PROVINCETOWN — Though passers-by were chatting, bicycle bells were ringing, and the sounds of cars, strollers, and dogs filled the air, the silence from protesters still felt audible, as if […]
FACT CHECK
Confusion Is on Tap in Cloverleaf Fight
Cesspools are the real risk to Truro’s water quality
TRURO — Out West, the saying goes that “Whisky’s for drinkin’, and water’s for fightin’.” In Truro’s ongoing debate about affordable housing at the Cloverleaf parcel, the water is for […]
SAFETY NET
Outer Cape Workers Could Be Denied Unemployment This Winter
Lots of unknowns in future of expanded system
PROVINCETOWN — Unemployment insurance dates back to 1935 and the same New Deal law that created Social Security. This year, however, unemployment benefits were radically expanded and repurposed as coronavirus […]
HOUSING RELIEF
There’s Financial Help for Tenants and Landlords Hurt by Covid
But a hot real estate market threatens year-round rentals
PROVINCETOWN — First, the good news: checks of up to $5,000 are available to help vulnerable Cape Cod tenants with up to three months of rent payments. The Housing Assistance […]
CIVICS
Cold Hands, Warm Hearts at Town Meeting
Provincetown voters gets things done with unusual speed and harmony
PROVINCETOWN — The long-delayed annual town meeting moved at a brisk pace on Monday, Sept. 21, with the chilly weather perhaps encouraging voters gathered in the parking lot at St. […]
TOWN MEETING PREVIEW
Warrant Articles on Housing and Flood Prevention Face Voters
Funds for Harbor Hill and Ryder Street dune to be considered
PROVINCETOWN — Like much of the summer season this year, town meeting in Provincetown is going to arrive later, leaner, and al fresco. Originally scheduled for early April, at the […]
CANNABIZ
The Pot Profit Puzzle, Part One
Why local ownership is rare, growers may still get in the game, and the tax promise is enticing
PROVINCETOWN — When b\well opened here on Friday, Sept. 4, it became the second recreational (or “adult-use”) marijuana dispensary on Cape Cod. Nine more dispensaries are on a path to […]
WORKFORCE HOUSING
Dormitory-style Housing Faces ZBA Review
Neighbors object to scale of building that could house up to 144
PROVINCETOWN — Both supporters and opponents of the dormitory-style housing project scheduled for review by the zoning board of appeals at its Sept. 17 meeting agree on one thing: it’s […]
POLITICS
Cyr Nearly Alone in Speaking Out Against Morse Smear
Vague sex allegations have ‘chilling effect’ on gay candidates, he says
PROVINCETOWN — A Democratic congressional primary race in Western Massachusetts wouldn’t normally make the news on Cape Cod. But the race for the nomination in the rural 1st district, covering […]
BALLOTS
How, When, Where to Vote on Outer Cape
Navigating a process threatened by Covid-19 and federal assault
PROVINCETOWN — While the U.S. Postal Service is being hobbled by national political forces that aim to privatize it and perhaps sabotage the upcoming federal elections during a pandemic, there’s […]
PANDEMIC WAVES
Covid Infection Patterns Shift
Cape Cod’s July cases look different from last spring’s
PROVINCETOWN — Look closely, and Barnstable County’s graphs of new Covid cases and deaths tell a story. There’s an upward swell of discovered cases that begins a couple weeks after […]
PUBLIC HEALTH
‘Please Talk,’ Say Coronavirus Contact Tracers
Key Covid containment measure works only if people cooperate
PROVINCETOWN — Massachusetts is ramping up efforts to find positive cases of coronavirus. Asymptomatic screening programs are being expanded around the state, and Provincetown recently announced it will begin a […]
THE NEW NORMAL
Wait Time for Covid Test Results Presents Challenge
Screening efforts are increasing, but cost and speed matter
PROVINCETOWN — The goal is clear and workable: at some point, we’ll be able to systematically screen for coronavirus, identify asymptomatic carriers early, and effectively squelch community spread. What we […]
THE WATERFRONT
Sunken Yacht Nearly Sinks Schooner Hindu
Historic vessel now headed to Maine for comprehensive rebuild
PROVINCETOWN — An evening aboard the schooner Hindu, watching the sun slip behind the monument and clouds light up like giant hydrangeas, has been a Provincetown tradition since 1946. Generations […]
HEALTH
How Much Is a Covid Test? Who Can Get One?
The answer, as usual: it’s complicated
PROVINCETOWN — Health care is rarely simple. The question of who can access it, where, when, and for how much often gets a conditional and specific answer that’s different for […]