News

News

Health dept. plans distribution of covid-19 tests

More covid-19 rapid tests have arrived — now the health department is figuring out how to hand out tests to residents without snarling traffic. “The test kits are a hot commodity,” public health director Patrick MacDonald said Wednesday. The town...

Select Board endorses Little Harbor purchase, use of Community Preservation funds

The Select Board voted at its Feb. 8 meeting to recommend voters at Town Meeting approve the purchase of the Little Harbor Country Club. The board also voted to recommend the passage of the article that would use $2 million in Community Preservation...

Attorney General approves zoom meeting, affordable housing bylaws

Most municipal boards in Wareham will now be required to allow residents to view and participate in their meetings remotely, thanks to the Attorney General’s approval of a bylaw passed at last fall’s town meeting. Attorney General Maura Healey also...

Town to distribute more covid-19 tests

The town has received more covid-19 tests, and will be handing those out in the next week or two, announced Town Administrator Derek Sullivan at the Feb. 8 Select Board’s meeting. The town also has N95 masks, which Sullivan and the board members...

Minot Forest trails to be improved, new parking added

Major improvements to the Minot Forest trail network are in process, and some are already complete — including a new off-street parking area. New trails are also planned. Garry Buckminster, the head of the Department of Natural Resources, said that...

Covid cases drop for third week in a row

The state reported 133 new covid-19 cases in town for the week ending Feb. 3 — a decrease of nearly 100 cases from last week’s total of 231. This is the third consecutive week of declining cases since Jan. 13, when a record-setting 387 cases were...

January Student of the Month

Each month, Wareham Middle School recognizes exceptional students in each grade. Siya Patel is the fifth grader of the month for January. “Siya is a true all-around great individual,” one teacher said. “She is courteous and caring to whomever she...

Wareham dog park group receives $225,000 for construction, clearing to begin soon

The Dog Park Affiliation of Wareham was awarded nearly a quarter million dollars on Jan. 26 for the construction of a new dog park off Maple Springs Road. The grant, $225,000 from the Stanton Foundation, is the last push the organization needed to...

Love letters to the library

This month, the Trustees of the Wareham Free Library are taking part in the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) “Love Letters for the Library” campaign. Throughout the month of February, library users are encouraged to go to www...

Route 6 Wareham-Marion bridge to be replaced

The Rte. 6 bridge connecting Marion and Wareham is set to be reconstructed, thanks to a combination of funding from the state and the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The project, estimated to cost $39,323,002, is one of 146 bridge repairs and...

Share the love with valentines for seniors

This Valentine’s Day, the Onset Clay Room is inviting people to help put a smile on a senior’s face by collecting valentines to be delivered to local assisted living and nursing homes. Mary Nogueros, the owner of the paint-your-own pottery studio,...

Sweats for Vets: Donation to help veterans stay cozy this winter

The Wareham-New Bedford Lodge of Elks Veteran’s Committee has teamed up with Shirt Shack to help keep veterans cozy this winter. The committee will be donating 20 warm sweatshirts to veterans who live at the Kendrick House, Evergreen House and the...

Council on Aging plans February events

The Council on Aging has plenty of events planned throughout the month. If schools are closed due to the weather, the Council on Aging will be closed, too. Unless otherwise noted, all activities take place at the Multiservice Center at 28 Marion Rd...

Officials talk conservation plans for Little Harbor

Play golf now, enjoy open space in the future: That’s the plan for the Little Harbor Country Club if the town votes to approve the purchase of the property using Community Preservation funds. “We’re buying 50 acres of open space,” said Judith...

Onset Bay Association plans summer of events

The Onset Bay Association is working on a full slate of events this year — including the return of some favorites that haven’t taken place since before the pandemic began. Association President Kat Jones spoke to the Select Board on Feb. 1. “I think...

Town Administrator presents first look at next year’s budget

Town Administrator Derek Sullivan presented a first look at the town’s balanced budget for the next fiscal year at the Feb. 1 Select Board’s meeting. Sullivan said the town’s total estimated revenue for Fiscal Year 2023 is $72,215,636 — that...

Two artists’ work on display at the Library

Two artists’ work will be on display and for sale during the month of February at the Wareham Free Library. Melinda Boley and Kate Gennelly are known for their paintings and murals depicting everything from pets to landscapes to portraits. A...

Injured loon rescued from Cranberry Highway

The Massachusetts Environmental Police rescued an injured loon from Cranberry Highway on Friday morning, Jan. 28. According to the agency, the bird was obstructing the flow of traffic. An officer safely recovered the bird from the road, and...

Covid cases decline slightly

New covid cases in Wareham dropped slightly this week to 231 — although that number is more than double the highest number of new weekly cases during the first waves of the pandemic. The town’s first week with more than 200 cases was Jan. 6, when...

Wareham digs out after stormy Saturday

The scraping of shovels and whirring of snow blowers fill the air Sunday as the area digs out from one of the biggest storms in recent years. Wareham received 18 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service. We are so grateful for...

Check out these Wareham blizzard images from our readers

WAREHAM _ Are you outside building a snowman, shoveling the driveway, or maybe just watching the snow fall outside from a cozy spot inside? Please share your photos with Sippican Week, and we might feature them online or in print! This view of...

Wareham opens warming center

A warming center is now open at the municipal center, 48 Marion Road, for anyone with an emergency need for shelter, Public Health Director Patrick MacDonald has announced. Anyone who can remain in place should do so, he said, to avoid interrupting...

Nearly all power restored in Wareham

UPDATED: Power has been restored to all but 15 customers in Wareham as of 9 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 30. UPDATED: As of 6 p.m., power outages have dropped to 1,133 customers, just under 9 percent of the 14,918 customers in town. More than a third of...

Send us your blizzard photos!

The snow is falling! Are you outside building a snowman, shoveling the driveway, or maybe just watching the snow fall outside from a cozy spot inside? Please share your photos with Wareham Week, and we might feature them online or in print! To share...

Keith Hovan ousted as Southcoast Health CEO

Keith Hovan has been ousted as the CEO of Southcoast Health, according to an email sent to employees on Jan. 28. Southcoast Health is the parent company of Wareham’s Tobey Hospital. The Rochester resident was on a leave of absence after an alleged...

Historical Society awards scholarship

The Wareham Historical Society has awarded Ava Sullivan a $1,000 scholarship. Sullivan will be attending UMass Amherst. “We wish Ava success and all the best life has to offer always,” said Angela Dunham, the Historical Society’s president.

More than two feet of snow forecasted for Wareham

A blizzard is headed for Wareham, and the town is set to receive 24 to more than 30 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service’s forecast at 11:30 a.m. Friday. The storm is forecasted to begin late Friday night and last through...

Plans to purchase Little Harbor Country Club win Community Preservation Committee support

Town officials are one step closer to securing the funding necessary to facilitate their plans to purchase the Little Harbor Country Club following the Community Preservation Committee’s Jan. 26 vote to support a request for $2 million in Community...

Town may consider improving beach accessibility using Community Preservation Act funds

Wareham’s beaches may soon see improved accessibility with the help of Community Preservation Act funds. “I’m looking to propose a request to purchase Mobi Mats,” Harbormaster Garry Buckminster explained during the Community Preservation Committee...

Town Meeting to decide whether town should purchase Little Harbor Country Club

Town officials’ plan to purchase the Little Harbor Country Club golf course will be up for a vote at the special Town Meeting scheduled for Feb. 22. There are only two items on the warrant: One to allow the town to purchase the country club and...

Town may issue new request for proposals for Tremont Nail master developer

At the Jan. 25 Select Board’s meeting, member Peter Teitelbaum announced that the Wareham Redevelopment Authority had voted to ask the Select Board to issue a new request for proposals for a master developer for the Tremont Nail Factory property. “...

ABC Disposal sold to larger waste company

ABC Disposal, the company that Wareham contracted to pick up residents’ trash and recycling, has been sold. The buyer, Waste Connections U.S. Holdings Inc., is the third largest solid waste management company in North America, with operations in 41...

Three cannabis companies get licenses from state

The state Cannabis Control Commission last week issued licenses to three Wareham marijuana businesses. At the Cannabis Control Commission’s Jan. 20 meeting, Trade Roots received a final retail license. Delivery company Doobie received a provisional...

Town census, dog licenses now available

The town census has been mailed to all residents. Those who have not yet received a census form in the mail can contact the Town Clerk’s office at 508-291-3140. Forms may be mailed or dropped off in person at Town Hall during business hours, 8:15 a...

Mysteries topped the most popular list at the Wareham Library in 2021

Wareham Library Director Patrick Marshall compiled a list of the books most checked out from the library during 2021. To check out these or other titles, stop by the library or go online to warehamfreelibrary.org. To get a library card, visit the...

Friendship breakfast to-go for now at First Congregational Church

Due to the omicron variant, the First Congregational Church’s weekly free Friendship Breakfasts are temporarily going to-go only. In-person breakfasts will return when it is safe, but in the meantime, anyone can pick up a brown bag breakfast...

Long-awaited dredging project funded by federal infrastructure bill

The Wareham River is set to be dredged for the first time since 1953, thanks to funding secured at the federal level through the Nov. 2021 Infrastructure Bill. The Wareham Department of Natural Resources reported that the dredging of the river was...

Town surpasses 4,000 covid cases

The total number of covid cases in Wareham since the pandemic’s start blew past 4,000 this week, with 359 new cases bringing the total to 4,248. That’s a slight decline from last week’s high of 387, but is still 88 cases higher than the third-worst...

600 schools employees to get cybersecurity training

Six hundred Wareham Public Schools employees will receive grant-funded cyber-security awareness training. The funds came from the Massachusetts Municipal Cybersecurity Awareness Grant Program, which funds training to help government and school...

Board of Health reconsiders motel stay limits

The Board of Health decided to reexamine aspects of its plan to crack down on long term stays at Wareham motels after motel owners — and their legal representation — expressed concerns at a Jan. 19 meeting. Since May 2016, the town has had limits on...

Town given funds for sewer plant upgrade

The town has been awarded $891,000 in loan forgiveness for infrastructure upgrades at the Wareham Water Pollution Control Facility. The funds are from the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust. The trust is intended to help communities minimize the cost...

Firefighters investigate smoke at Dunkin’ Donuts

Wareham Fire responded to reports of a possible fire at Dunkin’ Donuts in West Wareham Saturday, Jan. 15, fire officials reported on the department’s Facebook page. When firefighters arrived, they investigated smoke in the building. After an...

Hovan hearing will remain closed, justice rules

The hearing for Southcoast President and CEO Keith Hovan on a potential felony charge of possessing illegal firearm magazines will remain closed to the public, a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court justice has ruled. As a result of this ruling,...

Many questions, some answers about Little Harbor purchase proposal

Some more details about officials’ plan to purchase the Little Harbor Country Club came to light at a Jan. 12 Community Preservation Committee meeting, but many questions remain. Judith Whiteside, who said she was representing Town Administrator...

Yet another record-breaking week for covid cases in town

Between Jan. 6 and Jan. 13, 387 Wareham residents tested positive for covid — that’s more than three times as many cases as the worst week of the first wave in Dec. 2020, when 112 people got sick. The total number of cases in town since the...

DECA to host fashion show

Wareham High School’s DECA club will host its third annual fashion show at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 20, in the high school cafeteria, 7 Viking Dr. Doors open at 3pm. The show will be put on in collaboration with the Fashion Marketing class,...

Preservation of Tremont Nail Co. signs in the works

The Community Preservation Committee is working fast to take down the Tremont Nail Factory signs so they can be preserved. At first, it was thought that Municipal Maintenance could remove the signs, but the department may not have the necessary...

Southcoast Health pauses hospital visits due to covid

Amid the continuing spike in covid-19 cases, Southcoast Health is further restricting the vistor policy at its facilities, including Tobey Hospital. As of Jan. 12, the organization is temporarily suspending inpatient visitation. “We understand this...

Wareham company cited for wage violations

Editor’s note: This company is in fact located in Rochester, not West Wareham. A Rochester company and its owners have been cited more than $1.2 million in restitution and penalties over allegations that they did not pay prevailing...

Select Board proposes buying Little Harbor Country Club for $2.3 million

The Select Board announced a partial plan on Tuesday night to purchase the Little Harbor Country Club for $2.3 million and hire a management company to continue to operate the golf course. Board Chair Judith Whiteside opened the discussion by...

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