News

News

Friends gather to honor memory of Teena Hill

About 20 people gathered at the Onset Bandshell on Sunday night to honor the memory of Teena Hill, the homeless woman who was killed on Wednesday, Dec. 2. Hill was a mother of two, and a beloved member of the homeless community. “She was just the...

Wareham gives back during holiday season

Wareham residents donated to toy and food drives hosted by various community organizations all across town on Saturday, Dec. 5, despite the blustering winds and unrelenting rain. Wareham Public Schools bus drivers hosted their annual Stuff-A-Bus toy...

Garden Club Christmas fair ‘brings some color’ to people’s homes for the holidays

The damp weather Saturday wasn’t enough to dampen spirits at the Wareham Garden Club’s annual Christmas fair, which ran from 9 a.m. to noon on Dec. 5 at St. Patrick’s Church. The persistent rain throughout the day forced members of the club to shift...

Fuel assistance available for qualifying Wareham residents

Wareham’s Council on Aging is offering fuel assistance to anyone in Wareham who qualifies, as the cold winter months approach. The fuel assistance program is designed to help low-income households with winter heating costs. Council on Aging Director...

Wareham once again categorized ‘red’ in state covid-19 report 

The state has once again classified Wareham ‘red’ in its covid-19 weekly public health report, following another increase in new positive cases and an increase in the percentage of covid tests conducted that come back positive. In the last week,...

Town Moderator: ‘Dress warmly’ for outdoor Dec. 12 Town Meeting

“Dress warmly:” That’s Town Moderator Claire Smith’s advice for the upcoming Fall Town Meeting, to be held outside at the Onset V.F.W. on Saturday, Dec. 12, at noon. Due to coronavirus safety concerns, the meeting will be held under the canopy, with...

Town continues to ‘trend higher’ in covid cases

From Nov. 26-28, there were 17 new confirmed cases of covid-19 and three additional probable cases in Wareham, according to Town Administrator Derek Sullivan. At the Tuesday, Dec. 1, Board of Selectmen meeting, Sullivan said the town was “still...

Selectmen back developer’s proposal for Littleton Drive housing complex

A proposed 93-unit housing development at Littleton Drive — which will offer 44 units of affordable housing for seniors age 62+ — received support from the Board of Selectmen at their Dec. 1 meeting. The board voted to issue a letter of support for...

Redevelopment Authority can now seek master developer for Tremont Nail

The Wareham Redevelopment Authority can now request proposals from potential master developers for the Tremont Nail Factory property, following the Board of Selectmen’s unanimous 5-0 decision to authorize issuing a request for proposals. Selectman...

Safety a focus at bus depot following covid closure of garage

Despite a recent covid-19 outbreak among the municipal maintenance mechanics who service the buses, Jamie Andrews, the transportation director for schools, said that the buses were as safe as possible. The entire municipal maintenance mechanics crew...

Hearing on Hospitality, Recreation, and Entertainment district to continue next week

Residents and board members expressed both strong support and skepticism of the proposed zoning district at a meeting that stretched for nearly three hours on Monday night — and is set to pick back up next Monday. The zoning proposal, written by the...

Wareham Police Department Stuff-A-Cruiser event

Members of the Wareham Police Department and Department of Natural Resources will be collecting new, unwrapped toys for families in need at their Stuff-A-Cruiser event on Saturday, Dec. 5. People are invited to drop off donations of toys from 10 a.m...

With food insecurity on the rise, organizations step in to help

The organizations battling food insecurity in Wareham are seeing more need than ever before, as the economic effects of the pandemic continue to take a toll. Wareham’s primary food pantry, the Family Pantry at Damien’s Place, has seen a sharp...

First Spiritualist Church of Onset hosts covid-safe fair

Customers, vendors and spiritualist readers were present at the First Spiritualist Church of Onset’s covid-safe Holistic Psychic Fair on Saturday, Nov. 28. Vendors sold all-natural soaps, orgonite jewelry and other figurines, Christmas decorations...

Ahead of Thanksgiving celebrations, Wareham continued to see increase in covid cases

The most recent state report — which tracked cases through Nov. 25, the day before the Thanksgiving holiday — shows Wareham continued to trend up in covid-19 cases ahead of Thanksgiving celebrations. According to the weekly report , Wareham had an...

Library opens for browsing, computer use by appointment

After months of being closed to the public, the Wareham Free Library’s main location is now open to visitors by appointment for limited browsing and computer use. “People who wanted to come in to look at the items that we have on the shelf can do so...

More than 100 active covid-19 cases in Wareham

The number of active confirmed coronavirus cases in Wareham is now 110, reported Town Administrator Derek Sullivan at the Nov. 24 Board of Selectmen’s meeting. There have been 55 new confirmed and three probable new cases in the last twelve days —...

Town Meeting to take up financial articles only on Dec. 12

The Fall Town Meeting, originally scheduled for Oct. 26, then Dec. 28, has been rescheduled one last time for noon on Dec. 12 at the VFW in Onset. The meeting will take up only articles with financial implications, including the transfer of the...

Coronavirus cases on the rise in Wareham Public Schools

Eight Wareham Public School students — at least one enrolled at each of the district’s four schools — have tested positive for covid-19 as of the evening of Nov. 23, according to the district’s covid-19 dashboard and Superintendent Dr. Kimberly...

‘Urgent need to keep gatherings as small as possible,’ healthcare official warns

Household transmission of coronavirus is increasing ahead of the holidays, according to Shawn Badgley, SouthCoast Health’s public information officer. He said it was “especially concerning” that from Oct. 18 to Nov. 14, 86 percent of Massachusetts’...

YMCA distributes 200 Thanksgiving dinners

A line of cars snaked through the YMCA parking lot on Monday afternoon to pick up Thanksgiving dinner kits with turkey and all the fixings, including fresh produce. This was the fifth year that the Y led the distribution of meals for the Wareham...

Thanksgiving changes to free school meal distribution

Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, the schools’ meal distribution program will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 25, through Friday, Nov. 27. To make up for the gap in distribution, kids will be given three days of meals on Tuesday, Nov. 24, similar to...

Linda Rinta honored with award for conservation

Cranberry grower Linda Rinta and the Rinta Family Farm of West Wareham are the New England Leopold Conservation Award recipients for 2020. The award honors people who inspire others with their dedication to conservation of the land, water and...

Basketball for all

Ahead of Thanksgiving, Aaron Strothers of Village Hoops wanted to give back to his neighborhood — so he got together more than 60 basketballs in different sizes and colors to give away to neighborhood kids. Strothers said that when the town put the...

Decas School coyote rescued by Department of Natural Resources

The mangy little coyote frequently spotted eating fallen apples outside the John W. Decas School was carefully rescued by the Department of Natural Resources on Thursday. Community members and Natural Resources officers had been concerned about the...

Grace Lighthouse distributes hundreds of Thanksgiving dinners

A steady stream of cars pulled through the parking lot at Grace Lighthouse Church on Saturday afternoon, leaving with a hot dinner and goodwill from friendly parishioners who were distributing meals. In the past, the church has hosted a Thanksgiving...

From workers to students: Chatham Village food donates Thanksgiving dinners

Students helped unload boxes of Thanksgiving foods almost as big as they were on Friday and carefully stacked them high in the nurse’s office ahead of distribution to students and their families. For the fifth or sixth year in a row, Chatham Village...

Cannabis manufacturer interested in Tremont Nail steel building

Aspen Blue Cultures has expressed interest in using the steel building on the Tremont Nail Factory property to manufacture and package a variety of cannabis products. The company is about a year and a half old and has obtained three provisional...

Decas Elementary School’s redevelopment potential

While there are many possible futures for the John W. Decas Elementary School property, officials from the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) and the Wareham Redevelopment Authority see strong economic...

Private properties to be explored as locations for new police station

Land on Charge Pond Road or Cranberry Highway could become home to a new complex that would contain a police station, Wareham’s emergency medical service and other public safety agencies. The committee decided two private properties had enough...

Notos Group zoning proposal to head to hearing, Town Meeting

Wareham voters will be asked to decide whether or not to approve a “Hospitality, Recreation, and Entertainment” zoning district at the Special Town Meeting. That meeting is currently scheduled for Dec. 19, but will likely be rescheduled to a date in...

Rochester threatens to get ‘ugly’ over Rte. 28 transfer station access

“The stepchild left out in the rain:” That’s how Rochester Town Counsel Blair Bailey described his town’s position as the host of the Rte. 28 transfer station and apparent afterthought for the leaders of the waste district. Although the transfer...

Town officials encourage virus safety measures as holidays approach and cases rise

In the past six days, Wareham has seen 23 new confirmed cases of covid-19 along with two probable cases that have not yet been confirmed, Town Administrator Derek Sullivan said at the Nov. 17 Board of Selectmen meeting. Sullivan and the Selectmen...

Town Meeting dates to be changed (again)

The two planned Town Meetings will be getting new dates, announced Town Administrator Derek Sullivan at the Nov. 17 selectmen’s meeting. The fall town meeting, originally scheduled for October and then moved to December 28, will need to be moved...

Two Wareham dogs designated “at risk” after hearing

Two dogs located at 81 Pinehurst Drive in Wareham have been designated “at risk,” following an incident in which a Wareham Department of Natural Resources officer received a minor dog bite that did not require medical attention. The owner of the...

Selectmen set estimated tax rate

The Board of Selectmen voted on Nov. 17 to set a single tax rate for residential, commercial and industrial properties in town. The property tax rate has been set at an estimated $11.16 per $1,000 of assessed value. Last year, the rate was $10.98. “...

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library provides free books to Wareham’s youngsters

Free books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program might be just what Wareham families need as the coronavirus keeps people in their homes for the holidays. Fortunately, everything about the program is coronavirus safe. All parents in...

YMCA opens personal training room

During the pandemic, the YMCA has unveiled a new feature: a room dedicated to personal training. Because covid-19 has made the Y’s usual group exercise classes in smaller rooms impossible, the former spin room has been converted into a new personal...

Ahead of winter months, sleeping bag, blanket drive is a success

Lisa Morales arrived at the Onset Pier to collect sleeping bag and blanket donations a few minutes before the drive she’d organized was meant to start on Saturday, Nov. 14. Despite her early arrival, she said there were already people waiting to...

Here’s why Onset water bills look different this fall

At the end of October, residents received their bills from the Onset Water Department. Unfortunately, those water bills have caused some concern and confusion. The bills were much higher than usual, and it wasn’t immediately clear to some Onset...

Project combatting food insecurity launched at Gleason Family YMCA

The Gleason Family YMCA’s new food distribution program was faced with overwhelming demand on its first day. A line of cars waiting for food started forming at 8:30 a.m. — more than two hours before the Nov. 12 drive-thru community market opened —...

Southcoast Health plans for surge, encourages commitment to coronavirus precautions

A warehouse of personal protective equipment, stricter limits on visitation and a shift back to telehealth services — these are just a few of the ways Southcoast Health, the parent company that operates Wareham’s Tobey Hospital, is managing the...

Wareham celebrates Veterans Day

The parking lot between Town Hall and the Multi-Service Center was transformed into a grand display of military and first responder vehicles from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Nov. 11, as part of Wareham’s Veterans Day celebration. Over the course of three...

Selectmen vote to hold a Dec. 19 Special Town Meeting

Prompted by the developer who is seeking to build a casino and racetrack in Wareham, Selectmen voted on Tuesday to hold a special Town Meeting on Dec. 19. At the meeting, voters may tackle the developer’s proposed zoning change and, potentially,...

New state measures implemented as covid-19 cases spike

According to the state’s weekly report , released Nov. 6, Wareham has seen 32 new cases in the last two weeks, bringing the town’s total number of cases during the duration of the pandemic to 313. Wareham also has an average daily incidence rate of...

Basketball hoops to be replaced

The basketball hoops at courts across town will be replaced this week, according to Town Administrator Derek Sullivan. The hoops were taken down in July after pick-up basketball games that drew hundreds of people made town officials concerned about...

Waste District to allow Wareham to lease, operate Rte. 28 transfer station

A contract that would allow Wareham to operate the Rte. 28 transfer station in Rochester starting on Jan. 1, 2021, has been drawn up by the committee governing the Carver Marion Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District. If Wareham’s Board of...

New member joins Wareham Housing Authority

The Wareham Housing Authority gained a new member when Theodore Hatch was sworn in at Town Hall at 10 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 9. Town Clerk Michele Bissonnette performed the swearing in ceremony. State Representative Susan Williams Gifford and Bob...

Yes, that was an earthquake

A magnitude 3.6 earthquake shook Wareham at about 9:10 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8 , U.S. Geological Survey data confirms. People felt the earth shake as far away as Cape Cod, Connecticut and parts of southern New Hampshire. Wareham and Onset residents...

Volunteer, students honored at Boys and Girls Club

A long-time, beloved volunteer and two exceptional students were honored at the Boys and Girls Club on Nov. 6 ahead of the organization’s Steak and a Burger with a Virtual Concert fundraiser event on Nov. 23. Jack Coughlan, who has been volunteering...

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