As we wrap up the year, there’s some recent news: the early arrival on Nov. 18 of two North Atlantic right whales. Scientists from the Center for Coastal Studies were […]
News
Fresh local news that brings you closer to your neighbors and the community.
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MORNING FLIGHT
Not Just Birds of a Feather
In the off-season, mixed flocks of disparate birds work together instead of apart
Winter is not easy if you’re a bird. The abundant food supply you relied on all summer is gone, you use a lot of energy keeping warm, and without leaves […]
BULLY FOR YOU
Cats ’n’ Dogs
There are three species of cattail that one might find around these parts — a meatier one that’s well behaved and local, a slim one from Eurasia and northern Africa that […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Dec. 3 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
PROVINCETOWN: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Market-Rate Rental Project
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Provincetown are held in person, typically with an online attendance option. Click on the meeting you want to attend on the calendar at provincetown-ma.gov for […]
TRURO: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Longnook Revisited
Meetings Ahead Meetings in Truro are often held remotely. Go to Truro-ma.gov and click on the meeting you are interested in for an agenda and details on how to join. Thursday, Dec. […]
WELLFLEET: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Budget Burnout
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Wellfleet are held online and in person. Go to www.wellfleet-ma.gov/calendar and click on the meeting you want to watch, then follow the instructions on the […]
EASTHAM: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS
Salt Pond Is Closed Again
Meetings Ahead Most meetings in Eastham are in-person, typically with an online attendance option. Click on the meeting you are interested in on the calendar at eastham-ma.gov for details. All […]
HEALTH CARE
Deadline Looms for Blue Cross Medicare Clients
Patients can still pay ‘out-of-network’ rates at Outer Cape Health
WELLFLEET — As the Dec. 7 deadline to change Medicare Advantage plans approaches, over 500 patients of Outer Cape Health Services (OCHS) must decide whether to choose a new plan […]
SECURITY ONLINE
Cyberattack Shuts Down School Network for 11 Days
Hacking is becoming more common and more sophisticated, security experts say
PROVINCETOWN — A cyberattack on the Provincetown IB Schools triggered a shutdown of the schools’ network from Oct. 17 to 28. The network, servers, and Windows computers were affected by […]
GOING IN CIRCLES
Truro DPW Project Remains Mired in Controversy
Conflicting views about a town meeting vote bog down progress
TRURO — Construction of a new Dept. of Public Works facility, which town officials had hoped to complete by 2027, appears unlikely to meet that deadline. The project is mired […]
HOUSING AT MAURICE’S
A Vision of Small Neighborhoods Comes Into Focus
Townspeople want a ‘cozy’ plan for the 22-acre campground site
WELLFLEET — Some 100 residents turned out for the Nov. 20 “visioning session” on the future of what is now Maurice’s Campground. The crowd was considerably larger than planners at […]
LOCAL NEWS
A Community Effort Emerges to Save WCAI’s Home
GBH says it must sell the station’s Woods Hole building ‘to support journalism’
WOODS HOLE — Staff at WCAI, the Cape and Islands public radio station, learned on Oct. 25 that the station’s parent organization, GBH, had made plans to sell the house […]
RECREATION
Orleans OKs First Step in $32M Eldredge Park Renovation
A master plan calls for the town and regional schools to collaborate
ORLEANS — A planned $32-million overhaul of recreation facilities and playing fields at Eldredge Park and on the grounds of the Nauset Regional Middle School and Orleans Elementary School has […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
A Fisherman’s Glimpse of a Simpler Life
Awaiting whales, watching corals, and avoiding parrotfish in Tortola
Greetings from sunny, warm Tortola — a place my mate and I love so much we visit twice a year. I often write about the challenges fishermen face in our […]