HARWICH — An effort to secure more housing for working people on Cape Cod took a step forward last week when the Cape Cod Commission announced it would hold a […]
News
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GULLY-WASHER
Downpours Cause Flooding, Beach Stair Collapse, and Shellfishing Closures
Eastham got 6.6 inches over the weekend; Provincetown got 3.2
After three sunny, dry weeks, parts of the Outer Cape got over half a foot of rain between Sept. 19 and 22. The National Weather Service reported that Eastham recorded […]
BACKLOG DEPT.
Delays in Issuing Permits Afflict Builders in Wellfleet
OpenGov technology hinders progress in a staffing-beleaguered office
WELLFLEET — It is common knowledge among local contractors here that getting work done in Wellfleet takes longer than it does in other towns. The difference has to do with […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Northeast Winds Bring a Chill to Fishing
Antiquated septic systems and cesspools affect the bay, not just ponds
Just when we start enjoying epic weather and think we have a fall bass run commencing, here comes Mother Nature to slap us in the face with reality. In the […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Turn Your Ear Skyward for Bobolinks
The birds that helped reveal migration’s secrets are overhead now
Bink! The sound pinged overhead as I walked along High Toss Road in Wellfleet. It was a crisp early autumn morning, and the north winds overnight had dropped a smattering […]
OFF THE SHELF
Fungi Are Our Friends
The spooky season has a way of arriving overnight: one day candy corn suddenly appears on the grocery shelf, the next day shelves of candy corn pop up along the […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Sept. 24 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
PROVINCETOWN: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Joint Water Meeting
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Provincetown are held in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting you want to attend on the calendar at provincetown-ma.gov for a […]
TRURO: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
RTE Bumped to 35 Percent
Meetings Ahead Meetings in Truro are often held remotely. Go to Truro-ma.gov and click on the meeting you are interested in for an agenda and details on how to join. Thursday, Sept. […]
WELLFLEET: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Harbormaster Update
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Wellfleet are remote only, but some are held in person. Go to www.wellfleet-ma.gov/calendar and click on the meeting you want to watch, then follow the […]
EASTHAM: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
A Leaky Library
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Eastham are in-person, typically with an online attendance option. Click on the meeting you are interested in on the calendar at eastham-ma.gov for details. All […]
ON THE WATERFRONT
Inside a Vestige of Provincetown’s Mercantile Past
The Old Reliable Fish House and Colonial Cold Storage buildings have stories to tell
PROVINCETOWN — The large, decaying buildings that formerly housed fish-processing businesses, an industrial freezer, a pair of restaurants, and several apartments at 227, 227R, and 229 Commercial St. are mostly […]
PUBLIC HEALTH
Kindergarten Vaccination Rates Fall Short
Lack of ‘herd immunity’ risks outbreak of preventable diseases
The immunization of children entering kindergarten against preventable diseases in all four towns on Outer Cape Cod lags far behind statewide averages. In both Truro and Provincetown, less than 80 […]
REGULATION
Short-Term Rentals: an Industry of Ones and Twos
Only 10 percent of P’town rentals belong to owners of three or more units
PROVINCETOWN — Almost a year ago, town meeting voters endorsed two measures to regulate the ownership of short-term rental properties here and prevent consolidation of the industry in the hands […]
WELLFLEET HARBOR
Fire Chief Orders Heavy Trucks Off the L-Pier
The badly deteriorated structure will need to be replaced, says interim harbormaster
WELLFLEET — Fire Chief Joseph Capello issued a cease-and-desist order on Sept. 17 to prevent fuel delivery trucks and water tankers from driving onto the commercial L-pier at the town’s […]
