PROVINCETOWN — The tax on short-term rentals has generated a financial windfall for the four Outer Cape towns, newly released figures from the state show. The added revenue for the […]
ELECTIONS
$33,315 Was Raised for Three-Way Select Board Race
Sandberg led record-breaking campaign with $19,355
PROVINCETOWN — The May 11 select board election in Provincetown, in which Leslie Sandberg, Oriana Conklin, and incumbent Lise King all ran for one seat on the board, generated the […]
THE CRISIS
Leaders Issue Call to Action on Housing
Cyr wants ‘a fundamental reimagining of what we are willing to do’
PROVINCETOWN — State Sen. Julian Cyr and Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce CEO Wendy Northcross convened a panel of housing experts last week that focused on what individual towns can […]
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
On Being Inside a Whale: ‘I Didn’t Believe It at First, Either’
Mike Packard writes a new chapter in the real-life adventures of Provincetown lobster divers
PROVINCETOWN — Mike Packard’s experience inside a humpback whale last week is the story that had everything: charismatic heroes, an adventurous setting, an enormous animal co-lead, a happy ending — […]
HOUSING
‘Barracks’ Dormitory Proposal Could Get a Vote Thursday
Patrick’s project aims for 112 seasonal beds, 16 year-round rentals
PROVINCETOWN — The planning board will again consider Patrick Patrick’s seasonal worker dormitory proposal at its meeting on Thursday, June 10 and could offer a final clearance that would allow […]
THE HOUSING CHALLENGE, PART 2
Towns Pay Little to Develop Affordable Apartments
Large projects are a bargain, but finding land is the problem
PROVINCETOWN — For Outer Cape communities that have been relentlessly squeezed by the housing crisis, producing new housing has been a primary policy response. In particular, affordable housing developments — […]
MODERN LIVING
Truro Adopts New Water Protection Rules
About 200 home owners will need to replace their cesspools
TRURO — The board of health approved a series of updated regulations on May 18 governing cesspools, septic systems, and well-water testing. The most significant change is that all cesspools […]
COVID-19
Baker Ends Nearly All Pandemic-Related Restrictions
Business closures, rules for gatherings will disappear May 29
PROVINCETOWN — Citing a first-in-the-nation vaccine rollout and a plummeting count of Covid-19 cases, Gov. Charlie Baker moved the state’s “end of restrictions” date from the previously announced Aug. 1 […]
ELECTION
Sandberg Wins 3-Way Race for Provincetown Select Board
Diversity, equity, and inclusion office override passes with 53%
PROVINCETOWN — There were only one race for town office and five questions on the annual election ballot this year, but 1,354 people turned out to vote in one of […]
THE SEASON
The Missing Summer Workforce, by the Numbers
How Trump’s ‘travel ban’ is reverberating through the local economy
PROVINCETOWN — Every spring, the Outer Cape’s population, and payrolls, swell, as about 5,000 people pick up seasonal jobs here, according to Cape Cod Commission data. Some of those 5,000 […]
CONSENSUS
Smooth Sailing for Another Provincetown Town Meeting
Broad agreement on diversity, Pier Corp., Court Street articles
PROVINCETOWN — Provincetown’s second outdoor, Covid-safe town meeting was held on Saturday, May 1 and it was relatively uncontentious, with nearly every article passing by large margins. Articles that added […]
CANNABUSINESS
And Then There Were Three: Another P’town Pot Shop Opens
A growing industry could mean a local medical outlet by winter
PROVINCETOWN — Hennep opened its doors at 246 Commercial St. on Monday, May 3, becoming the third retail marijuana shop in Provincetown. Owner Andrew Koudijs decided to go into the […]
COASTAL STUDIES
Lobstermen Fish for ‘Ghost Gear’
For a few hardy crews, it’s time to clean up the seafloor
PROVINCETOWN — Throughout April, a few hardy fishermen have been departing from MacMillan Pier most mornings not to haul in a bounty of fish but instead to haul in lost […]
TOWN MEETING
Provincetown Considers an Office of Diversity
A group’s petition seeks funds for outreach and a salary
PROVINCETOWN — Voters at Provincetown’s annual town meeting on Saturday will be deciding a question with little precedent on the Outer Cape. Article 13, brought forward by a group of […]
THE JAB TAB
Outer Cape Leads Mass. in Vaccination Rates
All four Outer Cape towns are in the state’s top 10
PROVINCETOWN — The state’s April 15 Covid vaccination report has great news for the Outer Cape. The top-line numbers show that the four outermost towns have among the highest Covid […]
