Comet ZTF made its closest approach to Earth on Feb. 1 at a distance of 26 million miles. That’s pretty close. Mars, for example, is, on average, 140 million miles […]
Archives for 2023
News
Fresh local news that brings you closer to your neighbors and the community.
Browse all News stories below or dive into a topic:
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Feb. 21 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
PROVINCETOWN: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Transfer Tax Heats Up
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Provincetown are held in person, typically with an online-attendance option for both committee members and residents. Click on the meeting you want to attend on […]
TRURO: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
ZBA Seeks Alternate
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Truro are still being held remotely. Go to truro-ma.gov and click on the meeting you want to watch. The agenda includes instructions on how to join. Thursday, […]
WELLFLEET: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Cappello Named Deputy Fire Chief
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Wellfleet are remote only, but some are held in person. Go to www.wellfleet-ma.gov/calendar and click on the meeting you want to watch, then follow the […]
EASTHAM: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Special Ed and Civil Rights Review
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Eastham are in-person, typically with an online-attendance option for both committee members and residents. Go to eastham-ma.gov and click on the meeting you are interested in for details. […]
FIREARMS LAWS
Panel on Suicide Attracts Defenders of Gun Rights
Ties between licensing and mental health agencies could help, says one police chief
WEST BARNSTABLE — Introducing a panel discussion on guns and suicide at Cape Cod Community College last Thursday, state Rep. Michael Day of Stoneham said that Massachusetts gun laws have […]
LAND USE
Great White and GFM Get Their Contractor Yard
Town and excavators strike a deal, but neighbors feel betrayed
WELLFLEET — Lawyers for Great White Realty and the town have asked a state Land Court judge to sign off on an agreement that could put an end to three […]
FACT CHECK
What the Subsidized Housing Inventory Says — and Doesn’t Say
An arbitrary and misunderstood formula is not a substitute for housing goals
TRURO — The debate over how much affordable housing Truro needs was for years focused on the 3.9-acre Cloverleaf parcel on Highland Road, which will have 39 apartment and duplex […]
RECREATION
Two ‘Master Plans’ for Motta Field Are Unveiled
A funding vote would be next year and construction the year after that
PROVINCETOWN — After several months of community input, Provincetown’s recreation dept. and the design firm Weston & Sampson unveiled two potential master plans for a rebuilt Motta Field at a […]
ON BEACON HILL
New House Rules Increase Access but Reject Committee Transparency
Focus on committee votes is a ‘great disservice to the citizenry,’ says Peake
PROVINCETOWN — Despite its reputation as a progressive stronghold, Massachusetts has long trailed red and blue states alike when it comes to legislative transparency at the state level, particularly in […]
SCHOOLING
‘All Lives Matter’ Sign Raises Questions at Nauset High
Message is defended by school leaders as ‘celebrating inclusion’
EASTHAM — A banner posted in the main administration building at Nauset Regional High School to celebrate Black History Month has upset some students because it includes the message “All […]
TOXIC GOODS
Cyr Files Bill to Ban PFAS in Consumer Products
‘Forever chemicals’ would be forever banned by 2030
Cape and Islands state Sen. Julian Cyr and Rep. Kate Hogan of the 3rd Middlesex District have filed a bill to ban by 2030 a group of “forever chemicals” known […]
WILDLIFE
Avian Flu Found in Provincetown Gulls
‘Putative positive’ tests await USDA confirmation
PROVINCETOWN — Preliminary test results on the great black-backed gull carcasses found on the harbor beach are consistent with avian influenza, confirming suspicions reported in the Independent last week. MassWildlife […]
CIVICS
After 15 Years, Eckman Wants to Keep Doing Her Homework
Looking past the rough-and-tumble of town politics for ‘positive outcomes’
EASTHAM — If Aimee Eckman had not been politically active, the town might have established its own beach in 2008. And voters might never have adopted municipal water. Eckman, who […]
