TRURO — Mary DeAngelis had a few things to tell me as she drove me two miles into the Province Lands. She wanted me to know the story of a […]
ROUND TRIP
Who’s Driving This Bus?
A shortage of school bus drivers reflects the Cape’s changing demographics
TRURO — Perched on the driver’s seat of a 2009 Blue Bird front-engine school bus, Julie Packard checks the lights, dials, and gauges of her rig. Packard, who has been […]
RUNNING
On and Off the Trail in Provincetown
A reflection on running through the seasons
PROVINCETOWN — When I arrived in Provincetown in January, I spent those first wind-chilled days learning the Independent’s proofreading software, reading up on interviewing techniques, and searching for running routes […]
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK
On Asking Questions
When I was little, my father would tease me for asking outlandish questions. “In baseball,” I once asked, “if a batter hits a home run so powerful it flies all […]
SHARK TANK
New Ideas Emerge at Housing Pitch Contest
Short-term rental cap, a housing ‘pledge,’ and ADU deregulation get nods
PROVINCETOWN — At a “Shark Tank without the teeth” held online on May 19, eight people made three-minute pitches to an audience of 60 and a panel of six judges […]
BUSKERS
Music in the Air
New acts and old tunes on Commercial Street
PROVINCETOWN — A walk down Commercial Street is a bit like traversing the paths of Coachella these days. Fashionable, semi-clad young people wander down the middle of the street in […]
ELECTIONS
Cyr Faces Two Republican Challengers for State Senate
Lauzon and Heywood will give voters a choice in November
PROVINCETOWN — Two Republican candidates want to flip the Cape and Islands Senate seat and add to the three Republican-held seats — out of 40 — in the upper house […]
STATE HOUSE
Rep. Peake Has a Challenger for a Change
Climate, housing, and transparency are top issues for Democrat Stanton
PROVINCETOWN — Barnstable Fourth District state Rep. Sarah Peake has not had a primary challenger since 2006. Enter Democrat Jack Stanton, a 30-year-old Provincetown lobsterman and service worker who is […]
ENVIRONMENT
Herring River Restoration Project Wins $29M Grant
Permitting steps remain, but construction could begin as soon as November
WELLFLEET — The Herring River Restoration Project is $29 million closer to beginning phase one. On April 27, the Cape Cod Conservation District announced that the project would receive $29 […]
MARATHON
Finding Theater, Blubber, and Community in Moby-Dick
A town reads aloud for everything from esoteric insights on blubber to racy bits
PROVINCETOWN — “We don’t want thunder, we want rum!” bellowed reader Larry Williams, channeling the urgency of a stormy scene from Herman Melville’s classic novel, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale. When […]
CIVICS
A Mellow Eastham Town Meeting
At the high school gym, democracy proceeds by clicks
EASTHAM — “Aren’t we having fun?” Moderator Scott Kerry asked, as 312 voters settled into folding chairs in the Nauset Regional High School gym for the annual town meeting. Then […]
LOCAL JOURNALISM
Gannett to Stop Printing 19 Eastern Mass. Weeklies
A transition from local news to regional coverage may be in the works
PROVINCETOWN — Nineteen Gannett-owned weeklies across Eastern Massachusetts will cease print publication in May, according to recent announcements on the company’s “Wicked Local” websites. None of the 19 in the […]
ALBUM REVIEW
Just Listening With Mike Flanagan
His new album with Lisa Bello is a tribute to ‘third musketeer’ Justin Waithe
If you walk into Provincetown’s Tin Pan Alley or The Club in the evening, you’re likely to hear Mike Flanagan’s fingers on the piano or the sound of his saxophone. […]
CIVICS
Celebrating Democracy at Provincetown’s Annual Meeting
A crowd of 400 is glad to gather, agree on a police station, and groan over amendments
PROVINCETOWN — On foot and by bike, scooter, and car, some 400 people made their way along Commercial Street to town hall on Monday evening, headed to what turned out […]
REPORTER'S SCRATCH PAD
Reimagining T-Time
‘All you have to eat’ will defeat Stop & Shop’s covenant
T-Time Development Committee chair Karen Strauss has announced that the former driving range will become a driving range again. That’s a fine idea. Maybe golf and antique arcade games are […]
