TRURO — When Caroline Townsend was finishing fifth grade at Truro Central School (TCS) in 2012, her parents asked her which sixth grade option she preferred: board the bus for Nauset […]
Next Generation
HANGOUTS
At the Eastham Elks Lodge, Community and Charity Meat
Fish fries, bingo, and raffles that raise thousands for local organizations
EASTHAM –– Last Friday evening a dozen Elks galloped in and out of the kitchen of Lodge #2572 as they prepared the weekly fish fry. On the other side of […]
NEW COMPANY AT FAWC
Fine Arts Work Center Welcomes Its 2021-2022 Fellows
20 visual artists and writers take up residence in Provincetown
Nineteen writing and visual arts fellows arrived last month at the Fine Arts Work Center for seven-month residencies in Provincetown. One more fellow, Ellen Akimoto, is in Germany dealing with […]
CIVIL ENGINEERING
Rot Puts a Bump in Plan to Fix Lieutenant Island Bridge
Residents face a spate of scheduling challenges
WELLFLEET — William Huss, the president of the Lieutenant Island Association, got an urgent call from DPW Director Jay Norton on Oct. 29. Coastal Engineering, the contractor making long-planned repairs […]
FISCAL CRISIS
DOR’s ‘Plan B’ Enables Wellfleet to Send Fall Tax Bills
FY2022 tax rate set at $7.78; short-term borrowing may be needed
WELLFLEET — After telling the select board on Nov. 2 that property tax bills could not go out this fall, interim Town Administrator Charles Sumner returned a week later with […]
HANDSOME ROOTS
When Turnips Were King in Eastham
How Art Nickerson saved the town’s tasty tuber
EASTHAM –– One hundred eleven years ago, the sandy fields of Eastham yielded 10,710 bushels of turnips, more than every other town from Provincetown to Yarmouth combined. When local farmers […]
SECRET PLACES
Collecting Rubies in the Sand
In the Province Lands, a bog for berries and reflection
The greens, golds, pinks, and reds of just a few weeks ago have given way to a sepia-toned world, awash in amber, russet, and ash. I pull up to my […]
CIVICS
Benten Niggel Resigns From Eastham School Committee
The committee considers matter of drug accusation 'closed'
EASTHAM –– Benten Niggel resigned from the Eastham Elementary School Committee on Oct. 15 after charges emerged that he had “promoted the use and sale of marijuana” to high school […]
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Truro Fire Department Survives a ‘Staffing Crisis’
But the town braces for the possible loss of Lower Cape Ambulance
TRURO — The fire and rescue dept. has weathered what town officials called a “severe staffing shortage” last month when, according to an Oct. 12 press release, the department was down […]
HOUSING PLANS
Truro and Wellfleet Will Fail to Meet Their Housing Goals
Production of affordable units falls far short of stated targets
The two Outer Cape towns with the poorest records of creating affordable housing — Truro and Wellfleet — will both surely fail to meet upcoming deadlines in their existing housing […]
WELLFLEET TOWN MEETING
Democracy and Dugouts
This year’s meeting on the ballfield brought out the quirks of New England town government
WELLFLEET — Take me out to the town meeting — if Wellfleet doesn’t win, it’s a shame. For it’s one, two, three motions to call the question and you’re out, […]
THE LOCAL JOURNALISM PROJECT
Emerging for a Summer of Reporting
Introducing the Independent’s 2021 journalism fellows
The Independent is hosting four young journalists in its summer fellowship program this year. We asked them to introduce themselves by describing their experiences of emerging from the pandemic into […]
RELIGION
Gay Catholics Seek Solace and Spirituality at St. Peter’s
Social justice concerns and service lead to ‘a richer faith’
PROVINCETOWN — Mike Dubour was in the process of converting to Judaism. He was tired of the lousy version of Catholicism he kept receiving — what he described as “hatred […]
COURT REPORT
A ‘Sextortion’ Case Reveals Silent Crisis for Teens
Abstinence-only advice on sexting is not working
EASTHAM — On Nov. 6, 2020, a girl walked into Eastham’s police station, alone. Like a growing share of her generation, she was facing a new digital form of sexual […]
ECONOMY
For Local Fishermen, Change Is a Way of Life
Whatever the crisis, the answer is: adapt
WELLFLEET — For a few days of each week this summer, Will Barrio hung up his waders and went out to wire electrics. Normally, Barrio would wait to grab his […]
