PROVINCETOWN — On his daily walks along the harbor beach, Marc Guerrette occasionally sees a bird or two that has washed ashore, the result of natural animal mortality brought in […]
Local Journalism Project
SCHOOLS
A Demand to Expand the Nauset District Lands With a Thud
No sign that Truro or Provincetown would join the regional school district
ORLEANS — A letter sent to the Nauset Regional School Committee by a group calling itself the “Concerned Citizens of Orleans, Brewster, Eastham, and Wellfleet” demanded that the committee amend […]
COMMUNITY PRESERVATION
Committee Votes to Put $750K in Truro Housing Trust Fund
Asked for $500K, the group OKs $100K for Provincetown’s affordable housing
TRURO — The Community Preservation Committee agreed on Jan. 27 to recommend more than $1 million in grants for housing and historic preservation in fiscal 2024, with the largest chunk […]
GREEN ENERGY
Solar Power Will Come to Nauset Middle School at Last
Contractor did a ‘screw job’ on the district, says Easley
ORLEANS — The long and frustrating road to the installation of a solar canopy at Nauset Regional Middle School is nearing an end. After two years of delays caused by […]
THRIFT
Reports of Demise of Swap Shop Are Greatly Exaggerated
Thrift shops fill the void while the DPW awaits a new trailer
PROVINCETOWN — The town swap shop will reopen at the beginning of May, according to Sherry Prada, deputy director of the Dept. of Public Works. The town’s familiar trading spot […]
DEVELOPMENT
Walsh Committee Votes to Study Plan for 252 Housing Units
With ‘consensus’ out of reach, the group votes 7-3 to proceed
TRURO — The Walsh Property Community Planning Committee, which has been meeting regularly for two years, took its first actual vote on Jan. 18. By seven votes to three, with […]
FIRST RESPONSE
Car Crashes Into OCHS Lobby in Wellfleet
No one was seriously injured, and the health clinic quickly reopened
WELLFLEET — A white Audi sedan operated by Greta Einig, 74, drove into the Outer Cape Health Services (OCHS) office on Route 6 shortly after 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 18, […]
MEET THE MAKER
The Craft of the Clam Rake
The R.A. Ribb Company continues a family tradition, making bull rakes to fit each fisherman
HARWICH — There are half a dozen bull rakes lined up outside the door of the R.A. Ribb Company waiting for pickup by A.R.C., the Dennis-based shellfish hatchery and grower. […]
NIGHTLIGHTS
Lanterns of Hope
Wellfleet folds together history, public art, and contemplation
WELLFLEET — “I love sitting with people of all ages and folding paper,” said Sheryl Jaffee, the Wellfleet Historical Society’s museum coordinator. The assembled — more people than would fit […]
DEMOGRAPHICS
Birth and Death Statistics Show an Aging Population
There were three deaths for every birth here in 2022
With the books closed on 2022 and town clerks across the Cape working on their annual town reports, the Independent took a look at the birth and death records for […]
LOCAL VIEWS
An Art Collection With Wellfleet as Its Muse
Michael Parlante collects art with an eye toward a town’s history
When Michael Parlante was a child, the celebrated painter Edwin Dickinson lived across the street from him near Cove Road in Wellfleet. “I’d watch him painting in his front yard,” […]
JUSTICE
MLK Day Art Show Is a Call to Action
This year’s theme is a response to instances of racism in Cape schools
WELLFLEET — Sara Blandford wanted this year’s theme for the Martin Luther King Day Youth Art Show to be more than just a feel-good truism. She saw it as a […]
ECONOMICS
Town Seeks Bidders for Maurice’s Campground Management
Wellfleet will lease the 21-acre site rather than try to operate it
WELLFLEET — The town is now accepting bids for the operation of Maurice’s Campground on Route 6 during the six-year transitional period before construction begins on an affordable housing development […]
HOUSING
Wellfleet ADU Slips Through Regulatory Cracks
There is no system for monitoring a deed-restricted rental unit
WELLFLEET — The tenant in a deed-restricted affordable accessory dwelling unit (ADU) was evicted by his landlord last year, and town officials say they do not know whether the apartment […]
TAX RELIEF
Taxation Aid Committee Makes Applying Easier
Truro fund could help more than the 5 or 6 who apply each year
TRURO — The town’s taxation aid committee has begun accepting applications from residents who need help paying their property taxes this year — and, working with the town’s finance office, […]
