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 […]
TRANSPORTATION
CCRTA Set to Bring Cheap Rides to Outer Cape
SmartDART will start service for short local daytime trips on June 22
PROVINCETOWN — Christopher McGregor’s taxi business is braced for a tough season. He said he’s heard a new rideshare company is coming soon to the Outer Cape. The rumor is […]
VOUCHERS AREN’T ENOUGH
Child-Care Providers Navigate a Trying Landscape
Long waitlists and staff shortages plague Outer Cape early education centers
PROVINCETOWN — Outer Cape towns’ efforts to help families afford child care are being stymied by a lack of space and staffing. Some families with young children are unable to […]
CLEARCUT
Truro Campground Makes Slow Amends for 2016 Violations
Work is underway on environmental restoration and a long-delayed sewage system
TRURO — Eight years after the owners of Horton’s Camping Resort in Truro illegally cleared 11 acres of land abutting the Cape Cod National Seashore, a habitat restoration project is […]
HORSES
Roaming Trails and Beaches and Finding Freedom on Horseback
A few in Wellfleet, mostly women, keep an Outer Cape equestrian tradition
WELLFLEET — Barbara Austin got her first horse, Duchess, when she was 10. The two went everywhere together, and their trust in each other was absolute. At Wellfleet’s kettle ponds, […]
