News

Picket ordering to end soon for Lopes Playground

Wareham CORE has continued its work on the Lopes Playground, and will soon begin installing the fence. That means the time to purchase an engraved picket to support the group is coming to an end on July 31. Each engraved picket is made from recycled...

Tremont Nail kayak launch closed for environmental work

Environmental engineers are once again on-site at the Tremont Nail Factory to work on remediating past pollution. A portion of the site, including the kayak launch and riverfront, will be fenced off and closed to the public while this work is taking...
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Police respond to 38 overdoses, including seven fatal, in four months

Since March 1, seven people in Wareham have died due to a fatal overdose, bringing the total number of overdose deaths in 2020 to 12. Including the fatal incidents, police have responded to 69 overdoses this year, 38 of which have occurred since...

Dog park arts and literary contest announced

The Dog Park Association of Wareham is once again hosting a summer arts contest for kids and teens. This year, the Unleash the PAWsibilities contest is themed “Animals, our COVID Companions: Pets and wildlife bringing comfort and joy during...

A new normal at the YMCA

Gleason Family YMCA members returned to a new normal of working out with individual spray bottles, pre registered workout times, masks, and social distancing on Monday, July 6. According to Director Debbie Fringuelli, the YMCA closed in mid-March,...

Keeping it clean

Every day for the last two years, Dave Malonson has walked up and down Glen Charlie Road at least twice a day to pick up litter. “Pouring rain or Christmas, it doesn’t matter,” said his wife, Carol Malonson. On Sunday, Dave Malonson’s neighbors and...

Chamber of Commerce running 50/50 Summer Spectacular Raffle

The Cape Cod Canal Region Chamber of Commerce is running a 50/50 Summer Spectacular Raffle, with a payout of up to $25,000. Other proceeds will go to support the chamber’s work supporting the business community in the area, operating two visitor...

Beaches, shellfishing closed due to sewage leak

A sewage spill at the pump station at the end of the Stonebridge in Onset has necessitated the closure of some beaches and a temporary ban on shellfishing in Onset Bay. Just after 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 5, Water Pollution Control Facility crews...

Birthday parade for a “firecracker”

July 4, 2020 is Gertrude Sullivan’s 96th birthday, and she celebrated it with friends, family, and, seemingly, almost the entire population of Parkwood Beach. As Sullivan smiled and waved from her window at All American Assisted Living, the crowd...

Cops reward kids doing good with a sweet surprise

Wareham Police Officers have been patrolling the streets of Wareham and Onset while keeping an eye out for kids doing good. Police officers are hitting the streets with an extra tool — gift certificates good for one ice cream cone at either Nana’s,...

Committee weighs options, plans ahead for new police station

As the Wareham Police Department has outgrown its current station, plans for a new Public Safety Complex that would also house Emergency Medical Services and, potentially, other town departments have started to take shape. So far, the Public Safety...

Two large solar arrays proposed in Wareham

Two large solar arrays have been proposed in Wareham. According to developers they would be able to power thousands of homes, and generate hundreds of thousands of dollars for the town. However, building the arrays would require clearing over 100...

Filling out the census could help get funds for the town

The Board of Selectmen encouraged Wareham residents to fill out the federal census on Tuesday night. Selectman Alan Slavin said that Wareham’s census completion rate was the lowest of the 27 communities in SRPEDD. “If they don’t fill out the census...

Non-essential water use restrictions in place due to dry conditions

The Wareham Fire District Water Department has asked Wareham residents to conserve water due to dry conditions. Residents who live in even numbered houses are asked to only water their lawns on even numbered dates, like July 2, 4, 6, etc. Those who...

Water Wizz unable to open until Phase 4

At Tuesday night’s Board of Selectmen meeting, Alan Slavin said that the state has decided to bar water parks, including Water Wizz, from opening until Phase 4. At the very earliest, that would put the park’s opening date at July 27. Phase 3 could...

Town to consider curbside pick-up, transfer station

Selectman Jim Munise, who also serves on the Carver Marion Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District Committee, gave the Board of Selectman a brief update on the town’s plans for waste disposal at Tuesday night’s meeting. The current agreement with...

Clerk, chairman choices contentious for selectmen

The Board of Selectmen met in person on Tuesday night for the first time in months, and were joined by newly-elected Selectmen Judith Whiteside. Masked and separated by plexiglass panels, the board held a meeting that felt strangely normal. Each...

Committee considers Minot Ave., Decas School for new police station

The Public Safety Study Committee, tasked with planning for a potential new police station that would also house the emergency medical service and other public safety agencies, visited two possible locations for the building on Monday. The committee...

Wareham Free Library to offer virtual programs for July

The Wareham Free Library will offer two new virtual programs starting in July. On Thursday, July 9, at 1 p.m., the library will host an online meeting of the Wareham Free Library Literary Society. This new virtual program will allow others to talk...

First Congregational Church to host ‘grand reopening’ of thrift shop

The First Congregational Church of Wareham will host a grand reopening of the Next-to-New Thrift Shop from July 9 to 11. There will be a buy one, get one free sale on all clothes for the three day reopening celebration. Per CDC guidelines, shoppers...

CrossFitters push through the summer heat in outdoor workouts

Gyms aren’t allowed to fully reopen yet, but for those brave enough to push through the summer heat, workouts are back in session at Seaside CrossFit. For the last couple weeks, coaches have been holding outdoor practices in the gym’s parking lot...

Coalition to tackle trash at beaches

As crowds of people have returned to Wareham and Onset’s beaches, they have brought with them another familiar summer sight: piles of trash. This year, officials, volunteers, and business owners are banding together to combat the problem of litter...

Grand Marshal sought for Veterans Day Parade

The committee planning a Veterans Day Celebration in Wareham for November 11, 2020, is seeking applicants for a Grand Marshal from area veterans. Applicants from Bourne, Carver, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester, Plymouth, and Wareham will be...

Swearing-in in style

Newly elected selectman Judith Whiteside and reelected selectman Peter Teitelbaum swore in in style outside Town Hall on Wednesday. The officials stayed in Teitelbaum’s convertible as Town Clerk Michele Bissonnette had them sign and swear into...

An uncertain summer for Water Wizz

Summer has officially begun, but the future of one of Wareham’s most prominent summer destinations is still highly uncertain. Water Wizz, the water park on Cranberry Highway, typically brings in about 100,000 guests each year even though its...

Selectmen aim to help local businesses during pandemic

As the Town of Wareham continues to reopen gradually, the Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator Derek Sullivan discussed ways to help local businesses during a meeting on Tuesday night, June 23. As part of the town’s effort to help businesses...

Teitelbaum, Whiteside elected to Board of Selectmen

Wareham voters elected Judith Whiteside and reelected Peter Teitelbaum as Selectmen in Tuesday’s election, and approved a number of incumbent and unopposed candidates. Whiteside won 679 votes, while Teitelbaum won 559. Ron Besse, a newcomer with a...

Restaurants open their doors for indoor dining

For the first time in over three months, restaurants in Wareham are opening their doors to allow customers to eat inside. Business isn’t exactly as usual, however, as restaurants are following new safety guidelines to protect customers and employees...

Curbside Pick-Up to begin at the Wareham Free Library

The Wareham Free Library is now offering curbside pickup at the main library, 59 Marion Rd., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Currently, patrons can only check out items owned by the library. Books can be requested through the SAILS...

Celebrate the 4th of July with a glow-in-the-dark shirt

Although the annual 4th of July fireworks show has been cancelled due to the pandemic, the Onset Bay Association has teamed up with Soft as a Grape to create a unique way to celebrate at home. The association is selling t-shirts that glow in the...

Nakita Besegai named Interim Director of Wareham Boys and Girls Club

Nakita Besegai has been named the Interim Director of the Wareham Unit of the Greater New Bedford Boys and Girls Club. According to Executive Director Rob Mendes, Besegai will be taking over for Kenny Fontes, who has left his position after a “...

Kool Kone, Gatemen host baseball-themed Father’s Day giveaway

Kids under the age of ten were treated to a surprise at Kool Kone on Father’s Day. Complimentary with their first ice cream, the kids were given a free plastic baseball and bat, courtesy of the Wareham Gatemen baseball team. The Gatemen’s Senior...

Onset Beach bustles with families as summer begins

Summer has officially begun, and hundreds of residents and visitors flocked to Onset Beach on Saturday to bask in the sun and splash in the surf. Perhaps the surest sign of summer, however, is the return of the Sandman: Rodney Johnson. Johnson made...

Wareham Fire District holds drive-through election

The Wareham Fire District hosted its annual election in a totally new way to protect voters and volunteers during the pandemic. Rather than filling out their ballot inside the district headquarters, voters drove through the parking lot of the Water...

YMCA, Covanta-SEMASS team up to bring fruits and veggies to families

Covanta-SEMASS teamed up with the Gleason Family YMCA on Friday to bring boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables to families. The Farmers to Families program, which gives free boxes of produce to local families, was funded by a USDA grant to...

Boys and Girls Club gets ready for a socially distanced summer

The Wareham Boys and Girls Club has been closed since mid-March, but staff are now getting ready to reopen for summer programs, which are tentatively scheduled to start on July 6. According to Rob Mendes, the Executive Director of the Boys and Girls...

Woman donates hair for wigs for cancer patients

Susan Grebber, a survivor of ovarian cancer, donated six inches of her hair on June 17 to a charity that makes wigs for cancer patients. Tracy McGraw at Bladez Hair Salon did the haircut, and will be sending the donation in. “I’m a cancer survivor,...

Drawing parallels between Black Lives Matter and Civil Rights activists of the 1960s

On June 6, Wendell McCain and his sons, Davis and Charles, joined with hundreds of other protesters in Wareham to march to the police station in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. For the McCain family, protesting for civil rights is...

Camp Nep-In-Nae plans for safe and fun summer

Camp Nep-In-Nae at the Gleason Family YMCA will welcome campers starting on June 29, with a few tweaks to ensure everyone’s safety. “We’re very excited,” said Shayna Santiago, the camp’s director. The traditional camp will run this summer from 9 a.m...

Driver in fatal hit-and-run to face five charges

The teen driver who allegedly was involved in the June 12 hit-and-run that killed Kenneth Baptiste is facing five charges. Cameron Silva, 18, of Onset, is accused of striking the motorcycle Baptiste was riding with another person before fleeing the...

Onset Bay Center plans safe summer programs

While the specifics are different than originally planned, the Onset Bay Center will be launching a full summer of programs for kids, families, and adults. In lieu of the extensive programs planned before the coronavirus pandemic, the center will be...

Wareham man seriously injured after jumping from ‘The Ledge’ in Freetown

FREETOWN — A 19-year-old Wareham man was seriously injured and Medflighted to Rhode Island Hospital on Sunday afternoon, June 14, after jumping off of “The Ledge” in the Fall River Freetown State Forest. According to Freetown Fire Department Lt...

Onset Fire improves ranking to save residents money

The Onset Fire District is now among the top five percent of fire departments in the country, as determined by the Insurance Services Organization, and that means that Onset property owners can expect to save some money on home insurance. The...

Historical Society cancels summer events

The Wareham Historical Society has cancelled all its public events for the summer, including the monthly speaker programs, museum tours, and the 44th annual Fourth of July Antique and Craft Faire. President Angela Dunham wrote that the society...

Walk for Hunger hopes to raise funds

The 11th Annual Greater Wareham Walk for Hunger, scheduled for May 3, has been cancelled for this year due to the restrictions on large gatherings. The walk raises money for Project Bread, a non-profit dedicated to ending hunger in Massachusetts,...

Outdoor sticker sale scheduled for Wednesday, June 17

The town of Wareham will be hosting an outdoor sticker sale on Wednesday, June 17, for residents to obtain Beach Parking Permits, Onset Street Parking Passes and Transfer Station Stickers from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The sale will be held in the parking...

Town Meeting passes all articles in record time

Every warrant article was passed by a majority of voters during a remarkably brief Town Meeting that clocked in under an hour and a half on Monday night. Voters gathered in the gym at the high school in chairs spaced more than six feet apart and...

Selectmen allow outdoor alcohol sales at restaurants

The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved a new policy to allow restaurants to serve alcoholic beverages to people seated outdoors. The policy and licenses are understood to be temporary, and will expire November 1. The Selectmen approved...

Mosquito spraying begins June 15

Plymouth County Mosquito Control will begin spraying for mosquitoes this week. Following last year’s EEE (Eastern Equine Encephalitis) outbreak, the state and county are working to mitigate the mosquito population. Aerial spraying, which is...

Kenneth Baptiste succumbs to injuries following crash

Kenneth Baptiste, a longtime active member of the community, died this weekend as the result of a Friday night motorcycle accident. Baptiste’s motorcycle was struck from behind by a car on Cranberry Highway at about 11:15 p.m., and the driver of the...

Southcoast Health honors coronavirus victims, survivors

Southcoast Health hosted concurrent events on Thursday, June 11 at the system’s three hospitals – Charlton Memorial, St. Luke’s and Tobey – to honor those who have lost their lives to the coronavirus and to celebrate those who have survived it. The...

‘Race Amity Day’ to be live-streamed June 14

The Bourne/Wareham Race Amity Committee will host a live-streamed virtual event on Sunday, June 14 at 4 p.m. The Bourne/Wareham Race Amity Committee began its efforts in October, 2018 to reach out to community members, civic organizations, and...

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