HYANNIS — For 15 years, despite patients’ right to abortion care in Massachusetts, it was impossible to get an abortion on Cape Cod. Then, in 2023, Health Imperatives, a nonprofit […]
IN FEDERAL COURT
Lawsuit Claims Orleans Sect Exploited Children’s Labor
Oliver Ortolani, who grew up in the Community of Jesus, filed suit in July
This article was updated on Aug. 24, 2025. ORLEANS — Known for its grand church just steps away from Cape Cod Bay, the Community of Jesus (COJ), a small, tight-knit […]
DROPPING IN
Skateboarding Jam Makes Some Noise in Wellfleet
The Outer Cape’s annual homecoming for people who know ‘rules are made to be broken’
WELLFLEET — Colin Nobili’s amplified exclamations rang out across Mayo Beach from the Kevin J. Fitzgerald SK8 skatepark where competitors at all skill levels hit the pavement for the annual […]
UNDERSTORY
A Small Fire at Beech Forest Sparks Big Concerns
Wildfire preparedness in question after record-setting fall fire season
PROVINCETOWN — Nine crews of firefighters from stations as far as an hour away from Provincetown answered the call to put out what was at first considered a “major brush […]
ELDER CARE
Healey Signs Long-Term Care Bill Into Law
State will have new powers over owners of nursing homes
PROVINCETOWN — Last month, a long-term care reform bill that had failed to pass during the legislature’s normal session, which ended July 31, became law after the state House and […]
HEAVY LIFTING
Eastham’s Zoning Task Force Looks Ahead to a New Downtown
Current focus is on writing bylaws to support the master plan
EASTHAM — For the last three-and-a-half years, Eastham’s task force on residential zoning and regulation has done intensive behind-the-scenes work to adapt the town’s zoning bylaws to its major strategic […]
HEALTH CARE
Nursing Home Reform Languishes on Beacon Hill
Despite latest failure, 3 lawmakers say long-term care legislation is not dead
PROVINCETOWN — Massachusetts politicians at both the state and federal level have made recent moves toward tightening regulation of the long-term care industry, especially as private-equity firms continue to buy […]
SEASHORE POINT
Reviewers Suspect Fraud in Nursing Home Filings
Experts find evidence of hidden profits in the millions
PROVINCETOWN — Since taking over the nursing home at Seashore Point in 2019, the current owners have used a complex network of companies to pay themselves hidden profits — possibly […]
A SAFE DISTANCE
Seashore Offers Up a House on the Edge
Threatened by erosion, the Bartlett House will be demolished if it’s not spoken for soon
EASTHAM — The Cape Cod National Seashore announced last week that the Bartlett House, a gray shingled ranch overlooking Coast Guard Beach, is no longer safe for habitation, as it […]
A MANAGEMENT ISSUE
Patients Suffer at Outer Cape’s Only Nursing Home
AdviniaCare at Seashore Point fails to meet state minimum-staffing standards
PROVINCETOWN — This past spring, a Provincetown resident who the Independent has agreed not to name to protect the person’s privacy checked into the Seashore Point nursing home for rehabilitation […]
EYE IN THE SKY
In Truro and Eastham, Drones Are Assisting Police and Fire
Both drones were dispatched to a search and rescue call on July 22
EASTHAM — When a Truro resident with Alzheimer’s went missing on Monday, a fleet of at least three drones was dispatched to join the search — one from the Barnstable […]
UP IN THE AIR
Summoning a Sport Kite Resurgence One Flight at a Time
How two retirees are trying to spark a sporting movement on the Outer Cape
EASTHAM — There is the prototypical single-line diamond kite suspended and stagnant above the flier’s head. And then there are sport kites, which carve the air, spin tight circles, and […]
TAG TEAM
Inside Sharktivity
Crowdsourcing makes the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s app tick
PROVINCETOWN — As the waters off Outer Cape Cod warm and beaches fill, John Chisholm, the man working the virtual tip line at Sharktivity, knows his workload is about to […]
WELLFLEET HARBOR
Stranding Stirs Dolphin Rescue Effort at ‘the Gut’
125 Atlantic white-sided dolphins are trapped at low tide
WELLFLEET — Last week’s mass dolphin stranding here is thought to be the largest in at least a quarter century, and its causes may never be fully explained. One hundred twenty-five […]
OUTER CAPE HEALTH
Canceled Appointments, Dropped Referrals, and Tangled Phone Lines
Patients support Outer Cape Health but struggle with its challenges, too
PROVINCETOWN — Nick Jefferson lives to rock climb. “I work so I can go climbing,” he told the Independent. So, when Jefferson, who moved to Provincetown in 2013, cut a […]
