News

Southcoast Health announces new employee benefits amid coronavirus spike

Southcoast Health, the nonprofit that operates Tobey Hospital along with Charlton Hospital in Fall River and St. Luke’s in New Bedford, has announced new employee benefits and raises for its lowest-paid employees. The nonprofit will also require all...

Kitefest takes flight

When the wind was cooperating, freshly decorated kites soared in the sunny blue skies at Onset Beach on Saturday, Sept. 4, as part of the Onset Bay Association’s sixth annual Kitefest. Out-of-town visitors and Wareham families alike gathered on the...

More than 50 new covid cases this week, in-home vaccination available

Wareham saw 56 new cases of covid-19 over the past week, according to the state’s Aug. 26 covid-19 case data. Last week the town saw 43 new cases — meaning the town’s number of new cases is up by 13 this week. This is the highest new case weekly...

George C. Decas Scholarship Fund to support Wareham students

William C. Decas has established a new scholarship fund in memory of his late brother, Attorney George C. Decas, through the SouthCoast Community Foundation. The fund will provide $20,000 to $25,000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors who...

New members sought for town committees

There are a number of positions open on Wareham’s boards and committees. Bike Path Committee Board of Health Cable Advisory Committee Cemetery Commissioners Conservation Commission Council on Aging Historic District Commission Historical Commission...

Remnants of Hurricane Ida flood Wareham

The remnants of Hurricane Ida — which devastated Louisiana and flooded New York — swept through Wareham on Wednesday night, flooding roads, yards, basements and washing out roadways. Rainfall totals varied across town, ranging from more than 5...

Things to do: Shop a thrift store, create-your-own dessert

There’s a lot going on in Wareham during any given week. For more information on these and other events, go to www.WarehamWeekToday.com . Thursday, September 2 Shop until you drop. The Next To New...

100 years of Beetle Cat sailboats

For 100 years, Beetle Cat boats have been built and raced competitively — the only wooden boat to achieve such longevity. Bill Womack, who has owned the Beetle Cat company since 2003 and built the boats in Wareham since 2004, spoke to the Sippican...

September activities planned for seniors

The Council on Aging has a number of activities planned for seniors this month. Office hours will be Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon at the Multiservice Center at 48 Marion Rd. On Tuesday, Sept. 14, learn...

Next to New Thrift Shop to host its Semi-Annual Bag Sale

The Next To New Thrift Shop at the First Congregational Church of Wareham is having its Semi-Annual Bag Sale on the weekend of Sept. 2-4. “Come visit us and purchase a 13-gallon bag for just $5 and fill it up with men’s, women’s and children’s...

Wareham Garden Club to hold in-person meeting Sept. 9

The Wareham Garden Club’s first in-person meeting of the year will be Thursday, Sept. 9 at St. Patrick’s Church Hall (82 High St.) The Garden Club “welcomes new members and invites anyone” to attend — particularly those who enjoy gardens and...

Pop-up shop provides free back-to-school clothes for foster families

It’s not every day that children placed with foster families have access to new, name-brand clothing. One outreach program quite literally set up shop in Onset on Friday, hoping to make that experience a little more common. On Aug. 27, a group of...

Q&A: Covid-19 vaccines

Wareham Board of Health Chair Dr. Amy Wiegandt facilitated an impromptu covid-19 vaccine question and answer session on Aug. 26. Originally, she was on the School Committee’s agenda to weigh in on whether or not the board should implement a mask...

Hoping to give old furniture new life? Seakers says look no further

Having just returned home to Wareham, Diane Annen-Benson and her staff at Seakers — an upcycled furniture business that also sells antiques, art and gifts — are “looking forward to getting back into business.” Annen-Benson first opened Seakers in...

More than 40 new covid cases in town this week, third dose of mRNA vaccines available in some cases

Wareham saw 43 new cases of covid-19 over the past week, according to the state’s Aug. 26 covid-19 case data. Last week the town saw 32 new cases — meaning the town’s number of new cases is up by 11 this week. The last time the Wareham’s new weekly...

New school to cost taxpayers far less than anticipated

The new elementary school will end up costing taxpayers less than half of what was originally estimated in 2018: only 38 cents per $1,000 of assessed home value, rather than 82 cents. That means the average single-family homeowner will pay $116.20...

Wareham walkers to fight cancer

Three Wareham residents — Marcia Campbell, Crystal Regan, and Kelly Spalding Spring — will participate in the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk on Oct. 5. Due to the pandemic, participants will walk wherever they’d like, not on the marathon route...

Mass Audubon drops plan to purchase Little Harbor Country Club

Citing primarily an unexpected level of support for maintaining the Little Harbor Country Club’s status as one of Wareham’s two golf courses, the Massachusetts Audubon Society has announced it is abandoning plans to purchase and restore the property...

Dog hearing continued due to missing information

The Select Board heard some of the details of a dog bite incident from late July, but were unable to conclusively make a ruling on the case due to missing and contradicting information. According to Animal Control Officer Eva Golden: Fred Olivieri...

Domestic violence outreach, sidewalk repair to be funded by grant

Wareham will apply for $825,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds to support sidewalk repairs, social services, and other projects this fiscal year. At the Aug. 24 Select Board meeting, Jaime Rebhan-Buckminster of Community Opportunities...

Select Board dismisses dangerous dog complaint

The Select Board voted unanimously to dismiss a dangerous dog complaint filed after a person was bitten when intervening in a fight between two dogs on a walk at Wareham Crossing. Eva Golden, of the Wareham Department of Natural Resources, read the...

YMCA boxed meal distribution ending Aug. 27

Friday, Aug. 27, will be the last day of free boxed meal distribution as part of the Gleason Family YMCA’s partnership with the Shah Family Foundation. Debbie Fringuelli, senior executive director of the Y, said the program guidelines “no longer...

Wareham walkers to support cancer research

Elks Lodge accepting donations for holiday drive

The Wareham New Bedford Elks Lodge, 2855 Cranberry Highway, is once again requesting donations to support its annual Holiday Basket Drive. Due to the ongoing covid pandemic, the Lodge is collecting gift cards and checks rather than food items. No...

Mentorship program seeks volunteers

Interested in mentoring a Wareham High School student? Community Youth Empowerment’s new mentorship program, Level-Up Initiative, is seeking volunteers. The high school and CYE have teamed up to develop the mentorship program ahead of the upcoming...

Fearing Hill solar hearings stalled by applicant’s repeated absence

For the third week in a row, Joseph Shanahan, the representative for a proposed solar field development on wooded land on Fearing Hill Road did not attend a Planning Board meeting for which his project was on the agenda. Shanahan also missed a...

Car wash proposed for Cranberry Highway

An automated car wash is proposed for the site of the old 99 Restaurant on Cranberry Highway, along with a lot currently used for parking by the Ocean State Job Lot. The proposed “Reign Car Wash” would include a single 150-foot wash tunnel, free...

Crashes along Route 25 send five to the hospital

Consecutive crashes on Route 25 sent five individuals to the hospital on Monday, Aug. 23, including a truck driver — whose extrication from the cab took firefighters nearly an hour after first responders were alerted to a “tractor-trailer on its...

Dollar Days at Wesley United Methodist Church thrift shop

The Wesley United Methodist Church’s Thrift Store will be having its bi-annual Dollar Day Sale on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. All items will be reduced for one dollar. The shop has lots of clothes, shoes, and accessories on offer. The shop will...

Onset Foursquare Church to host back to school bash

The Onset Foursquare Church located at 301 Onset Avenue is hosting a Back to School Bash for area children on Sunday, August 29, at Lopes Field from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. This free event will include Bubble Soccer, Archery Tag, Nerf Wars, door prizes,...

Trash pick-up to be delayed by one day this week

ABC’s curbside trash removal will be delayed by one day this week in Wareham due to the impact of the storm.

Tropical storm Henri mostly misses Wareham

In the days leading up to tropical storm Henri’s arrival in Wareham, forecasts predicted the storm was headed right toward town, and could be a category 1 hurricane when it made landfall. Boat owners worked to get their vessels out of the water,...

Boaters prepare for storm Henri

The National Weather Service is warning of a possible hurricane impact and storm surge conditions for Wareham and surrounding towns. The storm, dubbed “Henri,” is projected to reach Wareham with tropical storm conditions Saturday night and...

Town sees more than 30 new covid cases in past week

Wareham saw 32 new cases of covid-19 over the past week, according to the state’s Aug. 19 covid-19 case data. The town hasn’t seen that many new cases of covid-19 since early May — back when the town was classified as “yellow” in the state’s covid-...

Onset Beach Kite Festival

The Onset Beach Kite Festival, hosted by the Onset Bay Association, will be held Saturday, Sept. 4. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Anyone interested can build a kite for just $5. In the event of inclement weather, Sept. 5 will be the rain...

Hearings continued for solar over cranberry bogs, Fearing Hill solar

The solar farm proposed to operate over 28 acres of active cranberry bogs on North Carver Road is still awaiting Conservation Commisssion approval, following an Aug. 18 meeting. BE RE LLC’s proposal has already been approved by Wareham’s Planning...

Committees weigh remote access to in-person meetings

For the first time, due to the coronavirus pandemic, people were able to watch and participate in town committee meetings from home. In some cases, that meant it became possible for people — who found it difficult or impossible to participate in in-...

Aspen Blue applies for special permit to start marijuana manufacturing

Aspen Blue, a cannabis company hoping to manufacture products in the old steel building at Tremont Nail, took part in a hearing on August 17 to request a special permit. Mark Bobrowski, the hearing officer, had Aspen Blue’s attorney Jillian Morton...

Wareham population up nearly 7 percent since 2010

Wareham’s population has grown to 23,303 people, according to the most recently released data from the 2020 census. In 2010, the last census counted 21,822 Wareham residents. That means the population of the town has increased by nearly 7 percent —...

‘Average’ cranberry harvest predicted for 2021

The Cranberry Marketing Committee is predicting an “average crop” this year. In Massachusetts, the committee forecasts that farmers will harvest 1.9 million 100-pound barrels of cranberries. That yield would be about 5 percent higher than the 2020...

Select Board invites public input on block grant projects

Wareham is eligible to apply for $825,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds, and the Select Board is inviting members of the public to share their thoughts on the potential uses of the money during its upcoming meeting on Aug. 24. Jaime...

Planning Board selects hydrogeologist for Fearing Hill solar proposal

Horsley Witten Group — a Sandwich-based environmental science and engineering firm — and senior hydrogeologist Neal Price will conduct the studies and tests deemed necessary to determine the proposed Fearing Hill solar project’s potential impact on...

Higher wages set for some sewer department positions

Wages are increasing for Wareham’s sewer operators to address longstanding staffing issues. At the Aug. 12 Sewer Commission meeting, department director Guy Campinha announced that the wages for those jobs — which require sophisticated knowledge of...

Popeyes restaurant planned for Wareham

A Popeye’s restaurant is planned for next to the new Nouria gas station on Cranberry Highway in West Wareham. The restaurant will be roughly across the street from the Walmart plaza. The Sewer Commission voted on Aug. 12 to approve the restaurant’s...

Free rootkill available from sewer department

Those concerned about tree roots impacting their sewer line should stop by the Water Pollution Control Center for free root kill. Sewer Department Director Guy Campinha explained at the Aug. 12 Sewer Commission meeting that if a root causes a...

Want to apply for Wareham Cultural Council grant funds? Here’s how to get started

Beginning Sept.1, applications for the 2022 Massachusetts Cultural Council grant cycle will be accepted online at https://massculturalcouncil.org/ . Applications must be submitted by Oct. 15, 2021. The Cultural Council funds community-based projects...

Wareham Cultural Council grants will support 17 projects in 2021

In 2021, the Wareham Cultural Council awarded $12,388 in grant funds to 17 projects. Grants — in amounts ranging from $100 to $1500 — were awarded in the categories of arts, science and humanities. The Wareham Cultural Council is one of 329 local...

Cape Verdean Picnic: A scaled-back celebration still brings community together

Hundreds of people gathered to enjoy drinks, food and live music at the Cape Verdean Picnic — a scaled-back version of the annual Onset Cape Verdean Festival. The picnic was held on Sunday, Aug. 15 at the Dudley Brown VFW in Onset from 2 p.m. to 7 p...

Coronavirus-conscious concerts showcase classical music

A crowd of about 40 concert goers gathered at the Church of the Good Shepherd on Sunday, Aug. 15 at 3 p.m. to enjoy one of the classical concerts in the Music From Land’s End series. Wearing masks and seated socially distanced from other parties,...

Annual American Legion flea market returns

After canceling the annual market last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Wareham American Legion Post 220 hosted its 42nd annual flea market on Saturday, Aug. 14. Despite the heat and the threat of rain in the forecast, vendors and shoppers...

News

Pages

Open House: