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Students improve MCAS scores from year ago but lag behind state

A Massachusetts student takes the MCAS online. Photo source: Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Students across grades improved some of their scores on the 2026 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, or MCAS. Despite the trend, though, scores…

New agent joins Jack Conway Real Estate

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Diane Strzelecki has joined the Wareham office at Jack Conway Real Estate. Strzelecki brings 24 years of real estate experience. Throughout her career, she has enjoyed working with…

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Buzzards Bay Coalition ride celebrates 20 years

To commemorate the 20th Annual Buzzards Bay Watershed Ride, the Buzzards Bay Coalition is offering “20 for 20,” a 20-mile route for the first time. The ride takes place Sunday, Oct. 4 and features 100-, 41-, and 20-mile route options. The trek ride...

Yearning for yarn? Upcoming library sale has you covered

From left to right, Louise Paolella, Harriet Green and Maureen Cunningham measure and sort fabric. Photos by Sue Jackson

Hundreds of skeins of yarn surrounded volunteers at the Wareham Free Library. They sat on the floor, classifying zippers, snaps, quilting rulers and hoops and labeling, bagging and pricing yarn. Knitting needles, notions and pattern pamphlets line...

‘History is not just found in books’: Colonial reenactment honors veteran heroes

During the plaque ceremony, the Wareham Minutemen and Militia performed a three-musket volley salute by firing their arms.

Over 100 people stepped into the late 1700s on Saturday, Sept. 19 and recognized Wareham’s contribution to our free nation. They listened to a fife and drum corps, walked around a Revolutionary War encampment and tried traditional activities and...

Fearing Hill solar farm protested at Planning Board meeting

A group of concerned residents protested the Fearing Hill solar farm during the Planning Board meeting on Monday, Sept. 14. The protesters gathered at the Multi Service Center before the Planning Board held an information session about the status of...

‘Integrity’: Jim Brogioli, coach, teacher, mentor, community pillar

Jim Brogioli coaching the Wareham Vikings basketball team on the sidelines of the court that would later be named in his honor. Photos submitted by Kevin Brogioli

Jim Brogioli skied until he was 83 years old. He and a few former teachers he was close with would sometimes rent a house in New Hampshire a few times to ski for a week. Wareham High School Principal Scott Palladino said that the one time he joined...

Down on the Frogfoot Farm

Frogfoot - Marion Institute

For the Marion Institute, six-acre patch of marginal farmland a short distance off Tihonet Road in Wareham helps accomplish two goals: Encouraging the consumption of local produce and combatting food insecurity on the South Coast. Videographer...

JROTC students bond during Wickets Island campout

Far out in Onset Bay, a group of high schoolers grew closer. Cadets from the Wareham High School JROTC program boated out to Wickets Island for a 24-hour campout on Friday, Sept. 11 and Saturday, Sept. 12. They bonded over a host of team-building...

The games begin for Wareham Youth Soccer

Grace Pacheco, 10, said it felt "good" to score her first goal. Photos by Christian Uva

Youth soccer is back. The Wareham Youth Soccer Club kicked off its season on Saturday, Sept. 12. The younger teams played each other at the start. As the morning went on, older players hit the pitch. A team of older boys closed out by facing...

High school fall sports kick off

A Wareham soccer player corrals the ball during the team's 6-1 win on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Photo by Christian Uva

Wareham High School athletes returned to the field for their first games of the 2026 fall season. The boys soccer, girls soccer, field hockey and girls volleyball teams all played their first games on Tuesday, Sept. 8. “We’ve trained really hard...

Sip & Stroll returns to Wareham Oct. 3

An earlier version of this story contained inaccurate hours. Sip & Stroll Harvest Fair will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3 at Besse Park & Warren’s Harborview, 59 Main St. The event will feature an afternoon of cocktails and...

Planning Board to hold info session on done deal Fearing Hill solar project

A 2021 map of the proposed Fearing Hill solar farm. File photo

The controversial Fearing Hill solar farm project appears to be on the track to construction. The Planning Board will hold a public information session about the project at its Sept. 14 meeting. Although advertised as a public hearing, the meeting...

Superintendent sets out to improve elementary school literacy

Superintendent Amy Hartley-Matteson at an Aug. 20 School Committee meeting. Photo by Christian Uva

Many Wareham Elementary School students are not reading at grade level. Superintendent Amy Hartley-Matteson is trying to change that. Hartley-Matteson presented her plan to assess and improve the school’s literature education at the Sept. 3 School...

Man lifeflighted after being struck by vehicle

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A 52-year-old man operating an E-bike suffered serious injuries when he was struck by a motor vehicle Saturday, Sept. 5 in the area of 133 Onset Ave. Due to the severity of the bicyclist’s injuries, he was transported by Med-Flight to an area...

Finding joy at the Bandshell during ‘Finding Nemo’

Fans of all ages enjoyed the first Movies by the Bay screening at Onset’s Lillian Gregerman Bandshell on Saturday, Sept. 5. Over 300 people came to watch “Finding Nemo,” said Marie Greig, who runs Wareham Community Outdoor Recreation, or CORE....

'Keeping the ospreys safe': How Eversource deters ospreys from nesting on poles

Ospreys return to places where their nests used to be, even after the nests are removed, like this pole in Swifts Beach. Photos by Christian Uva

High above the street, large X-shaped pieces of metal called Raptor Guards sit on top of electrical poles. But in this case, X doesn’t mark the spot. In fact, they deter ospreys that try to nest near high-voltage wires. Eversource Energy installs...

Absence made hearts grow fonder for bicentennial class reunion

A bicentennial class photo. Photos by Tootsie Russell

After graduating from Wareham High School in 1976, graduates went all across the country – to Virginia, Louisiana, California. Some stayed in Wareham. But they came together at the Bay Pointe Country Club on Aug. 29 for their 50th class reunion....

Halloween powerlifting competition with Gleason YMCA

Test your strength at the Gleason Family YMCA’s fourth annual powerlifting competition at 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, at 33 Charge Pond Road. Competitors should arrive by 9:15 a.m. and are required to wear Halloween costumes. The event will also...

Savor the South Coast for a Cause

Turning Point, a resource center from the Wareham Area Committee for the Homeless, invites the community to “Taste of our Towns,” a culinary adventure featuring favorite restaurants and food vendors from the South Coast. “Taste of Oour Towns” will...

Hat’s the spirit for YMCA fundraiser

The Gleason Family YMCA will host a “Sip and Support” to fundraise for the organization's Annual Campaign. The campaign provides financial aid to those who cannot afford the organization's services, including for summer camp, child care and other...

Town receives $1 million in federal funds for sewer project

Wareham has received a little over $1 million in federal funding for sewer department projects, Town Administrator Derek Sullivan told the Select Board Tuesday, Sept. 1. Crediting congressman Bill Keating with securing the money, Sullivan explained...

Proclamations for suicide prevention month, 9/11 anniversary

From left: Jared Chadwick, Sarah Corbitt, Judith Whiteside and Marcus Gomes.

Wareham Select Board recognized September as Suicide Prevention Month and designated September 10 as Suicide Prevention Day for the town at its meeting Tuesday, Sept. 1. Judith Whiteside read the board’s proclamation at the meeting, complete with...

Select Board makes two appointments

William Scott Parr was appointed to the Conservation Commission. Photo by Tanvi Kulkarni

The Select Board appointed two members to town committees on Tuesday. Both men have experience with the boards on which they will serve. Walter Paster was reappointed to the Little Harbor Golf Advisory Committee after his term expired. The new term...

Gaskey, Markey, Minogue take Wareham

Signs for state representative candidates near Wareham Town Hall, one of the town's three polling locations. Photo by Christian Uva

Voters chose the winner in most of the contested elections in the Sept. 1 primary. Wareham Republicans pushed John Gaskey over the edge, helping reelect him as the Republican nominee for state representative. Wareham only had a 9.57% voter turnout...

Wareham Crossing Staples to close on Oct. 16

The sign posted on the Wareham Crossing Staples door. Photo by Christian Uva

Staples is turning a new leaf on Wareham. The Staples branch at Wareham Crossing will close on Friday, Oct. 16. The office supplies store has been closed locations across the country for the past decade. This is the ninth location in the Northeast...

Wareham Minutemen to replace missing revolutionary plaque

The Minutemen and Militia shoot guns dressed in period clothing.

The Wareham Minutemen will replace a Revolutionary War memorial plaque at a military and colonial life reenactment on Sept. 19. The original plaque was affixed to a large boulder in a field next to the now-closed Decas Elementary School in 1975 to...

Swifts Beach community celebrates Danny Warren for infrastructure solution

Warren was presented with a plaque celebrating his work. Submitted photos

Swifts Beach community members celebrated the owner of Warren’s Harborview restaurant, Danny Warren, during a coffee hour on Saturday, Aug. 29 for his help in resolving an infrastructure issue in the neighborhood. After a sewer pipe on Wankinquoah...

West Nile virus found in mosquitoes in Wareham

West Nile virus can only be transmitted by mosquitos. Photo by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Unsplash

There is West Nile virus in Wareham, according to the town government. The town announced on Aug. 27 that a sample of mosquitoes from Wareham showed positive signs of West Nile virus. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has Wareham listed...

Charlotte Peak of Wareham graduates from the University of Rhode Island

Wareham resident Charlotte Peak graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. The university in Kingston had more than 4,000 alumni at its commencement ceremonies May 15-17, with approximately 3,800...

Students and staff fill Wareham schools for first day

Second grader Navya Patel's favorite sport is soccer, and she's looking forward to playing games in physical education this year. Photo by Tanvi Kulkarni

The end of August also meant the end of summer for Wareham schools as students and staff filled the halls once again. Aug. 27 was the first day of school for Wareham students first grade and older. Many kids were excited to come back to school,...

Route 6 bridge construction to fully resume

The bridge repair work on Route 6 is set to fully resume following a pause in July. Photos by Tanvi Kulkarni

Work on the Route 6 bridge over the Weweantic River is set to fully resume in the upcoming weeks, after construction halted work after crews found diamondback terrapin breeding grounds nearby. The bridge was structurally deficient and is being...

Something to PAWsitively bark about

Some of the winning entries.

Young writers, artists and a pack of “comfort dogs” gathered in the lobby of the Gleason Family YMCA on Aug. 21 to learn who would head home with trophies from the Dog Park Affiliation of Wareham’s annual Unleash the PAWsibilities contest. Open to...

Building Commissioner Paul Turner to retire in late September

The town is in the process of finding a successor for Building Commissioner Paul Turner by the time he retires, Town Administrator Derek Sullivan said. Turner is planning to retire in late September but has not chosen a specific date, Sullivan...

Meet Sarah Hewins, Democratic candidate for 2nd Plymouth District

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Democrat Sarah Hewins is campaigning on her more than 25 years of public service in hopes of flipping the 2nd Plymouth District House seat. Hewins, who is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination for state representative, will face the...

Superintendent works with district leaders and coach in creating district’s plan

Superintendent Amy Hartley-Matteson presented her goals and entry plan to the school committee and its meeting Monday, Aug. 21. Photo by Tanvi Kulkarni

New Wareham Public Schools Superintendent Amy Hartley-Matteson has hit the ground running. Hartley-Matteson, in her job since July 1, reported to the Wareham School Committee on Aug. 20 about her plans to work with district leaders through school...

Wareham welcomes students to a new school year

The Staff in Service day welcomed back teachers and staff at Wareham High School. Photo by Tanvi Kulkarni

The bell has been rung on another Wareham school year. The first day of school for grades 1-12 was Aug. 27. Preschoolers and kindergartners will return on Sept. 8. Wareham Public Schools Superintendent Amy Hartley-Matteson said parents and families...

'We want it to look messy': Former Makepeace cranberry bog is being returned to its natural state

A newly dug, curvy part of Red Brook. Photo by Christian Uva

When you look out at Century Bog today, you’ll see a heap of downed pitch pine saplings, sand piles, shrubs and, of course, cranberry plants. What once was a picturesque Wareham cranberry bog is now a green-brown jumble. But to Sara Quintal, a...

Driver taken to hospital after tree falls on car

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A driver was reportedly transported to the hospital after a tree fell on a vehicle Friday morning Aug. 21. The incident happened at about 10:21 a.m. on Routte 28 in the area of 2114 Cranberry Highway. A state Department of Transportation front-end...

‘Their hearts are so beautiful’: community champions 8-year-old’s cancer fundraiser

Although Mia is undergoing chemotherapy, mom Briana Lunetta said she is still a happy-go-lucky, dancing light at the hospital. “We’ve actually been told by the charge nurse that you can sign up for what kids you want to have that day,” Lunetta said, “and there’s usually a battle on who gets to have Mia that day because everyone loves her.” Photo source: Briana Lunetta

There is a house in Wareham that is being built brick by brick—not by developers and contractors, but by the people of this town. Eight-year-old Mia Johnson was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in June, sending her family’s lives “into a...

Wareham JROTC students will go camping on Wickets Island

Col. Matthew Stanton pitches the idea to the Wareham School Committee. Photo by Christian Uva

Wareham High School's Junior ROTC cadets will spend their Sept. 11 developing their teamwork and survival skills during a camping trip on Wickets Island. During the trip, cadets will focus on “hands-on team building, confidence building that I...

Wareham heads to the polls for primary elections

Empty voting booths. File photo

Wareham residents along with voters across Massachusetts are already casting ballots in Sept. 1 primary contests. Votes may be cast by mail, early in-person or on election day. There are primary contests on both the Democratic and Republican sides....

A.D. Makepeace sells $8.3 million property to Newman Properties

10-40 Rosebrook Way. Photo source: Newman Properties

A Brookline-based property management company has purchased the three office and retail buildings at 10-40 Rosebrook Way from A.D. Makepeace for $8.3 million Announced by the acquiring Newman Properties as a “huge commercial acquisition,” the sale...

Property owners, business owners voice concerns over building commissioner Turner to Select Board

Bill Bachant speaks in front of the Wareham Select Board. Photo by Christian Uva

Residents’ grievances with Wareham Building Commissioner Paul Turner dominated the public comment section of the Wareham Select Board meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 18 A group of over 20 people, composed of Wareham homeowners and people who do business...

Wareham man killed in motorcycle accident on Charge Pond Road

The motorcycle following the accident. Photo by David Curran

A 23-year-old Wareham man died following a motorcycle accident on Charge Pond Road on Monday, Aug. 17, according to Massachusetts State Police. Cristian Hagopian, 23 was brought to a hospital where he was pronounced dead two hours after the...

Republican candidates offer different approaches for 2nd Plymouth District seat

John Gaskey, left, and Mark Townsend, right. File photos

Republican voters will decide on Tuesday, Sept. 1 whether to keep incumbent state Rep. John Gaskey (R-Carver) on the ballot or give challenger Mark Townsend a shot to go to the State House. Two Republicans, who share similar conservative...

Onset Chalk-Full-O-Fun Fair Sidewalk Fair, ‘the chillest day ever’

Ender, 12, made a night sky design with his friend Luca, 8. Photo by Christian Uva

Nobody wanted to win a prize at the Onset Chalk-Full-O-Fun Sidewalk Art and Craft Fair. A judge picked the winner at the end of the fair, but few were particularly concerned with winning. They enjoyed being at the Lillian Gregerman Bandshell on a...

Wareham gets grants to plan removal of Parker Mill dam, evaluate sewer system weaknesses

The spillway of the Parker Mills Pond Dam. File photo

The Town of Wareham received two grants worth $361,000 from the Massachusetts state government to devise a plan to remove the Parker Mills Pond Dam and to study weaknesses in the sewer system. The grants are part of a statewide effort to improve...

State Rep. John Gaskey accused of workplace sexual harassment

John Gaskey. File photo.

A former legislative aide has accused state Rep. John Gaskey (R-Carver) of making unwanted sexual advances and retaliating against her for rejecting them. Gaskey, who represents the 2nd Plymouth District in the Massachusetts House of...

Onset's 'Ice Cream Kitty' passes after her illness worsened

Moochi cuddling up with a cactus in her family home. Photo source: Naomi Arenberg

The cat went by many names: Yarelis, Yuri, Moochi. But to Wareham, she was known as “Ice Cream Kitty.” The stray tuxedo cat, whose real name was Moochi, ended up in front of Nana’s Ice Cream in Onset, and the shop’s staff, along with the rest of...

Man killed at industrial plant identified

Arsenio Da Cruz Pina. Photo source: GoFundMe

The man killed by a tractor trailer in Wareham last week has been identified as 56-year-old Arsenio Da Cruz Pina. He worked as a custodian at the Chatham Village Foods plant where he was killed. Pina's daughter, Marie, said that investigators have...

Wareham's drought status lowered

Massachusetts' drought status as of Aug. 7. Photo source: Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Wareham is still in a drought, but it’s not as bad as before. Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper lowered the town’s drought level from “significant” to “mild” on Friday, Aug. 7. Even though the status has changed, the state...