Latest Stories

[Hidden behind a rustic wooden fence tiny spring treasures abound: Nodding bluebells, arching ferns, dainty forget-me-nots, and self-sown alexanders in a glowing shade of chartreuse, all knitted together like a […]

[311 words + long captions/callouts for each of 4 groupings]   [Photo grouping #1 “Pretty Perennials” run #1 in situ larger; #2, #3, #4 as samples/close-ups]   [Photo grouping #2 […]

Sometimes you just know when a place is the one. It was 1978 when Anne Webb Johnson and her husband, David, found themselves looking at an unusual house on Hughes […]

Peter McMahon is not going to brag about his tables. They are what he calls “a Flintstones solution” to a practical problem. After McMahon founded the Cape Cod Modern House […]

Kai Potter discovered outdoor bathing at 13, when he visited friends who lived in Harwich. “They had this bathtub out in the woods,” Potter says. A fire under the tub […]

Kids’ bathrooms are surely not at the top of most people’s home-improvement wish lists. As long as it’s a room that’s functional and ready to withstand some wear and tear, […]

The wood floors of Jeff Soderbergh’s furniture workshop in Portsmouth, R.I. were salvaged from the box cars of old freight trains. The beams that support the building, which sits right […]

HOUSING IN THE WORKS

TRURO — At a groundbreaking ceremony for the 43-unit Cloverleaf affordable housing project on April 11, the mood was equal parts festive and frustrated. Construction is expected to be complete […]

PLANNING

TRURO — It was a close vote, but the planning board will support a proposed overlay district encompassing the town’s 70-acre Walsh property when it is presented to voters at […]

NATIONAL SEASHORE

EASTHAM — The Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission advertised the topic of its April 7 meeting with just five words: “Protecting the Seashore District Character.” The meeting, at the […]

CLIMATE

PROVINCETOWN — Cape Cod has always had more dolphin strandings than anywhere else in the world. But 2024 was the worst year for strandings ever recorded here, and scientists have […]

MARINE HERITAGE

PROVINCETOWN — At first, the three men on the 40-foot F/V Heidi Lyn didn’t see any signs of debris on their consoles. Since being launched at MacMillan Pier, sonar scanners […]

THE SHAPE OF THINGS

HYANNIS — Over 300 young people, many in their 20s and 30s, gathered on April 9 in Hyannis to discuss the future of the economy on Cape Cod — and […]

LIABILITIES

WELLFLEET — When a public hearing on the Wellfleet Marina’s proposed new fee schedule turned briefly to the subject of insurance at the March 24 select board meeting, the worry […]

TRADITIONS

You don’t have to spend hours preparing for an Easter egg decorating party. On a rainy Saturday morning before the holiday weekend, Agata Storer puts 24 white-shelled eggs on to […]

SPRING BREAK

After the harshness of this winter, signs of spring are more welcome than ever. The daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths I had forgotten we planted are thriving in our Cape light. […]

MORNING FLIGHT

Every day, before I head into work, I go to see what’s swimming around MacMillan Pier. In the winter, this mostly involves looking at ducks, checking on that one thick-billed […]

THE SCUTTLEBUTT

Our spring weather remains very much like it was in early March, with ocean water temperatures still stuck in the low 40s. For that reason, the striped bass migration is […]

MILLION-YEAR PICNIC

I step outside after dark with my dogs for an evening walk. It’s a clear night. I look up, as I always do. Where’s the moon? What phase? What else […]

GRAVEYARD SHIFT

When Father Joseph M. Finotti arrived in Provincetown from Boston in 1852, he was the first priest assigned to minister to the town’s small Catholic population, most of whom were […]

WARRIORS WATCH

ORLEANS — After a rocky start, the Nauset Warriors baseball team turned in a gritty performance, hanging in to the end against an undefeated (6-0) St. John Paul II squad […]

WARRIORS WATCH

EASTHAM — Provincetown’s Hayley Jackson posted a clutch three-set victory over Falmouth’s Victoria Chbarbie to give the Nauset Warriors their second win of the season on Friday afternoon. “I am […]

ON TO BOSTON

In his book, 26.2 Miles to Boston, Michael Connelly writes, “The Boston Marathon is not run in April, but instead in the winter months prior, when there are no cheering […]

NATURAL SELECTION

It’s officially spring at the Eddy Sisters Community Garden in Brewster when wafts of the scent of rotting flesh begin to carry over from the property’s adjoining bog, where the […]

RARA AVIS

Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, April 15 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]

ASTRAL PROJECTIONS

The Sun transits into Taurus this week, and for most of us this marks the start of a season of growth and progress. There is hope that this will lead […]

PROVINCETOWN: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS

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 a […]

TRURO: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS

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. […]

WELLFLEET: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS

Meetings Ahead  Most meetings in Wellfleet are in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting that interests you on the calendar at wellfleet-ma.gov for details. All meetings […]

EASTHAM: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS

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 […]

SACRED ART

On the rear wall of the nave at the Church of St. Mary of the Harbor in Provincetown is a triangular mural, Epiphany, painted by Robert Douglas Hunter. Religious iconography […]

BOOKS

What a life Jerome Cohen has led: Modest New Jersey roots. An education in law at Yale. Clerkships with Supreme Court justices Earl Warren and Felix Frankfurter. Practicing and teaching […]

VIRTUAL REALITY

Carlos Zerpa came to the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown from Venezuela as a visual arts fellow expecting to work on an animated film that he’s been developing for […]

IN THE MIDS

Sara Martin takes a seat in the courtyard at the Fine Arts Work Center and turns her face toward the sun. It’s just past 2 p.m. “Two p.m. is a […]

Images of Art and Community at Wellfleet Library Two Outer Cape artists and educators have opened their practices to one another and the public, and the result is the exhibition […]

VIGNETTE

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STEAMERS

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CAMPGROUND ARGUMENTS

Most of the arguments for delaying, reducing, or halting the affordable housing project at Maurice’s Campground in Wellfleet are ill-informed or based on false information. First, it’s argued that the […]

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

“America is now divided between two opposing forces: woke revolutionaries and those who believe in the ideals of the American revolution.” As the New Yorker’s David Remnick points out, that’s […]

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Solar Power in Truro To the editor: Truro is approaching a critical energy transition. Currently, about 25 percent of the town’s energy use comes from renewable electricity with 75 percent […]

OBITUARY

Mary Perry Enos of Provincetown, who was known as Carol, died peacefully on April 8, 2025 at Seashore Point Wellness Center surrounded by family and close friends. She was 91. […]

OBITUARY

Nina Murphy Anderson died at her Wellfleet home on March 2, 2025. The cause, confirmed by her daughter Britt Anderson, was complications of dementia. She was 91. The daughter of […]

OBITUARY

Playwright, director, actor, set designer, and marketing maven Robert Rosiello Jr. died unexpectedly on March 26, 2025 at Doylestown Hospital in Pennsylvania. The cause, confirmed by his husband, Mark Cole, […]

TIDE CHART

Know when to hit the flats. This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.

Recorded at the Barnstable County Registry of Deeds from April 7 to April 11, 2025.  PROVINCETOWN April 7. Richard P. Keeling and Eric Lee Engstrom to Peter T. Johnston. One […]

CLASSIFIEDS

MUSIC AND DANCE  New live music schedule. Irish, old time, and country music sessions at Mean Burgers, Wellfleet, are 6:30-8:30 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month: […]

Salty Talk (Friday, April 18) Naturalists from Mass Audubon lead guided walks through saltmarsh habitats of the Outer Cape at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary (29 Route 6) on Friday, April […]

TRURO PLANNING BOARD REMOTE MEETING WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2025 AT 5:00 PM 2025-003/PB Berthe K. Ladd for property located at 18 Hatch Road and 3 Keezer Court (Atlas Map 51, […]

Town of Provincetown UPDATED AD INVITATION FOR BIDS The Town of Provincetown is seeking proposals for the Following projects • Library HVAC upgrades • Transfer Station Brush hauling/cleanup • Harbor […]

Town of Eastham TOWN MEETING WARRANT PUBLIC NOTICE The Warrant for the Annual Town Meeting to be held at 5:30 PM on Monday, May 5, 2025, at the Nauset Regional […]

RESISTING

About 600 demonstrators gathered along Route 6 in Eastham on Saturday, April 5 as part of a nationwide protest against the Trump administration’s cuts to government services and abuse of […]

GREAT WHITE

WELLFLEET — A group of fishermen using baited hooks delivered by drones to fish for sharks at LeCount Hollow Beach last September got into an altercation with surfers that led […]

WELLFLEET MARINA

WELLFLEET — A devastating fire that started in the early morning on April 3 at the Wellfleet marina severely damaged the town’s deteriorating wooden L-pier and destroyed a fishing vessel, […]

TOWN MEETING

PROVINCETOWN — The 380 voters who assembled in town hall on April 7 worked through the 107-page warrant booklet with relative ease, approving 43 articles including a $1.4-million override measure […]

HOUSING

WELLFLEET — Residents debated whether a master plan for year-round housing at Maurice’s Campground would help bring young people and families with children into town at a community meeting at […]

DOWN BY THE SEASHORE

WELLFLEET — A court order has reinstated three full-time Cape Cod National Seashore employees who were terminated by the Park Service on Feb. 14. Their return to work, however, may […]

TRAFFIC SAFETY

WELLFLEET — The Cape Cod Commission brought statistics on the Outer Cape’s traffic hot spots, plus lots of ideas for reducing crashes, to a forum here on April 2. The […]

EASTHAM ELECTION

EASTHAM — Jerry Cerasale was first drawn to Cape Cod by love for the sea; not just Cape Cod Bay, he says, but the “waves on the ocean side.” He […]

EASTHAM ELECTION

EASTHAM — Though Suzanne Bryan grew up in Eastham, returning to the Cape 10 years ago from Arizona wasn’t an easy transition. One of the ways she found community again […]

EASTHAM ELECTION

EASTHAM — Select board candidate Brian Earley was the only member of the planning board to vote against recommending the zoning task force’s proposed amendments for the North Eastham Corridor […]

EASTHAM ELECTION

EASTHAM — Dave Hobbs has served on several boards and committees since he and his wife moved to town in 2016. He joined the community preservation committee in 2018 and […]

HOLDING SPACE

When Mariah Fidalgo and her husband, Tom Rommé, came to visit her parents in her hometown of Orleans in the spring of 2020, they packed for a two-week stay. They […]

THE WHOLE TABLE

It is no exaggeration to say that I went into a kind of mourning when I discovered I could no longer eat gluten. I had a deep feeling of loss […]

A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING

Sean Gardner notices that a visitor is transfixed by the unfocused stare of a crayon drawing of Bob Dylan on the wall of the West End apartment he shares with […]

THE SCUTTLEBUTT

Although the market for bluefin tuna is oversaturated, which has led to a price collapse, the state of the bluefin population continues to improve. In 2010, the western Atlantic bluefin […]

FRESH BROOK: PART 2

In May 1840, a small group of sport fishermen set out from Newport, R.I. in search of sea-run brook trout. Traveling first by ferry, then by coach and horseback, and […]

WARRIORS WATCH

YARMOUTH — On a dreary, chilly Cape Cod day, the Nauset girls lacrosse team caught fire early, scoring five goals in the first five minutes on the way to an […]

NATURAL SELECTION

There are two species of the New World genus Hudsonia, or false heather, on the Cape: a woolier one with fuzzy leaves and flowers that don’t have much of a […]

RARA AVIS

Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, April 8 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]

ASTRAL PROJECTIONS

With so much going on in the cosmos (and in the world), it’s been hard to focus on the tasks at hand. It hasn’t helped to have retrogrades turning workaday […]

PROVINCETOWN: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS

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 a link to […]

TRURO: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS

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. […]

WELLFLEET: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS

Meetings Ahead  Most meetings in Wellfleet are in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting that interests you on the calendar at wellfleet-ma.gov for details. All meetings […]

EASTHAM: THIS WEEK'S CURRENTS

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 […]

HUMAN, NATURE

In one of Susan Lyman’s sculptures, Washashore (Survivor), a white cedar tree is truncated just above the roots, like a figure cut at the torso. It stands upright, supported by […]

IN TUNE

In the folklore of Orkney, the wind-and-rain-lashed, green-cliffed archipelago in the north of Scotland, “Hildaland” — meaning “hidden land” — is a paradisiacal island, invisible to most, that is the […]

When Elena Kovylyaeva arrived in Provincetown in October as a Fine Arts Work Center visual arts fellow, many of the shops in town were getting ready to close for the […]

POETRY

On His Way In minutes Timmy’s mastered his skim board, found the rhythm to toss it in front of his jump, and to land while in motion, as a man […]

HALF-REMEMBERED

On a Sunday afternoon in the cold, milky light of late March, Mengwei Ma, a visual arts fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, is making a film […]

ARTIFICE

Five years ago, when Kevin Fitchett was a Fine Arts Work Center fellow for the first time, he mostly worked on poetry. Now he’s back, and fiction has taken the […]

A New Season of 20 Summers Cultural history and political resistance are prominent themes in the five weeks of programming recently announced by 20 Summers for its 12th season. The […]

VIGNETTE

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STEAMERS

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KEEPING WATCH

A story that has long haunted me is called to mind by recent events. In 1614, Thomas Hunt, an English explorer and trader, was ordered by his captain, John Smith […]

MAKING SENSE OF MAGA

A lie could travel from Maine to Georgia whilst truth was drawing on her boots. —attributed to John Randolph, 1844 A friend returned from a motorcycle trip last fall and […]

OP-ART

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TOUGH GUYS

I remember hanging out on the corner with the tough guys, waving at passing cars, preening for girls, bumming Winstons, planning turf fights. Stupid stuff. I once was arrested for […]

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

The opponents of affordable housing in Truro have rallied around the slogan “Keep Truro Rural.” Now we are hearing the same line about the Maurice’s Campground project in Wellfleet. We […]

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Crisis To the editor: I appreciate Dennis Minsky’s description of his existential dilemma [“The Crisis Within,” April 3, page A3] and trust many of us share his current state. […]

OBITUARY

Naomi Ruth Axelrod died on March 6, 2025 at the Lily House in Wellfleet after a five-year struggle with Parkinson’s disease. She was 85. The daughter of Solomon Axelrod, a […]

OBITUARY

Andrew David Rose died unexpectedly at his Truro home on March 19, 2025. He died of natural causes, said family members. He was 61. The son of the late Austin […]

OBITUARY

Robert Frazier Lowe Jr. of Brewster died peacefully at Cape Cod Hospital on Jan. 27, 2025, surrounded by family. The cause was complications from leukemia. He was 86. Bobby was […]

OBITUARY

Marcia Evelyn Connors, a longtime resident of North Eastham, died unexpectedly in her sleep on Feb. 27, 2025 at her home on Campground Road. The cause was abrupt cardiac arrhythmia. […]

OBITUARY

Robert Paine Carlson, whose website, capecodgravestones.com, documents some 44,000 names and gravestone inscriptions on Cape Cod dating from 1683 to the late 1800s, died at his home in North Eastham […]

TIDE CHART

Know when to hit the flats.   This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.

Recorded at the Barnstable County Registry of Deeds from March 31 to April 4, 2025.  PROVINCETOWN March 31. Craig Wendell Combs and Charles Gerard Roberts to Julie Anne Sloat and […]

Face Values (Friday, April 11) Wellfleet Public Library (55 West Main St.) celebrates the opening of the exhibition “Cross-Pollination: Portraits of Fusion and Identity,” featuring ceramic work by Amy Kandall […]

JOB OPENINGS FIREFIGHTER/PARAMEDIC & FIREFIGHTER/EMT The Town of Wellfleet is accepting applications for per diem Firefighter/Paramedic and Firefighter/EMT positions. Qualified candidates must hold a Massachusetts or National Registry Paramedic or […]

Town of Truro Zoning Board of Appeals Notice of Remote Public Hearing Monday, April 28, 2025 at 5:30 pm 2025-004/ZBA – Ira Brodsky and Mark Enright, for property located at […]

Town of Provincetown Board of Health Public Hearing April 17, 2025 The Board will hold a public hearing on THURSDAY APRIL 17, 2025, AT 4:00 P.M. in the Judge Welsh […]