I learn a lot by reading the Arts & Minds pages. This week my antennae were activated by Dorothea Samaha’s article about Daniel Waite Penny and his podcast, Non-Toxic (see […]
Editorials
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Town by Town
“People think news deserts are only in flyover country,” said veteran reporter Samuel Freedman, who was quoted in a 2023 article in The Nation. “Local news, local journalism, is disappearing […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Women’s Words
This Saturday, March 8, is International Women’s Day, and while we listen to the 19 women DJs on WOMR (see page C9), I’ll be thinking about the women on the […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Messing With the Mail
The U.S. Postal Service was in the news again this week, thanks to a head-spinning series of flipflops by the administration about its plans for the mail. The president, who […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Don’t Stop Talking
“Media mistrust has been growing for decades — does it matter?” asked a recent report from the Pew Charitable Trusts. “Midway through the 20th century, the news media was among […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
No Hands, No Brains
As I read news reports about the team of young engineers and computer scientists deployed by Elon Musk to take over the financial systems of the U.S. Dept. of the […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Marching Backward
Following the Jan. 29 collision of a jet and an Army helicopter in Washington, D.C. that killed 67 people, the president blamed hiring practices at the Federal Aviation Administration for […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
The Risk of Risks
Readers like to send me articles they think I should know about, often dealing with the press. One of the more unusual ones came this week from Tom Ryan in […]
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK
Into the Vortex
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A polar vortex swooped down from the Arctic on Monday, fueled by climate change-driven instability in the jet stream, forcing Donald Trump’s inauguration indoors. But nobody in […]
LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER AND EDITOR
The Year-Round Bonus
Last week we reported that the Eastham Select Board had voted again, three to two, not to adopt the residential tax exemption (RTE), the option that enables a town to […]
LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER AND EDITOR
A New Year’s Progress Report
After three years of dreaming, planning, and raising start-up funds, plus a month or so of online posts, the first regular weekly edition of the Independent was published on Oct. […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Zigging and Zagging Through History
You know already that this is an odd and special place. It’s one reason we — and others before us — figured Outer Cape Cod needed its own newspaper. All […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Cultch Clash
There’s a kerfuffle going on in Wellfleet over clamshells. The town shellfish department uses cultch — recycled clam and oyster shells that form a bed for oyster larvae to grow […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Cyberattack Upside
Santa’s got me thinking: What is it that we most want the kids in our own and our friends’ families to have this year? Recent news reports suggest that it’s […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Nuclear Reactions
Nuclear power appears to be making a comeback. After years of decline in the number of operating U.S. reactors, there are signs that new ones may be on the way. […]
