I am sitting on my deck in the early hours of a new day, isolated from the world, including — believe it or not — you, dear reader. I am […]
The Year-Rounder
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Hunger Rules the World
What I learned from a pair of charming Carolina wrens
Our property is just a few thousand square feet, largely occupied by our modest house. But the Carolina wrens I have been watching over the years are orders of magnitude […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
The Seawall Revisited
Living on borrowed time
It has been two years since I discovered David Read’s painting on a seawall in the East End of town (“Painting on the Seawall,” June 29, 2023). That amounts to […]
PLANNING DEPT.
Provincetown Sets a Long List of Goals
Alongside housing and flooding are new efforts on road safety and health
PROVINCETOWN — Every year in May, after town meeting and the annual town election, the select board scores the town manager’s progress and writes a new set of “goals and […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Reading at the Old Colony
For one night, a sacred watering hole becomes a literary salon
Many years ago, I attended a reading by Michael Cunningham at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. I think he was reading from his then-just-published book, Land’s End. In […]
TRURO HOUSING
Demolished Cottage Will Be Replaced
State will come through with a $900K grant that had been promised
TRURO — Two cottages that were moved to a town-owned lot on South Highland Road in February 2024 were supposed to be renovated and ready to house town employees by […]
SUMMER JOURNALISM FELLOWS
This Year’s Summer Fellows
The Provincetown Independent’s four summer fellows, supported by the Local Journalism Project, have arrived and will be working at the newspaper through mid-August. We invited them to introduce themselves on […]
CENTENARIANS
Truro’s Anne Irwin Turns 100
An Outer Cape life full of books, art, play readings, music, and volunteering
TRURO — Anne Irwin wishes that people were more curious about her living room. After 100 years on Earth, 89 summers on the Cape, and 35 years of living in […]
DOGE DISRUPTION
AmeriCorps Grants Reinstated by Judge’s Order — for Now
Compliance with executive orders on gender and D.E.I. is still required
PROVINCETOWN — A federal judge in Maryland on June 5 blocked the Trump administration’s cuts to AmeriCorps, the community service agency, in 24 states including Massachusetts — reinstating, at least […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
Waiting Tables
The powdered oyster joke was on me
On a cold night in October more than 50 years ago, the staff at Ciro & Sal’s restaurant was getting ready to close. It was after nine o’clock, there had […]
PUBLIC HEALTH
Vaccine Clinics Aim to Head Off Measles Threat
No cases have been reported here, but summer travel has officials planning ahead
EASTHAM — For the past month, clinics across Cape Cod have been offering free measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccinations. Measles — which had been eliminated in the U.S. in […]
REGIONAL RESPONSE
New Plans for Housing at Seasonal Communities Meeting
Leaders from Cape, Islands, and Berkshires discuss next steps for the new designation
PROVINCETOWN — On an unseasonably hot Friday in May, local leaders from Cape Cod, the Islands, and the Berkshires gathered at town hall to discuss the state’s newest response to […]
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
London Owner Wants to Demolish 1805 House and Build a Larger One
Truro’s historic properties are among the least protected in Barnstable County
TRURO — A 220-year-old house peeks out from behind a wall of foliage on land wedged between Castle and Truro Center roads. The house at 3 Castle Road is a piece […]
SCHOOLS
Nauset Students Advocate for Drama Teacher’s Return
Although Hamilton’s contract won’t be renewed, school committee says program is not at risk
ORLEANS — Eight students filed into the bright yellow Nauset Room at the middle school here during the May 22 meeting of the Nauset Regional School Committee. Three more appeared […]
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
A History Lesson
Reflections on a new book about what happened in Nazi Germany
As I have noted in this space in the past, World War II ended the year I was born, and I grew up Jewish in Harrisburg, Pa. with a continual […]
