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Hewins appears victorious with 89-vote margin in state rep race

With preliminary vote tallies reported at press time, Democrat Sarah Hewins appeared to be narrowly successful in her challenge of state Rep. John Gaskey (R-Carver…

Wareham votes with state, gives Hewins slight edge

Wareham voters followed the state’s lead on many major statewide elections and ballot questions. The town also made the 2nd Plymouth district state representative race between…

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Select Board votes to sunset golf advisory committee

The Select Board voted unanimously Tuesday, Nov. 3 to dissolve the Little Harbor Golf Course Advisory Committee, effective Dec. 31. The committee was established in March 2022 to assist with the transition of Little Harbor Country Club from private...

Select Board approves business license renewals

The Select Board unanimously approved several categories of business license renewals during its Tuesday, Nov. 3 meeting. Renewals included Class I and Class II car dealership licenses, common victualler licenses, package store licenses, on-premises...

Indoor golf facility tees up Wareham location

Representatives of Champions Indoor Golf appear before the Wareham Select Board on Tuesday, Nov. 3 to discuss license applications for a proposed East Wareham location.

After receiving the necessary permits, an indoor golf facility offering simulators, leagues and lessons is hoping to open in East Wareham in time for the start of its January leagues. During its Tuesday, Nov. 3 meeting, the Select Board voted...

Outstanding October students of the month

Kaiden Bennett, fifth grade student of the month

Three standout students from Wareham Middle School have been named the October students of the month. Kaiden Bennett wast the student of the month for fifth grade. His teachers describe him as a hardworking, responsible and thoughtful student who...

Schools see strong math growth, focus on literacy improvements

Wareham school mascot

Wareham Public Schools are seeing encouraging growth in mathematics, however English remains an area of concern, according to standardized assessment results presented to the School Committee on Thursday, Oct. 29. Tracie Cote, the district's...

Police officer charged with rape, strangulation, threatening girlfriend with gun

Wareham Police Officer Ryan Gomes was arrested on Friday, Oct. 23 and charged with raping, strangling and threatening his girlfriend with a gun over a period of multiple years. The victim told Massachusetts State Police investigators that Gomes, a...

Voters hit the polls as Election Day approaches

With less than two weeks until Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, voters in Wareham have already begun to decide on statewide and local races. These include races for governor, U.S. senator and representative, state senator and representative, local...

Returning citizen’s parking petition fails at Town Meeting

Howard Smith speaks against the petition to change zoning bylaws at the Oct. 26 Town Meeting. Photo by Tanvi Kulkarni

A proposal to allow restaurants to count nearby public parking spaces toward their parking requirements sparked lively debate at the Oct. 26 Town Meeting but failed to gain the required two-thirds majority vote to pass. Put on the meeting agenda...

Wareham Village will be expanded

Wareham Village will soon be expanded, beginning new businesses and redevelopment to Main Street and nearby areas. At the Oct. 26 Town Meeting, voters amended the zoning map and expanded the Wareham Village zoning district onto parts of Main...

Police Chief Walter Correia, Jr. can serve past mandatory retirement age

Walter Correia at work in 2019. File Photo

Police Chief Walter Correia, Jr. will be able to serve in his position for up to seven more years, past the mandatory retirement age of 65. Town Meeting voted in favor of letting Correia remain in the position until he reaches the age of 70....

Dog licensing now needs to be completed before April 1

Fall Town Meeting approved bylaw changes that require that dog owners complete licensing by March 31 and allow all service dogs on town beaches. Animal Control Officer Kelly Jarabek explained the need for the bylaw changes at an Oct. 6 Select Board...

Lower Agawam River will be conserved, more accessible to public

The Buzzards Bay Coalition will launch a conservation project along the Lower Agawam River and open it for public access. At the Oct. 26 Town Meeting, voters agreed to use $1 million from the Community Preservation Fund to purchase a permanent...

Sewer Department will lease unused land, bring in revenue

Scott Kraihanzel speaks at Town Meeting on Oct. 26. Photo by Tanvi Kulkarni

The Wastewater Pollution Control Facility will lease seven acres of unused sewer property to a company for a solid waste handling plant, eliminating a massive town expense and bringing in revenue from surrounding towns. Leasing the land will remove...

Select Board will bid out the former Decas school property

Town Meeting confirmed the Select Board's custody of the former Decas school. File photo

Town Meeting voted to allow the Select Board to lease or sell the former John William Decas Elementary School property. At the Oct. 26 Town Meeting, Sullivan said the costs on the building are “pretty astronomical right now.” It costs $100,000 for...

Clowns, fairies and bears, oh my!

Quinn and Avery Hagerty in Halloween costumes. Photos source: Lynn Spinola

The weekend before Halloween featured creative costumes, music and celebration. The Onset VFW hosted the second Jaiden Kamryn Andrews Scholarship Foundation trunk or treat on Saturday, Oct. 24. The event had arts and crafts, a costume contest, a...

A spooktacular afternoon trunk or treating

Genasis Gumbs wants to be a police officer one day like her grandfather, Sergeant Nick Fernandes. Photo source: Gena Gumbs

Families gathered for a spooktacular day of costumes, candy and creative trunks at Gleason Family YMCA's trunk or treat on Oct. 24. Genasis Gumbs, a fourth grader at Wareham Middle School, sported a police officer costume. She plans on being an...

High school 'Scotty Award,' Student of the Month recipients

Daniel Gavin. Photo source: Wareham High School

Wareham High School gave the Scotty Monteiro Jr. Award to Daniel Gavin for the month of September. The “Scotty Award,” started by the Scotty Monteiro Jr. Foundation, is given out monthly to students who embody strong character, leadership and...

High school students to distribute hundreds of winter coats

As cold air blows in, Wareham High School students are trying to keep children warm. The school's JROTC will distribute 250 brand new winter coats to children in need in and around Wareham on Saturday, Nov. 14 from 9 to 11 a.m. outside of the...

Gaskey, Hewins face off in state representative race

A competitive race for state representative is underway as incumbent State Rep. John Gaskey (R-Carver) is trying to fend off Democratic challenger and Carver Select Board member Sarah Hewins for the 2nd Plymouth district State House seat. Gaskey...

About 22% of voters have already voted or requested mail-in ballots

With less than two weeks until Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, about a fifth of voters received mail-in ballots and 3% have already cast their votes. As of Oct. 22, the town had 21,175 registered voters. Of those, 4,028 people requested mail-in...

Two middle schoolers receive ‘Scotty Award’

Wareham Middle School gave the Scotty Monteiro Jr. Award to two students, Kale Lisle and Taraji Ribeiro, for the month of October. “Kale and Taraji embody what it means to be community leaders,” said Middle School Principal Sara Russo in a...

Onset firefighters graduate from firefighting academy

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John Catrino, Sean Ellertson, Ryan Martell, Curtis Riley, William Shanahan and Logan Varley of the Onset Fire Department recently graduated from Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s Call/Volunteer Recruit Firefighter Training Program, State Fire...

Sewer plant may bring in more revenue after Town Meeting

The sewer plant may soon lease seven acres of unused property to companies for solid waste handling, eliminating a large town expense and bringing in revenue from surrounding areas. Town Meeting will vote on the first step of this project. Sewer...

Upper Cape Tech earns top spot in Massachusetts

BOURNE — Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical Schools ranked number one in the state for vocational cooperative education participation for the third year in a row. For the 2025-26 school year, 54% of eligible Upper Cape Tech students participated in...

Tune into town politics: Fall Town Meeting on Oct. 26

Voters will soon have a say on whether to delay the police chief’s retirement, expand a downtown economic zone and if the town can purchase land for a conservation area and sell the Decas School land during its Fall Town Meeting. Here’s what you...

Picking season: Autumn brings cranberry harvest

It’s cranberry harvest season. Since late September, picker machines have cruised bogs, and crews have collected enough berries to fill multiple 53-foot semi-truck containers. A.D. Makepeace Company, the largest cranberry grower in Wareham, took...

‘No Kings’ protesters urge people to vote early

There have been protests against President Donald Trump outside of Town Hall every Saturday for over a year and a half. But this protest carried a different tune than previous ones. This protest fell on Saturday, Oct. 17, the first day of early...

Jumping the pond: Sister city guests from Wareham, UK hit the town

The visitors from Wareham, England. From left: Jennie Sharp, Caroline Riddle, Angela Nock and Judith Holmes. Not pictures is Jennie's husband, John. Photos by Tanvi Kulkarni

It’s not quite home, but our Wareham is still their cup of tea. The town, with its flowing river and Onset Village, is reminiscent of its namesake, a town founded in the eighth century in Dorset, England. About 18 people gathered in Town Hall Oct....

14 district teachers receive professional status

Special education teacher Cameron Decas shakes School Committee Chair Geoffrey Swett's hand. Photos by Tanvi Kulkarni

Town teachers are hard at work and sharp as a point. Fourteen district teachers achieved Professional Teacher Status, which became effective Aug. 25. The status is a legal designation for educators who have mastered teaching skills and are meeting...

Wareham Village expansion to be discussed at Town Meeting

Planning Director Joshua Faherty speaks to the Select Board on Oct. 6. Photo by Tanvi Kulkarni

Main Street and nearby areas could be redeveloped to welcome new businesses into town. The expansion of Wareham Village Reinvestment Subdistrict is a discussion item for the fall Town Meeting on Oct. 26. Director of Planning Joshua Faherty proposed...

Early voting begins Oct. 17

Voters can hit the polls before Election Day, with early voting beginning Saturday, Oct. 17. Here’s how to be prepared. This year’s ballot is longer than normal because there are nine ballot questions. The ballot is three pages long, spread across...

Girl Scout earns Bronze Award for emergency responder stuffed animal drive

Ainslee Manduca brought stuffed animals to Wareham EMS over a month ago, which EMS Director Brad Allen said the staff received well. Submitted photos

Ainslee Manduca broke her first bone at 11 months old. She and many of her family members suffer from osteogenesis imperfecta, or OI, which weakens their bones. The frequent bone breaks she had due to this condition led to her spending much of her...

Team South Coast Bikeway pedals for two causes

Team South Coast Bikeway raised thousands for clean water and the South Coast Bikeway at the Buzzards Bay Coalition’s watershed ride.

Team South Coast Bikeway raised $42,895 at the Buzzards Bay watershed ride on Oct. 4. The team rides to support clean water and promote the South Coast Bikeway. The South Coast Bikeway advocates extending the region’s shared-use paths, many that are...

Long awaited Harvest Moon takes over Onset

Children pet one of the rescue animals from Little Patch of Heaven animal sanctuary at the Harvest Moon festival Oct. 11. Photos by Tanvi Kulkarni

The long awaited Harvest Moon festival brought thousands to Onset on Oct. 11, with an antique car show, petting zoo and plenty of food trucks and vendors. The vendors set up shop along Buzzards Bay with everything from handmade wreaths and crocheted...

'Take that light into the world': Interfaith group holds candlelight vigil for peace

In the shadow of a war memorial, a group of residents rallied for peace. Wareham Faith in Action, an interfaith organization that works with Wareham Law and Democracy, gathered people at Center Park for its first peace vigil on Saturday, Oct. 10....

This girl is on fire: Onset’s first female career firefighter joins ranks

Jenna Klemp, 22, from Onset, is the first female full-time firefighter at Onset Fire Department. Photos source: Jenna Klemp

Jenna Klemp is on fire this year after becoming the first female career firefighter at Onset Fire Department. The 22-year-old is a first-generation college graduate from Massachusetts Maritime Academy, where she worked as a cadet with the Onset...

Developer starts work on one of four potential Main Street duplexes

Four new duplexes along Main Street could be on the market in the near future. Construction on a two-family home proposed by local developer and Zoning Board Chair Nazih Elkallassi started on Friday, Oct. 9. Elkallassi said that the first house at...

Early voting begins Oct. 17

You can hit the polls before Election Day. Early voting will begin on Saturday, Oct. 17. Here’s what you need to know before early voting begins. The ballot is longer than normal due to there being nine ballot questions. There are three pages...

Select Board forfeits right of purchasing three properties

Director of Planning Joshua Faherty speaks to the Select Board. Photo by Tanvi Kulkarni

The Select Board voted to forfeit its right to purchase or otherwise work to preserve three agriculture properties rather than see the land be put to more intensive use. The owners of all three plots — two owned by A.D. Makepeace Company, off...

Changes in dog licensing proposed

The Select Board at its meeting on Oct. 6. Photo by Tanvi Kulkarni

Animal Control Officer Kelly Jarabek has proposed two changes in dog-related bylaws for Town Meeting to consider this fall. Speaking to the Select Board on Oct. 6, she explained why she wants to require the dog licenses be obtained in the first...

Harvest Moon Festival to return Oct. 11 with some changes

A contestant shows off his car at the 2025 festival's car show. File photo

After being delayed due to a nor’easter, the annual Onset Harvest Moon Festival is back on. The festival will take place on Sunday, Oct. 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will be held at and around the Lillian Gregerman Bandshell. Live music and the...

Student smarties: Wareham middle school's outstanding students

Three students were selected as Wareham middle school's students of the month.

Three oustanding students were selected as the middle school's September students of the month: Jounir Bebawy, Kali Hall and Keirra Nelson. Fifth grader Bebawy's teachers said she is a respectful and dependable student, who has a strong work ethic...

Town acquires new emergency rescue vehicle

The high-water emergency rescue vehicle. Photo source: Emergency Management

The town's Emergency Management Department has a new high-water rescue vehicle to respond to flooding, severe storms, coastal emergencies, evacuations and other incidents unfit for normal emergency vehicles. The vehicle has an automated external...

Buzzards Bay Coalition purchases 100 acres of bog land

The Buzzards Bay Coalition will soon begin restoration work on the Beaver Dam Creek, which flows through the 100 acres of bog land the group purchased. Photo source: Buzzard's Bay Coalition

The Buzzards Bay Coalition has purchased 100 acres of cranberry bog land along Route 6 with the intention of restoring a creek on the property. The cranberry bogs sit on either side of a commercial stretch of Route 6 near Kool Kone. Running through...

Cyclists ride through Wareham to support Buzzards Bay Coalition

Cyclists pass through Wareham on their way to Falmouth for the Buzzards Bay Coalition Watershed ride Oct. 4. Photos by Grace Roche

Wareham saw a stream of cyclists, many in brightly-colored kits, throughout Sunday for the Buzzards Bay Coalition Watershed Ride. Riders pedaled through town in support of the coalition’s work to protect and restore clean water in Buzzards Bay and...

Wareham sips and strolls the afternoon away

Beth Kelly from Art on the Spot paints a Spiderman design on a young girl's face. She has been facepainting for 15 years. Photos by Tanvi Kulkarni

Thousands of children, families and furry friends gathered at Besse Park on Oct. 3 for the Sip & Stroll Harvest Fair. Attendants got glitter tattoos and facepaint, shopped from artisan vendors and feasted on autumn foods. The first Sip & Stroll...

Superintendent plans to address AI, technology use

Superintendent Amy Hartley-Matteson presented her school-improvement plan to the School Committee.

Superintendent Amy Hartley-Matteson wants to tackle early literacy and limit technology use. Her hefty improvement plan for the 2026-27 school year, presented to the School Committee at its Oct. 2 meeting, has a range of goals for improving student...

Wareham graduates win Cape Verdean culture center's scholarships

Gabreilla Perry is studying psychology at Salem State University.

Gabriella Perry and Drayson Andrade won the Oak Grove Cape Verdean Cultrual Center's Mary V. Rose scholarship this year. The scholarship will help ease monetary obligations for the town's high school graduates as they strive toward academic goals....

Lodge of Elks donates to Veterans Day Parade

Col. Matt Stanton and JRTOC cadets Aaron Legg and Emily Morais accept a donation toward the town's Veterans Day Parade. Photo source: Nora Bicki

The Wareham-New Bedford Lodge of Elks #73 donated $2,500 to support the town's Veterans Day Parade. The check was accepted by JROTC teacher and VeteransDay Parade Committee member Col. Matt Stanton and JROTC cadets Aaron Legg and Emily Morais, who...

Interfaith group to hold peace vigil in Center Park

Wareham Faith in Action members hold signs during a June peace walk along Main St. File photo

All that Wareham Faith in Action wants is peace. The interfaith organization, which started last year, will be spreading its message of peace and unity among all humans during its first peace vigil on Saturday, Oct. 10. The group has held three...