WELLFLEET — All throughout this year, American voters will experience an omnipresent election campaign that will eventually culminate in a November choice for the presidency. This spring, however, Wellfleet voters […]
CLEAN WATER
Wellfleet’s Wastewater Plan Is on Track to Meet State Deadline
A larger downtown sewer district and treatment at Maurice’s should improve nitrogen mitigation
WELLFLEET — Town officials are working to finalize a targeted watershed management plan aimed at reducing the nitrogen load in the harbor and bringing Wellfleet into compliance with state and […]
RESIGNATION
Waldo Quits as Wellfleet Town Administrator
Select board meets behind closed doors to decide on his last day
This article was updated on Jan. 4. 2024. WELLFLEET — Less than 19 months after taking the job of town administrator, Richard Waldo submitted his resignation to select board chair […]
ICONS
Remembering the Willow on West Main Street
A tree that ‘was bigger than all of us’ was lost in the December storm
WELLFLEET — The weeping willow on the corner of West Main Street, which rose above adjacent white clapboard houses, dangled its green catkins over the road’s sharp turn, and endured […]
1904
When the Finns Brought the Heat
Wellfleet’s sauna diplomacy years
Saima Tuominen arrived on Ellis Island in 1904, when she was six, accompanied by her mother and her younger brother. They had left Finland in the twilight of the Russian […]
BREAKING NEWS
Waldo Resigns After 18 Months as Wellfleet Administrator
Citing stress and lack of support, he takes job as Orleans DPW director
WELLFLEET — Less than 19 months after taking the job of town administrator, Richard Waldo submitted his resignation to select board chair Barbara Carboni on Wednesday, Dec. 20. Waldo’s contract […]
WELLFLEET POLICING
LaRocco Sworn In as Police Chief as Hurley Retires
A new leader hopes to live up to his predecessor’s legacy
WELLFLEET — Kevin LaRocco was sworn in as Wellfleet’s new police chief during the Dec. 19 select board meeting. He is taking the place of Michael Hurley, who has retired […]
UNCIVIL WELLFLEET
Staff Decry the State of Select Board Meetings
As many as 15 staffers are behind a letter of complaint
WELLFLEET — A contingent of town staff has written a letter to the select board demanding better control over what they see as the lack of civility during recent board […]
BOOKS
In Day, Michael Cunningham Tells a Family Drama in Three Parts
The novel, set in part during the pandemic, never names the pandemic
The rule of thirds is a compositional principle in photography: an image is divided into three equal parts to achieve maximum aesthetic tension. For the writer Michael Cunningham, the rule […]
PENALTY
Wellfleet Select Board Chooses $4.5M Penalty Over Mitigation Plan
After 2 years of work, dredging task force members quit, citing verbal attacks
WELLFLEET — The select board has directed the dredging task force to pay $4.5 million for a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers instead of moving forward with […]
SOUP’S ON
246 Community Kitchen Dishes Out Dignity
Cooks and guests gather for good company, and ‘the best meatloaf in the world’
WELLFLEET — In the kitchen of the United Methodist Church’s banquet hall, under a hand-painted sign that reads “safe harbor,” a group of six chefs zigzag around each other, chopping […]
HEALTH CARE
Dr. Jorgensen Is Gone From OCHS
Health Services CEO won’t comment on medical chief’s abrupt departure
PROVINCETOWN — Dr. Andrew Jorgensen was removed from his job as chief medical officer of Outer Cape Health Services (OCHS) last month and, as of last week, was no longer […]
MENTAL HEALTH
Bridges Granted Pretrial Probation After 4 Months of Incarceration
A case evolves from prosecution to treatment and recovery
PROVINCETOWN — Jonathan Bridges, the man detained in last winter’s West End barricade incident, has been granted pretrial probation for two years, after which all charges will be dropped if […]
THE LOCAL JOURNALISM PROJECT
The Independent Welcomes Winter Fellow Aden Choate
Backpacking, fact-checking, and journalism inspired by Mary Heaton Vorse
PROVINCETOWN — Aden Choate began a five-month Mary Heaton Vorse journalism fellowship at the Independent on Nov. 1., inaugurating the third season of a winter program that brings young reporters […]
REDACTIONS
Executive Session Minutes Leave Public in the Dark
Discussion of personnel matters can be exempted from open meeting rules
WELLFLEET — The select board has released minutes from its June 27 executive session, at which the beginning of a board meltdown apparently occurred. The session came before the board’s […]
