News

News

Coronavirus cases still low in town

Town Administrator Derek Sullivan reported at Tuesday night’s Board of Selectmen meeting that there are currently three people in Wareham with active cases of coronavirus, all of whom are self-isolating. In total, the town has had 213 cases of...

Town to apply for two infrastructure grants

The town will be applying for two MassWorks infrastructure grants this year to improve the roads and utilities in the industrial parks and to add a sewer line beneath Glen Charlie Road. MassWorks is a competitive grant program run by the state that...

Community Events Committee to help mitigate trash at Onset Beach

The Community Events Committee has decided against installing dumpsters at Onset Pier to corral garbage left by beachgoers, but is looking into other ways to minimize the mess. The proposal was discussed at the committee’s Monday night meeting, but...

Public hearing on zoning articles postponed

A public hearing to be hosted by the Planning Board , originally scheduled for August 17, has been postponed to September 10. Due to a clerical error, the meeting’s agenda was not properly posted far enough in advance of the meeting.

Early voting for the state primary starts August 22

Editor’s note: An early version of this story mistakenly said that early voting was to begin today, which is August 15. We regret the error. Early voting for the state primary begins on Saturday, August 22, at Town Hall, 54 Marion Rd. The...

Thriller writer shares her story

An audience of library supporters gathered virtually on Thursday night for a talk by thriller author Hallie Ephron, who talked about growing up in a family of writers in Beverly Hills, her winding path to writing, and how she builds suspense in her...

Planning Board to host public hearing about possible zoning changes

Correction: This meeting has been postponed to September 10 because the agenda was improperly posted. Correction: The “Hospitality, Recreation, and Entertainment” zoning proposal that could allow for the casino was...

Waste discussions continue

At Tuesday night’s Board of Selectmen meeting, Selectman Jim Munise reported that waste discussions are continuing with Carver. With the current waste district set to wrap up at the end of 2020, Wareham and Carver are discussing the possibility of...

Polling place to move from Decas School to Redmen Hall

The Selectmen approved a temporary precinct change for voters this fall at the board’s Tuesday night meeting. Voters in precincts four and five will vote at the Redmen Hall, 786 Main Street, instead of at the Decas School, for the September 1 State...

Dates set for Fall Town Meeting, location still unknown

The Board of Selectmen approved the announcement of the town’s intention to hold the annual fall Town Meeting at 7 p.m. on October 26. The location for that meeting is still unknown, however, as safety requirements are in flux and the schools’ plans...

Selectmen approve agreement with cannabis manufacturer

The Selectmen voted on Tuesday night to approve a host community agreement with YouCanBeCo LLC, a cannabis manufacturer that will be located in the old Ocean Spray complex on Cranberry Highway. The company will manufacture cannabis extracts and...

Cranberry Highway conditions are unacceptable, say Selectmen

The Board of Selectmen voted at their Tuesday night meeting to send an emergency letter to MassDOT and the Onset Fire and Water District to say that the current conditions on Cranberry Highway are unacceptable. Lumpy temporary patches on the road...

Widespread gas smell in Wareham, Onset still a mystery

T he source of a rotten odor indicating a gas leak smelled from Cranberry Highway through to Onset Pier on Friday, August 7, is still unexplained. A representative from National Grid said on Tuesday, August 11, that National Grid workers had checked...

Mayflower II passes through Wareham waters

The Mayflower II, a replica of the original Mayflower on which the pilgrims sailed to America, passed through Wareham waters on its way back to Plymouth this weekend. The ship is returning to Plymouth for the first time in three years after...

Wareham Fire District improves rating, will save homeowners on insurance

The Wareham Fire Department and Water Department has improved its rating from the Insurance Services Office, which means that homeowners will be able to save some money on the fire portion of their home insurance. The district is now a Class 2...

State to begin aerial mosquito spraying on August 10

The state will be conducting aerial mosquito spraying beginning on Monday, August 10, and continuing for several nights, dependent on weather conditions. Wareham will be sprayed along with 24 other towns in Plymouth and Bristol Counties. Officials...

Gas leak smelled from Cranberry Highway to Onset Pier

National Grid crews are working to investigate a gas leak smelled from Cranberry Highway to Onset Pier. Onset Fire Captain Jeff Dias said that the district first received calls about the incident at 9:03 a.m. on Friday morning from multiple...

Schools to start remote before going hybrid

The Wareham School Committee voted unanimously at its August 6 meeting in favor of a phased reopening approach, starting remote on September 16 before going hybrid at an unspecified point in the school year. Students may choose to stay remote the...

High School graduation postponed due to rain

The Wareham High School graduation ceremony, originally scheduled for Friday, has been postponed to 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 8, due to forecasts of rain.

EEE-positive mosquito found in Wareham

A mosquito carrying Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) was found in Wareham, the Massachusett Department of Public Health announced on August 5. EEE is a rare but serious illness spread through mosquito bites. Those under the age of 15 or over the...

Smithers Lab seeks to add cannabis testing to services

Smithers, the environmental testing lab near the John W. Decas School on Station Street, is making a bid to add cannabis testing to its line-up of testing services. During a community outreach hearing held virtually on Tuesday afternoon, Smithers...

Library adds ‘Hoopla’ database to collection

The Wareham Free Library has added Hoopla, an on-demand digital content service, to its collection. Patrons can use their library card to borrow over 750,000 titles including audiobooks, e-books, comics, music, movies and TV. Additionally, content...

Car crashes through building at Main, Chapel Street intersection

At about 1:40 p.m., a car seems to have driven down the hill on Chapel Street, continuing at speed straight through the Main Street intersection, and driving on until reaching a stop well inside the white building at 367 Main Street, just behind...

More research to be done at Minot Avenue site

If the town wants to build a new Public Safety Complex on Minot Avenue, the site would need to be further explored and excavated by archaeologists before construction could begin. Archaeologist Craig Chartier, who first studied the site about 15...

Wareham Healthcare sent termination notice by MassHealth

Wareham Healthcare, the nursing home at 50 Indian Neck Road, was identified today by MassHealth as having failed to meet the standards and requirements set by the state during the pandemic and a historic record of poor performance. The facility has...

Harbormaster shuts Onset launch service ahead of storm

The Wareham Department of Natural Resources and the Harbormaster has closed the Onset launch service, which will remain shut until Wednesday, due to a Tropical Storm Warning. Tropical Storm Isaias is making its way up the east coast, and could cause...

Town outlines plans for fall state primary, presidential election

Voters are able to choose between three ways to vote in the fall state primary and presidential elections: voting by mail, voting early, and voting on Election Day. All registered voters can choose any of the three methods, and no application is...

Clam chowder, gnomes, and plants star at Wesley United Methodist Church summer fair

Crafters, chefs, and artists gathered at the Wesley United Methodist Church’s annual summer fair on Saturday, August 1 -- the first event of its kind in Wareham during the pandemic. A slow-but-steady crowd of masked visitors perused wares and...

Water Wizz to stay closed in 2020

Water Wizz will remain closed this year after working with the Selectmen in an unsuccessful bid for state permission to reopen. Per Governor Charlie Baker’s reopening plan, water parks and amusement parks will not be allowed to reopen until Phase 4...

Rezoning could revitalize Wareham Village

Empty storefronts and unkempt properties have plagued Main Street for years, despite the efforts of business owners in the area. On Thursday, Planning Board and Redevelopment Authority member Richard Swenson said that the current zoning for the...

UPDATE: Slavin has ‘no confidence’ in two selectmen

Selectman Alan Slavin said that he has “no confidence” in Chair Peter Teitelbaum and Clerk Judith Whiteside at the Board of Selectmen’s July 28 meeting. Slavin said that he has been disturbed by Teitelbaum and Whiteside’s apparent disregard for...

Waste district to have household hazardous product collection day

On Saturday, Aug. 22 from 9 a.m. to noon, Wareham residents can dispose of hazardous household material at the Wareham Department of Public Works Building at 95 Charge Pond Road or at the Benson Brook Road Transfer Station in Marion. All residents...

PASS grads celebrate at distanced ceremony

“Pomp and Circumstance” drifted on the breeze from a speaker at Spillane Field on Thursday afternoon as 12 of the 17 seniors graduating from Wareham’s PASS Program celebrated their graduation in a drive-by ceremony. The PASS (Pathways to Academic...

81-year-old woman dies in apparent drowning

An 81-year-old Buzzards Bay woman died from what appears to have been an accidental drowning in Wareham on Wednesday, July 29. Police received reports of an unresponsive woman being pulled out of the water at Indian Mound beach near the end of...

Marion may again look to exit waste district

Nine months after deciding to stay with the Carver Marion Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District if it ceased operations, it seems that Marion may again be looking to split off from the district. The waste district was formed in 1973 by an...

Selectmen boost parking fines

The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously at its Tuesday night meeting to increase the fines for all parking infractions. Most of the fines were increased from $30 to $50, but some were raised even higher. The decision was prompted by the fact that...

Town solicits bids for curbside trash pick-up

Town-wide curbside pick-up of both refuse and recycling could be coming to Wareham and Carver as soon as January 1. The towns have issued a request for proposals for the project, and all bids are due by August 11. A new solution for the town’s waste...

Outdoor workouts for adults could come to the Hammond School

Adults in town may have a new place to workout next year, as an outdoor “Fitness Court” has been proposed for Hammond Playground in Onset. The courts are part of the National Fitness Campaign, which brings outdoor exercise equipment to cities and...

Aquatic adventures: Onset Bay Center offers summer programs

For those looking to get outdoors during the pandemic this summer, the Onset Bay Center has a variety of on-the-water programs for both kids and adults. The Onset Bay Center is the new name for the Onset Bathhouse, which was rented and rebuilt by...

Slight uptick in covid cases in town as state imposes new rules

Coronavirus cases in Wareham have begun to creep up again after a period with very few new cases. On July 22, the state reported 219 total cases in town, with 7 active cases over the past two weeks. The total number counts all the diagnosed cases...

‘Spider Apparel’ brings custom clothes, Cape Verdean culture to Onset

Wareham natives Larry Senna and Shannon Sylvia have teamed up to create a new business, bringing creative, custom clothing designs to Onset, while honoring their Cape Verdean heritage and culture. Located at 239 Onset Avenue, Spider Apparel has a...

Three sent to hospital after Swifts Beach Rd. crash

Three people were sent to the hospital for serious injuries after a car accident on Swifts Beach Road late Friday morning. At around 11:50 a.m., Wareham Police responded to the accident on Swifts Beach Road near Marion Road. CPR was performed on one...

Redevelopment Authority to gauge feedback on potential Wareham Village changes

Wareham Village may look significantly different in the future, As the Wareham Redevelopment Authority has proposed some zoning changes with the aim of making the village more attractive to businesses, and privately funded “mixed-use development.”...

Farmers market connects local vendors with customers

Each Thursday, the parking lot in front of the Rosebrook Apartments comes alive with farmers and artisans who bring locally made products to shoppers. On July 23 vendors sold a variety of products, including fresh produce, soap, flowers, and...

Wareham Library Foundation to host webinar with novelist

The Wareham Library Foundation will host a virtual webinar with novelist Hallie Ephron on August 13 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Ephron will discuss her body of work, including her most recent book “Careful What You Wish For,” which is available at the...

Wareham, Carver explore curbside trash pick-up

The Town of Wareham is moving forward toward finding a solution for waste disposal, and has issued a request for proposals for curbside trash and recycling pick-up for both Wareham and Carver. Selectman Jim Munise reported at Tuesday night’s meeting...

Selectmen to increase beach parking fines

Parking illegally at the beach is about to get much more expensive, as the Board of Selectmen plans to raise the ticket price for those parked improperly at resident-only lots from $30 to $100. The current ticket price is cheap enough that it doesn’...

Two pitbulls ordered to be euthanized after killing smaller dog

The Board of Selectmen ordered two pitbulls that killed a smaller dog be euthanized on Tuesday night. The dangerous dog hearing began in April, but due to technical issues, two selectmen were unable to hear the proceedings of the remote meeting, so...

Schools, Council on Aging brought masks to those in need

Wareham Public Schools staff teamed up with the Council on Aging earlier this year to provide masks to kids and seniors in need. Using fabric donated to the Council on Aging, volunteers including bus drivers, senior citizens, paraprofessionals, and...

Camps back in session for a fun, safe summer

Summer camps are back in session in Wareham, and although there are many new rules and regulations, both kids and councillors have found new ways to stay safe and have fun. At both the Boys and Girls Club and the YMCA’s Camp Nep-In-Nae, kids are...

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