Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Aug. 15 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
News
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STATE HOUSE
Fiscal 2024 Budget Passes on Beacon Hill
Mental health court in Barnstable; ice machines in Wellfleet
Gov. Maura Healey finally signed the Commonwealth’s 2024 budget on Aug. 9 — more than a month into the fiscal year, which began on July 1. The governor had already […]
TURTLE WATCH
Warmer Waters Put Sea Turtles on Collision Course With Humans
More turtles on Cape Cod’s shores means a higher risk of boat strikes
WELLFLEET — Rising North Atlantic Ocean temperatures are causing increased numbers of threatened and endangered sea turtles to migrate through Massachusetts waters — heading north in search of food, then […]
PROVINCETOWN: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Fire and EMS Staffing
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Provincetown are in-person, typically with an online-attendance option for both committee members and residents. Click on the meeting you want to attend on the calendar […]
TRURO: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Walsh Property Survey
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Truro are remote. Go to truro-ma.gov and click on the meeting you want to watch. The agenda includes instructions on how to join. Friday, Aug. 18 Board […]
WELLFLEET: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
What Makes a Contractor’s Yard?
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Wellfleet are online only, but some are hybrid with an in-person option. Go to www.wellfleet-ma.gov/calendar and click on the meeting you want to watch, then […]
EASTHAM: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Police Academy X
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Eastham are in-person, typically with an online-attendance option. Go to eastham-ma.gov and click on the meeting you are interested in for details. All meetings are […]
BEE KILLERS
Uptick in Spraying Is Harming Local Pollinators
Insecticide rules are lax, and mosquito treatments don’t work anyway, scientists say
WELLFLEET — For years, ecologist and beekeeper John Portnoy has sold up to three varieties of honey at the Wellfleet Farmers Market — each made from the nectar of seasonal […]
AMBULANCE RUN
Lower Cape Ambulance Will Dissolve at End of Summer
Truro and Provincetown will speed up transition to in-house EMS teams
PROVINCETOWN — Lower Cape Ambulance Association (LCAA) Chief Operating Officer Steven Roderick announced this week that the nonprofit service will shut down on Sept. 1. The reason, he said, was […]
DUNE SHACKS
As Deadlines Draw Near, Park Service Clams Up
Silence from agency’s director, but Seashore supt. offers falsehoods
PROVINCETOWN — Janet Armstrong is not sure exactly when she has to leave the dune shack where she took her first steps as a toddler in 1952, 71 years ago. […]
FLYING ACCUSATIONS
Café Owner Denies Spreading Squid Stench at Copper Swan
Fox & Crow eviction dispute devolves into ‘Calamari-gate’
WELLFLEET — The owners of the Copper Swan Inn, who are seeking to evict the Fox & Crow Café from their property, have now accused the café’s owner, Trudy Vermehren, […]
TURTLE WATCH
Warmer Waters Put Sea Turtles on Collision Course With Humans
More turtles on Cape Cod’s shores means a higher risk of boat strikes
WELLFLEET — Rising North Atlantic Ocean temperatures are causing increased numbers of threatened and endangered sea turtles to migrate through Massachusetts waters — heading north in search of food, then […]
COASTAL RESILIENCY
Conservation Commission Mulls Tough Case in West End
Proposal to expand a waterfront deck seaward is ‘highly unusual’
This article was updated on Aug. 10. PROVINCETOWN — Mass. Wetlands Protection Act regulations state that “any project on a coastal beach … shall not have an adverse effect by […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
The Thrill of That First Keeper
Bluefish are on-again off-again, and big tuna are still elusive, too
The way some people see it, we are hitting the summer doldrums fishing-wise. And it’s true, bluefish have been camping back by Head of the Meadow and show no signs […]
SMALL BOATS: PART THREE
Flaws in Catch-Share System Frustrate Scallopers
The quota system threatens their businesses, they say; others argue it creates stability
This article was updated on August 4, 2023. PROVINCETOWN — A decline in scallop stocks combined inexplicably with low wholesale prices have made this a tough year for small-boat scallop […]
