication of procrastination and the cold fingers of autumn poking into his cabin […]
INDEPENDENCE DAY
The Domino Effect
For Jamaicans, the game creates community, preserves culture, and passes the time
PROVINCETOWN — Jamaica’s Independence Day on Aug. 6 was celebrated in fits and starts here, as intermittent rainstorms moved across the sky and work commitments drew people away from the […]
ROOTS
Farmers Market Week Kicks Off With Song and Dance
Community, local food, and indigenous culture cycle through the Truro market
TRURO — The Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers performed here on Aug. 5 in front of a crowd that included the market’s usual Monday shoppers along with Mass. Dept. of […]
REST AND REASSESS
Covid-19 Pauses Outer Cape Entertainment
Two venues canceled a week of performances in July
PROVINCETOWN — Four years after Covid-19 brought live performances worldwide to a halt, the virus is still working its will on Outer Cape arts venues. The Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater […]
INTERIORS
Paintings That Reveal Unintended Narratives
Nick Patten holds a mirror to the light and solitude at the Vorse house
On the desk where I spent most of my first winter in Provincetown were tokens that introduced me to this place but only obliquely: a wooden carving of a semi-erect […]
A LITTLE LOUDER
Nine Young Adults and Two Advisers Make a Sassy House
Summer of Sass is settling into its Bradford Street home
PROVINCETOWN — The Summer of Sass began in 2017 to help young queer people from less-accepting parts of the country — such as Shreveport, La., where founder Kristen Becker grew […]
PROVINCETOWN PLANNING BOARD
Mulliken Quits After Failed Bid to Become Chair
A dispute about the proper role of alternate board members
PROVINCETOWN — Jeffrey Mulliken, vice chair of the Provincetown Planning Board, resigned from the board on June 28, one day after his bid to replace Dana Masterpolo as chair failed […]