After the riot at the Capitol, we were told on the one hand that now is the time for peace and unity, and, on the other, that the violence carried […]
Op-Eds
OP-ED
Phasing Out School Choice Will Save Millions
Nauset can learn from other highly rated regional schools
The Independent’s Feb. 4 article on the proposed Nauset Regional High School reconstruction [“Supt. Claims School Choice Doesn’t Raise Costs,” page A6] contains inaccurate statements by Supt. Thomas Conrad and […]
COUNTY LINE
Regional Government: An Introduction
In a time of crisis, the county is poised to play a larger role
PROVINCETOWN — Recent events have made clear the deep well of discontent in our society, and what appears to be a yawning, unbridgeable division among us. The new president has […]
OP-ED
Use Rooms Tax Dollars for Housing
Local governments must intervene to solve year-round rental crisis
Over the past two decades, year-round rental apartments have all but vanished on the Outer Cape as their owners have discovered how much more lucrative it is to rent their […]
PRIVILEGE
Covid Gets Me off the Hook
Confronting a system that targets ‘driving while Black’
EASTHAM — Before the pandemic, I often led classes for the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The students had been cited for speeding and other infractions. The curriculum was supposed to […]
OP-ED
The Bookworm’s Manifesto
Repairing the world by reading and writing about books
Should I be so lucky as to reach old age, I imagine I will be asked what I did during the pandemic year, when a virus set fire to the […]
UP A CREEK
Winter Wanderland
Fun-filled activities for a dark time of year
Cheers, community, from the Lower Cape Outdoor Winter Activities Council! Oh, what a year we’ve wassailed! We hope your holidays were abundant, yet realistic, and that you rejoiced in a […]
FROSTBITE
Stopping by Woods in a Plague Year
Who hung this here I do not know. He must be from the village, though, And must have brought […]
CELEBRATION
Four Weddings and a Funeral
In 25 years of event planning, this year’s have been especially moving
This fall, I designed four weddings and my best friend’s funeral. Planning a memorable gathering in a pandemic may sound impossible. In reality, all five events were experiences I will […]
DOCTORS’ ORDERS
A Global Pandemic Sparks Historic Worldwide Collaboration
Citizens of many countries are working together
The administration of the first safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines is reason for hope and celebration. The pandemic is global and the effort to combat its devastation must be international. […]
UP A CREEK
Alternative Transitions
Outermost options for picking the next president
As Jan. 20, 2021, creeps closer, and with experts describing the atmosphere at the White House as “tense,” it is looking like it may be time to get beyond alternative […]
LOS MUERTOS
An Ofrenda to All Souls
What if everyone were to light a candle?
This past week, as the days began to shorten and the nights became cooler, my thoughts drifted to All Souls Day, Dia de los Muertos. I have been trying to […]
OP-ED
What Has Happened to the Cape Cod Times?
To save the Cape’s only daily, readers must take the initiative
Readers must have noticed that Cape Cod’s only daily newspaper has gotten much slimmer in the last few months. It’s no accident. According to the Brookings Institution, over 2,000 U.S. […]
OP-ED
The Moment When the Tide Turns
Thoughts on steering the leaking ship of state
EASTHAM — It started as a quick trip down the steps to the pond, with sandwich in hand, before a run into town to fetch bird seed from the Bird […]
SUNSET
R.B.G.
I stare at this photograph The setting of the sun Over the ocean the dunes My world Luminous So alive Without her body She pours her love Upon us Dare […]