Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, July 1 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
News
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NATURAL SELECTION
Ovals of Opuntia
There’s something kind of human about a mature patch of Opuntia humifusa, the Eastern prickly pear cactus. Maybe it’s the plant’s new growth and round fruits that attach along the […]
WEATHER
The Humidity Will Take the Holiday Off
One of the busiest times of the year on Cape Cod — the Fourth of July — is upon us, and the weather looks to cooperate quite nicely through the […]
PROVINCETOWN: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Pot Cafés
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 link to […]
TRURO: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Truro’s Median Income
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. Monday, July […]
WELLFLEET: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Numerous Vacancies
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 are at […]
EASTHAM: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Algae Alert
Meetings Ahead
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 […]
HERRING RIVER RESTORATION
Park Service Nears Completion of Dike at Mill Creek
Chequessett Neck bridge and gates are on track to be done by mid-2026
WELLFLEET — Five hundred yards upstream of the Chequessett Neck bridge, sequestered on a maintenance access road, a $7-million dike designed to prevent flooding in the Mill Creek sub-basin is nearing […]
HOUSING
Wastewater Could Delay Move-In at Lawrence Hill
Holding tanks might be installed if the town’s cluster system isn’t ready
WELLFLEET — When tenants get the keys to their new apartments at Wellfleet’s Lawrence Hill affordable housing complex next year, their drains may lead to holding tanks rather than the […]
PROVINCETOWN CHILD CARE
The Early Learning Center Looks for State Support
Independence from the school will unlock grant funding for programs and parents
PROVINCETOWN — The infant and toddler child-care program in Provincetown — which is unique in Massachusetts in providing free full-day, year-round care for the children of town residents and town […]
TWO DEMOLITIONS DELAYED
A Second Mid-Century House at The Colony Could Be Lost
Owners of another house built in the 1800s say they didn’t know the rules
WELLFLEET — The historical commission on June 11 grappled with two cases in which owners of historic properties want to destroy the houses’ historic elements. In one, the damage had […]
TOWN MEETING
Eastham Says ‘Yes’ to Waste Treatment Plan
Questions and criticisms abound, but the vote is 537-96 for sewers
EASTHAM — Voters overwhelmingly approved the construction of a sewer system around the Salt Pond watershed at the special town meeting held on Monday, June 23 at Nauset Regional High […]
PREDICTIONS
One Weather Station, Bad Backyard Data, and Hurricane Season Ahead
With Outer Cape forecasts already shaky, 600 jobs lost at National Weather Service could make them worse
PROVINCETOWN — As the sun crept over Provincetown Harbor, Capt. Mike Rathgeber was at the dock, getting ready for another day on the water. He packed the boat, checked his […]
WASTEWATER
Wellfleet Plans to Amend Its Septic Upgrade Rules
A July 30 health board hearing will consider ‘strategic siting’ and changing upgrade triggers
This article was updated on June 27, 2025. WELLFLEET — Just over six months after the town adopted new septic system regulations in January — passed in part to help […]
NATURE
One Naturalist’s Vigil for an Ailing Forest
'Solstice Tree' preserves an artist’s observations of Provincetown’s Beech Forest
For six months, from the summer solstice last June to the winter solstice in December, Grace Emmet walked through Beech Forest in Provincetown every week — 27 times in all. […]
