#coronavirus

Basketball hoop controversy continues as covid cases rise

The Board of Selectmen has received dozens of emails from citizens frustrated by the town’s continued refusal to replace the basketball hoops at every court across town, which were taken down in July . Selectman Peter Teitelbaum said the board had...

Wareham leader warns town could trend to red

Wareham could potentially trend toward red — or ‘higher risk’ in the eyes of the state — in terms of the daily increase in coronavirus cases, according to Town Administrator Derek Sullivan’s words of caution at the Board of Selectmen meeting on Oct...
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First student, second teacher contract covid-19 in Wareham Schools

A student at the middle school is the first in Wareham Schools to contract covid-19, the district announced on October 22. On October 21, a Minot Forest School employee was the second staff member to contract the virus. The first staff case was...

Wareham still in yellow moderate-risk category for covid cases

Wareham remains in the yellow moderate risk category for coronavirus cases this week, as the state’s October 22 Public Health Report shows cases in town are continuing to rise. The state reports 24 cases over the last 14 days, an increase over the...

Covid cases continue to rise in Wareham

The number of covid cases continues to be on the rise, reported Town Administrator Derek Sullivan at the Oct. 20 Board of Selectmen’s meeting. Since Oct. 5, there have been 22 new confirmed cases in town. The number of active cases is 28. Since Sept...

High School staff member tests positive for coronavirus

A staff member at Wareham High School has tested positive for coronavirus, Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Shaver-Hood announced on Tuesday, October 20. This is the first positive case within the school district this year. Shaver-Hood said that everyone...

Covid-19 relief grants available for very small businesses

The town of Wareham is teaming up with Abington, Avon, Holbrook, Hull, and Rockland to offer covid-19 relief grants of up to $10,000 to small businesses that have been impacted by the pandemic. The grant program is open only to microenterprises,...

Wareham sees uptick in coronavirus cases over past week

Coronavirus cases are on the rise in Wareham, calling the town’s lower risk status into question, according to Town Administrator Derek Sullivan. Sullivan discussed the recent uptick during the October 6 Board of Selectmen meeting. According to...

Selectmen stress importance of proper mask use

At Tuesday night’s Board of Selectmen meeting, town officials stressed the importance of continuing to wear masks when in public to limit the spread of coronavirus. Selectman Patrick Tropeano said that while wearing the masks may be unpleasant, it...

Recycling Center welcomes back customers with new safety procedures

Wareham’s Recycling Center has been back open since August 1, with new safety procedures -- but Recycling Coordinator Marilyn Russell said there haven’t been too many customers. The center, located on Plymouth Road off Maple Springs Road, is open...

Elks Club hosts belated Flag Day ceremony

The Elks Club held a belated Flag Day ceremony on Friday, September 11. The Elks are the only fraternal order mandated to honor Flag Day, but the coronavirus pandemic made a celebration closer to the holiday in June impossible. Instead, they held a...

Most parents opt for some in-person class time

A majority of parents chose to send their students back to school part-time this fall through the Wareham Schools’ hybrid model. A survey was sent out to all parents asking whether they planned to send their students to school for two four-hour days...

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...

Administrators continue planning for a safe, effective return to school

As the school year draws closer, educators and administrators in Wareham Public Schools are faced with the daunting task of creating a safe and effective way for students to learn during the pandemic. On July 29, School Committee members listened to...

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...

Town’s removal of basketball hoops causes controversy

For the past several weeks, hundreds have gathered in Onset each Sunday to play basketball and watch as professionals and Division I college players competed in tournaments, pick-up games, and dunk contests. While both the organizers of those events...

Bike shops cycle from surge in sales to shortage of bikes

There were about 40 bicycles at the Bike Den on July 13, but only one of them was for sale, thanks to an industry-wide bike shortage brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Employee Nathan Orie said that bike sales at his shop in Wareham, and others...

Pick-up basketball put to a halt, hoops taken down

For the past few weeks dozens of people of all ages have gathered at the basketball courts near the Hammond School in Onset for pick-up games, dunk contests, and tournaments, but town officials have put a stop to the action for now, since the large...

Schools consider different approaches to return to class this fall

As schools in Massachusetts are scheduled to return to class this fall, educators and administrators in the Wareham Public School District have been working to figure out the best possible way to keep students and staff safe, healthy, and engaged...

Summer visitors down during pandemic

Summer visitors are crucial to the economy in Wareham and across the region. This year, visitors are more cautious -- and that’s having a big effect on many local businesses. Marie Oliva, President and CEO of the Cape Cod Canal Region Chamber of...

New coronavirus cases slow in town

The number of new coronavirus cases in Wareham has slowed considerably since the pandemic’s peak this spring. The town has had a total of 201 cases, according to Town Administrator Derek Sullivan. There have been 21 deaths, of which 14 were in...

A new normal at the YMCA

Gleason Family YMCA members returned to a new normal of working out with individual spray bottles, pre registered workout times, masks, and social distancing on Monday, July 6. According to Director Debbie Fringuelli, the YMCA closed in mid-March,...

First Congregational Church to host ‘grand reopening’ of thrift shop

The First Congregational Church of Wareham will host a grand reopening of the Next-to-New Thrift Shop from July 9 to 11. There will be a buy one, get one free sale on all clothes for the three day reopening celebration. Per CDC guidelines, shoppers...

CrossFitters push through the summer heat in outdoor workouts

Gyms aren’t allowed to fully reopen yet, but for those brave enough to push through the summer heat, workouts are back in session at Seaside CrossFit. For the last couple weeks, coaches have been holding outdoor practices in the gym’s parking lot...

An uncertain summer for Water Wizz

Summer has officially begun, but the future of one of Wareham’s most prominent summer destinations is still highly uncertain. Water Wizz, the water park on Cranberry Highway, typically brings in about 100,000 guests each year even though its...

Selectmen aim to help local businesses during pandemic

As the Town of Wareham continues to reopen gradually, the Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator Derek Sullivan discussed ways to help local businesses during a meeting on Tuesday night, June 23. As part of the town’s effort to help businesses...

Restaurants open their doors for indoor dining

For the first time in over three months, restaurants in Wareham are opening their doors to allow customers to eat inside. Business isn’t exactly as usual, however, as restaurants are following new safety guidelines to protect customers and employees...

Wareham Public Schools to participate in new math initiative

As part of the 2020 Mass Math Initiative, Wareham Public School students in Kindergarten through grade 6 will have access to ST Math, a visual instructional program that will help prevent possible losses in progress caused by school shutdowns this...

Some youth sports leagues cancel, postpone season

As the coronavirus pandemic continues into the summer, some youth sports leagues have postponed or canceled their season entirely due to the risk of spreading the virus. The Wareham Tigers Athletic Association canceled its spring flag football...

Kool Kone, Gatemen host baseball-themed Father’s Day giveaway

Kids under the age of ten were treated to a surprise at Kool Kone on Father’s Day. Complimentary with their first ice cream, the kids were given a free plastic baseball and bat, courtesy of the Wareham Gatemen baseball team. The Gatemen’s Senior...

Wareham Fire District holds drive-through election

The Wareham Fire District hosted its annual election in a totally new way to protect voters and volunteers during the pandemic. Rather than filling out their ballot inside the district headquarters, voters drove through the parking lot of the Water...

Boys and Girls Club gets ready for a socially distanced summer

The Wareham Boys and Girls Club has been closed since mid-March, but staff are now getting ready to reopen for summer programs, which are tentatively scheduled to start on July 6. According to Rob Mendes, the Executive Director of the Boys and Girls...

Little League to focus on fundamentals, practice social distancing

The Wareham Little League won’t be holding a typical competitive season this summer due to the coronavirus, but players aged 8-12 will still have an opportunity to develop their baseball skills. League President Quirino doCanto said that instead of...

Athletes return to the baseball field – precautions still in place

ROCHESTER — Baseball players have returned to the field on Dexter Lane to sharpen their skills, but full-fledged games are not allowed yet, and athletes and coaches are taking precautions against the coronavirus. The American Legion Baseball League...

Southcoast Health honors coronavirus victims, survivors

Southcoast Health hosted concurrent events on Thursday, June 11 at the system’s three hospitals – Charlton Memorial, St. Luke’s and Tobey – to honor those who have lost their lives to the coronavirus and to celebrate those who have survived it. The...

Kindergarteners reconnect with teachers at Decas School

Kindergarteners and their teachers at Decas Elementary School reconnected on Friday, June 12 for an end of school year celebration, after months of being separated due to the coronavirus pandemic. From 10 a.m. to noon, students and their families...

School district faced with a reduced budget for 2021

The Town of Wareham has seen a drop in revenue during the coronavirus pandemic, leaving school committee members with the difficult decision of approving a 2021 fiscal year budget that would result in the Wareham Public School District losing nearly...

Tobey Hospital staff join fight against racial injustice

Staff at Tobey Hospital took a moment of silence in memory of George Floyd, to express solidarity in the fight against systemic racism and injustice on Thursday, June 11. Floyd was killed on May 25, after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his...

Gatemen, Kool Kone to give out 300 plastic baseball bats

The Cape Cod Baseball League won’t be able to host any games this summer due to the coronavirus, but that hasn’t stopped organizers of the Wareham Gatemen from thinking of a new way to keep the game alive for kids in town. The Gatemen have teamed up...

Gateway Adult Center staff reconnect with members in parade

Members and staff at the Gateway Adult Center consider themselves to be a family, but they’ve had to close down their day program and separate themselves during the coronavirus pandemic. On Wednesday afternoon, June 3, they reconnected with a parade...

Photos: yard signs honor high school seniors in front of Town Hall

About 170 signs are now on display in front of the Wareham Town Hall, honoring the accomplishments of high school seniors in the historic class of 2020. Mary Masterson said she decided to organize the project after seeing something similar in...

Health Department connects the dots with contact tracing

When someone is diagnosed with coronavirus, public health officials leap into action to do detective work in an attempt to limit the virus’ spread. Public health nurses, employed by towns and the state, reach out to every positive case and find out...

The Tremont Center reports 11 coronavirus deaths

The Tremont Rehabilitation and Skilled Care Center in Wareham has now reported 11 confirmed or probable coronavirus deaths. According to Tim Brown, t he Director of Marketing and Communications of Athena Health Care Systems, which owns Tremont in...

Town requests responses to survey on businesses impacted by coronavirus

The Town of Wareham is conducting a survey to better understand how it can help local businesses impacted by the coronavirus. The deadline for applications for the grant to assist funding local businesses are due on June 12, meaning responses to the...

June is ‘Friends Membership Month’ at the Wareham Free Library

June is officially “Friends Membership Month” at the Wareham Free Library. "It's already June and we haven't held one used book sale this year," said Friends President Priscilla Porter. According to a press release from the Friends of The Wareham...

Grace Lighthouse hosts drive-in church service

The Grace Lighthouse Church held its first-ever drive-in church service on Sunday, giving parishioners a chance to safely gather together while remaining socially distant. The service was held at the church’s land at 2703 Cranberry Highway, across...

Fishing captain navigates financial struggles

Head boats have been allowed to resume fishing trips as part of Massachusetts’ first phase of reopening, but for Chris Whitton, the captain of the “Miss Chris,” recent restrictions have made it nearly impossible to make a profit. Whitton said that...

Verilife reopens for recreational sales in a ‘new era’

Now that marijuana dispensaries are allowed to make recreational sales again in Massachusetts, lines of customers wearing masks and standing six feet apart can be seen outside of Wareham’s Verilife. Customers are now asked to schedule an appointment...

Coronavirus cases continue to increase, total reaches 200 in Wareham

Coronavirus cases in Wareham have continued to increase, as the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported that the town had a total of 200 cases as of Wednesday, May 27. This marks a small increase from last week, when the state reported...

Beaches reopen, to the relief of beachgoers

Wareham’s beaches are now reopened to the public, and on Sunday, beachgoers were cautiously returning despite the relatively low temperatures. Kim and Tom Heath live close to Little Harbor Beach, and usually come to the beach almost daily -- so the...

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