News

News

Select Board in favor of continued outdoor dining

The Select Board spoke positively about the prospect of continuing to allow some restaurants with liquor licenses to offer outdoor dining, including on town property, after pandemic-era rules are no longer in effect. Outdoor dining was expanded...

Officials in favor of continued outdoor dining

The Select Board spoke positively about the prospect of continuing to allow restaurants with liquor licenses to offer outdoor dining, including on town property. Outdoor dining was expanded during the pandemic. “Outdoor dining and drinking and all...

Accessibility improvements ahead for Bayview Park in Onset

Improvements are ahead for Bayview Park in Onset, with work set to begin this fall. Jaime Rebhan-Buckminster of the Community Opportunities Group, which manages certain grant funds for the town, presented some initial information about the project...

Town to apply for more funds to complete bandshell repairs

Officials are seeking further grant funding to repair the Lillian Gregerman Bandshell in the heart of Onset. The Select Board voted on March 8 to allow Town Planner Ken Buckland to apply for $250,000 in grant funds from the Mass Office of Travel and...

Department of Natural Resources shares advice on coyotes

The Wareham Department of Natural Resources is reminding residents that even with the large coyote population in and around town, the mere presence of a coyote isn’t necessarily a major cause for concern. “I know we sound like a broken record with...

Murder mystery night nabs perp, funds for Onset Bay Association

On Saturday night, roughly 70 people in Stone Path Malt raised their right hands and swore to do their honest best to aid in a murder investigation. The newly dubbed deputies weren’t law enforcement officers, but audience members at “The Curse of...

Covid cases continue to decrease as schools drop mask mandate

Just 11 new covid-19 cases were reported during the past week in Wareham, according to the state’s March 3 report. This is the lowest case weekly case count since mid-August 2021. In Wareham schools, only one teacher has tested positive and one is...

Redevelopment Authority votes to explore digital sign for growing industrial park

The Wareham Redevelopment Authority voted to explore options for digital signage at the town’s industrial park off Kendrick Road during its Thursday morning meeting. Having a sign that can change to advertise a number of open businesses down that...

New boats, programs ahead at Onset Bay Center

A new sailboat, windsurfing classes and a slate of new programming are all in the works for the Onset Bay Center this year, led by the Buzzard Bay Coalition’s Stuart Downie in his new role as vice president of outdoor exploration. Downie said he and...

‘What could be classified as a miracle’: Town celebrates ground-breaking of marina project

With one floating platform lowered into the Wareham River and many more to go, local businessman Danny Warren celebrated his marina’s ground-breaking with town officials and residents Wednesday afternoon. Dozens walked onto the site at 59 Main St.,...

Library book sales to return March 17

The Friends of the Wareham Library will restart its monthly book sales, starting March 17. The sale will be held in the meeting room at the library, and will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 17; from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on...

Select Board member advises residents check their electric bill

During Tuesday night’s Select Board meeting, board member Jim Munise spoke of a recent, nearly 50% rise in his electric bill. Munise said he referred to the online community aggregation cost, the price through Wareham’s Community Energy Aggregation...

April Town Meeting warrant shapes up

The Select Board voted to add a number of items to the warrant for the April 25 Town Meeting, and added a Special Town Meeting for the same time, which will have a later date for article submissions. In addition to a number of routine items voted on...

Select Board renews town administrator contract

The Select Board voted to renew Town Administrator Derek Sullivan’s contract during its Tuesday night meeting. The renewal vote passed 4-1, with board member Jim Munise voting no. He clarified before voting that he had no issues with Sullivan, but...

Town counsel reappointed by Select Board for 15th consecutive year

Attorney Richard Bowen was again appointed as town counsel by the Select Board during its Tuesday night meeting. Bowen has served as town counsel since 2007 . The board unanimously voted for him to continue in his position for the 2022-2023 year. “I...

Town to solicit holders for conservation restriction on Little Harbor Country Club

The Select Board authorized Town Administrator Derek Sullivan to begin the process of soliciting requests for proposals for an entity to hold the conservation restriction on Little Harbor Country Club during its Tuesday night meeting. Because the...

Wareham signs contract with firm for urban renewal plan

Wareham’s Redevelopment Authority has signed a contract with a firm to help prepare a new urban renewal plan for downtown, the Director of Planning and Community Development said Monday. Director Ken Buckland said the consulting firm Innes...

Buzzards Bay Coalition releases report detailing wastewater solution

After years of research and public outreach, the Buzzards Bay Coalition has released a comprehensive plan for a regional wastewater treatment plant in Wareham that could reduce pollution in the bay with a discharge pipe for clean water in the Cape...

More candidates throw hat in the ring for seats on Select Board, other committees

Eight elected seats will be on the ballot for the May 3 Town Election. Nomination papers have been available at the Town Clerk’s office since Jan. 31, and must be returned with at least 50 registered voters’ signatures by March 7. So far, four...

Sure-Cran looks to add solar to farm

Sure-Cran is seeking to convert just over an acre of its land from agricultural to commercial use. The farm is looking to use the land for solar panels to supplement its energy needs. Converting the land’s use will take it out of Chapter 61A status...

Town invited to downtown marina ground-breaking on Wednesday

The long-awaited marina, pavilion and restaurant project will begin construction after a ground-breaking ceremony open to the public on Wednesday afternoon, local businessman Danny Warren said Monday. Warren said the town is invited to the ground-...

Onset Bay Association to host WhoDunIt fundraiser

The Onset Bay Association will host a WhoDunIt fundraiser at 6 p.m. on Saturday night, March 5, at Stone Path Malt, 11 Kendrick Road. The WhoDunIt is titled “Curse of the Comet,” and features a murder mystery where watchers solve the question of who...

Funds raised for injured seals at Arctic Seal Plunge

Five cartons of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and hot chocolate awaited those who showed up on Sunday morning, Feb. 27, at the Onset Bay Center, prepared to jump into ice cold water. With more than 50 sign-ups, the National Marine Life Center was already...

New covid-19 cases continue to decline

According to the state, there were only 23 new covid-19 cases in Wareham in the past week — another significant decline from last week’s 37 cases. The last time the new case count was this low was during a mid-October dip in cases. Because schools...

Grab your guac: Wareham’s first Chipotle opens

The wait is over — Chipotle Mexican grill opened its first Wareham location on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 1 Seth F. Tobey Road. The 37-seat fast-casual Mexican restaurant has a special “Chipotlane” drive-through, company representative Sally Evans said in...

Wareham, New Bedford Voc Tech students under investigation in Orbeez incident

An alleged altercation between New Bedford Voc Tech and Wareham high school students on Friday is being investigated, New Bedford Superintendent Michael Watson confirmed Wednesday afternoon. “The incident is being investigated by the New Bedford...

Up to 7 inches of snow expected by Friday night

The National Weather service has issued a winter storm watch for southern Massachusetts from late Thursday night into Friday evening, as heavy snow and high winds are expected. Snow could accumulate anywhere from three to seven inches, according to...

Wareham Democrats to caucus March 5

The Wareham Democrats will caucus on March 5 at 10 a.m. to choose delegates for the upcoming state convention, to be held online and in Worcester on June 3 and 4. Eleven delegates from the town will be elected to attend the convention, which chooses...

Landslide vote secures town’s purchase of Little Harbor golf course

Hundreds of Wareham voters gathered at the high school Tuesday night for a special Town Meeting — and 423 of them agreed that the town should buy the Little Harbor Country Club, with only 34 voting against the purchase. At 7 p.m. when the meeting...

Planning Board approves Main Street marina site plan

The Planning Board voted 5-0 to approve local businessman Danny Warren’s plans for a marina at 59 Main St. during its Tuesday night meeting. The board discussed briefly Warren’s plans for traffic mitigation, a solar-powered pedestrian-controlled...

League of Women Voters to host climate change seminar

The League of Women Voters Southcoast will host an educational seminar with a local climate leader next month. Chair of Climate Reality Massachusetts Southcoast, Laura Gardner, will speak at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 16 at the Millicent Library,...

Community Events Committee seeks funding applications

The Wareham Community Events Committee is now accepting funding requests for 2022 events. All funding requests received by Friday, April 22, will be discussed at the committee’s April meeting. The committee recommends applying early, as applications...

New covid cases continue to decline

New covid cases in Wareham are at their lowest rate since before Thanksgiving, with only 37 new cases reported by the state as of Feb. 17. The town’s vaccination rate is at 57 percent. Just four students in Wareham Schools tested positive for covid...

Little Harbor purchase to be decided Tuesday at Town Meeting

The fate of the Little Harbor golf course will be in the hands of Town Meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 22, as voters convene to decide whether the town should buy the 54-acre golf course and spend Community Preservation funds to do it. Officials have...

Beauty studio earns Marion's first body art permit

Clients have been asking Samantha Machado for months when she would be offering permanent makeup and microblading services. Now after months of working with the Marion Board of Health, Machado has obtained a town first — a body art permit that adds...

Wareham to hand out Covid-19 tests next week

Wareham will begin distributing free covid-19 tests next week on a first-come first-serve basis, town officials say. Health Department assistant Kayla Bettencourt said in an email Thursday that rapid tests will be distributed from 2-5 p.m. Tuesday,...

65 mph wind gusts to sweep through Thursday night

The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for southeastern Massachusetts from 11 p.m. Thursday to 9 a.m. on Friday. The service said to expect winds ranging from 30-40 mph with gusts as high as 65 mph. Possible effects of the high...

Wareham murder victim among unsolved cases highlighted on playing cards

State law enforcement officials hoping to find new leads for cold cases have compiled a deck of playing cards featuring the victims of unsolved cases — including one from Wareham. Devyn Murphy, the 16-year-old victim in an unsolved 2002 murder case...

Teitelbaum to resign, other committee shake-ups ahead

Peter Teitelbaum, a 10-year-veteran of the Select Board, announced on Feb. 15 that he will be leaving his seat as of the May 3 Town Election, with one year left in his current term. “I’ve had an interesting combination of professional opportunities...

Select Board appoints shellfish constable, three deputies

The Select Board appointed four people as Wareham’s shellfish constable and deputy shellfish constables during its Tuesday night meeting. An initial motion by board member Peter Tropeano to appoint three constables was later withdrawn after board...

Tremont Nail signs to be removed, but by who?

The Community Preservation Committee has requested the Select Board approve placing a request for funds to pay to remove the signs from the Tremont Nail Factory, to be up for a vote most likely at the Spring Town Meeting. Town Administrator Derek...

Investor cites timeline concerns about Main Street marina project

Wareham businessman Danny Warren didn’t mince words during a hearing about his planned marina on Main Street. “The deal breaker is there’s not enough time left now to build the thing and avoid a million dollar-plus fine from the federal government...

Downtown Wareham’s Eastern Bank to close its doors in May

The downtown Wareham branch of Eastern Bank is scheduled to close on Friday, May 20. The bank petitioned the Massachusetts Division of Banks for permission to close the office at 226 Main St., according to a company notice. Eastern Bank customers...

Nature’s Medicines receives final retail license from Cannabis Control Commission

Nature’s Medicines, a retail cannabis dispensary to be located at 3119 Cranberry Highway in East Wareham, has received its final retail license from the Cannabis Control Commission and will announce its opening date soon. Nature’s Medicines is a...

Library to host virtual must-reads programs

Readers can register online for any of the Wareham Free Library’s upcoming book talks, which will be held on Zoom. The first talk starts at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 16 and features author Nicholas Basbanes’ book, “In Cross of Snow: A Life of Henry...

Cannabis testing laboratory approved to start testing

The independent testing laboratory Smithers began testing cannabis on Monday, after being approved to do so by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission. Smithers received its final cannabis testing license and has passed its final inspections,...

Department of Natural Resources officers practice ice rescues

Officers from the Department of Natural Resources completed an ice rescue and water survival training on Sunday, as part of a Wareham Fire Department program. The department posted photos of the training to Facebook, showing officers suited up in...

Fewer than 100 new covid cases this week

New covid-19 cases are down this week, with 74 cases reported in town. The new weekly case count is back under 100 for the first time since before Thanksgiving 2021. The town’s vaccination rate continues to slowly increase, as 64 percent of...

Classes set for new and veteran boaters

WAREHAM — A boating skills and seamanship course will be offered by the Onset/Marion Flotilla 63 of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays starting March 3 in the training room at the West Wareham Fire station #2, 2368...

Blue Foot Cafe opens in downtown Wareham

Katie Gallagher has always worked in the hospitality industry, she said, often as a bartender, though she’s more of a morning person. So when the opportunity came to open a cafe and say goodbye to 4 a.m. closing shifts, she took it and opened her...

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