The striped bass are getting a little closer to our waters as we finally get some warmer spring weather. The canal remains quiet, but I am hearing about catches in […]
News
Fresh local news that brings you closer to your neighbors and the community.
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NATURAL SELECTION
Pilewort for the Peloton
Cyclists may especially appreciate the medicinal role the yellow-blooming plant growing alongside the Rail Trail in Eastham once played. Though this buttercup isn’t known these days for being anything but […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, April 22 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
MILLION-YEAR PICNIC
In Jupiter’s Moons, a Chance to Wonder What We’d Defend
Science denial is nothing new. Just ask Galileo Galilei.
I step outside after dark with my dogs for an evening walk. It’s a clear night. I look up, as I always do. Where’s the moon? What phase? What else […]
PROVINCETOWN: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Parking Rules
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
Town Meeting Made Easy
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. […]
WELLFLEET: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Old Rules, New Enforcement, and an Emergency
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Wellfleet are in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting that interests you on the calendar at wellfleet-ma.gov for details. All meetings […]
EASTHAM: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Don’t Touch That Dial
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 […]
HOUSING IN THE WORKS
Cloverleaf Breaks Ground; Leaders Look to Future
Decade-long project timelines are an urgent problem in a worsening crisis
TRURO — At a groundbreaking ceremony for the 43-unit Cloverleaf affordable housing project on April 11, the mood was equal parts festive and frustrated. Construction is expected to be complete […]
PLANNING
Truro Board Endorses Walsh Zoning Overlay
The new district would be the basis for decisions on future development
TRURO — It was a close vote, but the planning board will support a proposed overlay district encompassing the town’s 70-acre Walsh property when it is presented to voters at […]
NATIONAL SEASHORE
ADU Rules Are Debated by Advisory Commission
State law makes ADUs legal by right — but not in the Seashore
EASTHAM — The Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission advertised the topic of its April 7 meeting with just five words: “Protecting the Seashore District Character.” The meeting, at the […]
CLIMATE
Scientists Say ‘Cold Pulse’ Is Linked to Surge in Dolphin Strandings
Warming water changes the food supply, leading animals closer to shore
PROVINCETOWN — Cape Cod has always had more dolphin strandings than anywhere else in the world. But 2024 was the worst year for strandings ever recorded here, and scientists have […]
MARINE HERITAGE
Four New Shipwrecks Discovered on Stellwagen Bank
Commercial fishermen towed submerged sonar rigs for NOAA mapping project
PROVINCETOWN — At first, the three men on the 40-foot F/V Heidi Lyn didn’t see any signs of debris on their consoles. Since being launched at MacMillan Pier, sonar scanners […]
THE SHAPE OF THINGS
For Young Professionals on Cape Cod, Connection Is Critical
At small business leadership summit, seeing hope in staying local
HYANNIS — Over 300 young people, many in their 20s and 30s, gathered on April 9 in Hyannis to discuss the future of the economy on Cape Cod — and […]
LIABILITIES
Fisherman and Pier Are in Holding Patterns After Fire
Wellfleet’s marina master plan fund may be tapped to cover ‘hefty expenses’
WELLFLEET — When a public hearing on the Wellfleet Marina’s proposed new fee schedule turned briefly to the subject of insurance at the March 24 select board meeting, the worry […]