News

News

There’s a moratorium on sewer hookups — what does that mean?

For at least the next nine months, the town cannot issue any new capacity commitments for the Wareham sewer system. The moratorium on new connections was approved by the Sewer Commissioners at their Oct. 22 meeting. With the Wastewater Pollution...

In high-turnout election, Wareham voters favor Biden for president

Wareham voters favored former Vice President Joe Biden over incumbent President Donald Trump for president , and incumbent U.S. Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat, over Republican challenger Kevin O’Connor for Senate , according to preliminary results...

Voters head to the polls for 2020 presidential election

With Election Day in full swing, voters have been casting ballots at polling places around Wareham for hours. Although more than 8,000 Wareham voters cast their ballots before Election Day, there were still plenty of voters at the polls. While some...

Nights of Hospitality homeless program cancelled for this year

After 12 years of offering shelter for the homeless through the coldest months of the year, the Nights of Hospitality program run by the Wareham Area Clergy Association will come to an end. Historically, churches would open their doors and provide a...

Turning Point launches holiday toy, food drive

Turning Point and the Wareham Area Committee for the Homeless are launching their holiday program to bring a holiday meal, toys, clothing, and gifts to as many children and families in need as possible -- and they are looking for donors and...

Vehicle access to Tobey Hospital moved to High Street

Those driving to the Emergency Room at Tobey Hospital must now use the entrance located at 43 High Street, as the Main Street entrance is closed due to construction. Construction is now well underway on the expanded emergency room, which will...

El Mariachi co-owner named Community Service Hero

Luis Contreras, the late owner of El Mariachi, has been awarded the Red Cross Community Service Hero Award. During his life, he gave extensively to the community, and he died while helping others. He pulled over on Rte. 495 at about 1 a.m. on Nov...

No tricks, all treats at community Halloween events

This Halloween, princesses, superheroes, unicorns, and other startling sights hit the pavement at two trunk-or-treat events in search of candy and a good time, and they certainly found both at the YMCA and the Onset VFW. This was the first year that...

Wareham now “in the red”

Wareham is now in the red, according to the state’s weekly public health report, with a daily incidence rate of more than 8 cases per 100,000 people. The Board of Health issued a statement urging people to stay safe and take extra precautions this...

Redevelopment Authority evaluates plans for vacant property

Wareham Redevelopment Authority members agreed to explore selling a vacant building at 4 Recovery Road during their meeting Oct. 29. The building is owned by the Redevelopment Authority and is located in the Town of Wareham Industrial Park, located...

Redevelopment Authority to consider master developer for Tremont Nail Factory

Tremont Nail Factory could soon have a new master developer, according to a discussion during the Wareham Redevelopment Authority’s Oct. 29 meeting. Town Planner Ken Buckland said a developer was interested in the Tremont Nail Factory property,...

Wareham hopes to operate transfer station while staying in waste district

A contentious waste district meeting will be followed up by another next week as members were unclear on how Wareham could continue to operate the Rte. 28 transfer station after January 1. Wareham’s Town Administrator Derek Sullivan attended the...

Virtual Veterans Day celebration’s Grand Marshal announced

Julio Roderick will serve as the seventh Grand Marshal during the town’s virtual Veterans Day celebration, which is planned for Nov. 11, 2020. “It’s just an honor to keep looking out and helping veterans,” Roderick said of his Grand Marshal title. “...

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...

Fall Town Meeting rescheduled for a midwinter’s night

Instead of a fall Town Meeting, Wareham residents can plan on deciding municipal business in between taking down holiday decorations and before watching the ball drop on New Year’s Eve. The meeting, originally scheduled for October 26, has been...

Ballot box to be locked overnight

The ballot box outside Town Hall will be locked overnight due to security concerns. Ballots can be dropped in the box between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., now through Election Day. Town Clerk Michele Bissonnette explained that the boxes would be secured...

Voters register before deadline at Town Hall event

With the final day of voter registration for the Nov. 3 election underway, the town held a small voter registration event. From 2 to 4 p.m., Town Clerk Michele Bissonnette spent time at Town Hall, registering eligible voters. The second part of the...

Christmas craft fair is a hit, even in October

The Church of the Good Shepherd’s annual Christmas craft fair looked different this year because of the pandemic, but it was no less successful, according to organizers. Karen Clark, president of the guild — which is the church organization that...

Sewer Commissioners approve moratorium on new connections

The Sewer Commissioners unanimously voted to approve a moratorium on issuing any new capacity commitments for the next nine months at their October 22 meeting. The water treatment plant is operating at about 76 percent capacity, which is near the 80...

Cape Cod Shipbuilding Company’s hundred year history

All throughout its 121 year history , Cape Cod Shipbuilding Company has been one of the South Coast’s key businesses. At a talk Thursday night, Wendy Goodwin, president of the Cape Cod Shipbuilding Company, walked listeners through the history of...

Redevelopment Authority updated on plans for Littleton Drive apartment complex 

Members of the Wareham Redevelopment Authority seemed to approve of a recent update on plans to build a new apartment complex on land owned by the town on Littleton Drive. The complex is set to have 93 units, with a variety of one bedroom, two...

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...

Photos of veterans sought for Veterans Day ceremony

The Wareham Veterans Council is collecting photos of veterans to be included in the virtual Veterans Day ceremony and in local media outlets. Veterans and their family members are invited to submit photos of veterans -- preferably in uniform from...

Ghoulish sights, haunts, and horrors across town

As the nights have grown longer and the leaves on the trees turn, haunting displays have popped up on yards and in windows across town. Leering skeletons, friendly pumpkins, and even spiders that move (eek!) now occupy greet passersby. At 5 Crab...

Register to vote

The last day to register to vote in the Nov. 3 election is October 24. On October 24, the town will be hosting a voter registration event in the Town Hall parking lot at 54 Marion Road from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 8 p.m.

Carver pulls out of transfer station, curbside pick-up plans

It looks like Wareham will be on its own for waste disposal plans, as Carver voted to reduce the Carver Marion Wareham Waste District’s operations to administrative duties only at their Town Meeting on Oct. 19. Wareham and Carver had discussed...

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...

Early voting encouraged, town hall service to be limited Nov. 3

Town Administrator Derek Sullivan said that despite the success of early in-person voting and voting by mail, he expects Election Day on Nov. 3 to bring crowds to all the voting precincts, including Town Hall. Some Town Hall employees are worried...

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,...

CleanSlate treatment center sued for fraud

CleanSlate, an addiction treatment company with a Wareham office at 40 Church Ave., is being sued by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey for ordering excessive urine tests to increase the company’s profits -- a scheme that allegedly cost...

Wareham resident, Dennis firefighter charged with rape

Myles Heselton, a 30-year-old Wareham resident and firefighter in Dennis, has been arrested and charged with rape and photographing an unsuspecting nude person. According to police reports: A woman met Heselton on Bumble, a dating app, early in...

Elks, Mass Maritime distribute food to those in need

The Wareham Elks Lodge teamed up with the Massachusetts Maritime Academy cadets on October 17 to distribute boxes of healthy food to local veterans and others in need. Many of the more than 185 boxes were distributed at the Mass Maritime Academy in...

Hundreds participate in first day of early voting

Hundreds of Wareham voters turned out to vote on Saturday as early voting began for the Nov. 3 election. In total, 288 people cast their ballots in the auditorium in Town Hall, while many others utilized the dropbox out front to return their mail-in...

Wareham still “moderate risk” for coronavirus

Wareham has, according to the state, had 19 coronavirus cases over the last two weeks. That keeps the town in the yellow, “moderate risk” zone for the second week in a row, and Town Administrator Derek Sullivan expects it to stay there for at least...

The sunfish is ‘FINE!’

A sunfish in Broad Cove was quite the attention-getter on Sunday, as enough people called the police to ask if it was okay that the Wareham Department of Natural Resources released a statement saying that “the sunfish is FINE.” The sunfish is an...

Town Meeting postponed to unknown date

Town Meeting, originally scheduled for October 26, will be postponed for at least 30 days. The decision was made by Town Moderator Claire Smith, in collaboration with the Board of Selectmen, Town Administrator Derek Sullivan, Health Agent Bob Ethier...

Curbside pick-up, transfer station in the works

Wareham residents can look forward to both townwide curbside pick-up and access to a transfer station — at some point. The Board of Selectmen voted at their Tuesday night meeting to work towards offering both options to residents, which they believe...

‘Survey says’: Town surveys residents on their style preferences for downtown

The Town of Wareham has released a “visual preference survey” to find out what Wareham residents would like the downtown to look like in the future. The survey includes a variety of images of buildings and design elements, including signs, open...

YMCA’s costume sale is eco-friendly Halloween fun

The YMCA’s lawn was festooned with tutus, witch hats, and racks and racks of Halloween costumes on Saturday at the annual recycled Halloween costume sale. Each September, the Y collects donated costumes that it resells before Halloween for prices...

Knit Wits celebrate ten years of friendship, crafting, and giving back

At least ten thousand: That’s the mind-boggling number of knitted hats, mittens, shawls, blankets, baby booties, scarves, and neck warmers that the members of the Knit Wits have donated over the last decade. The group meets every Thursday morning in...

Water treatment plant nears capacity

The Sewer Commissioners are considering a moratorium on new sewer connections as the Water Pollution Control Facility nears capacity, and are starting work on a project that could fix the capacity problems. Increasing the capacity will take time, so...

Coronavirus cases bump Wareham into ‘yellow’ on state’s risk map

Wareham’s coronavirus case rate took it out of the green and into the yellow in this week’s public health report from the state. The state reported 16 cases over the last two weeks, bringing the case rate to between 4 and 8 cases per 100,000 people...

Fall Town Meeting location still to be decided

Wareham’s Town Meeting is scheduled for October 26 -- just a few weeks away. But the location for that meeting is still unknown, and rising numbers of coronavirus cases are likely to make the decision even more difficult for town officials. In the...

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...

Keeping Rte. 28 transfer station open could pose challenges

The Carver Marion Wareham Waste District Committee met Monday morning with the goal of hashing out the details of how Carver and Wareham could run the Rte. 28 transfer station in Rochester. However, keeping the transfer station open is a more...

Work begins on old comfort station on Merchants Way

Over the last week, the old comfort train station on Merchants Way has been wrapped in orange plastic netting as town crews get to work upgrading the building so it can be public space, enjoyed by the whole community. The work is being funded by a $...

Highway of cranberries on Cranberry Highway

Cranberry Highway’s name was literal on Friday morning as thousands of cranberries littered the road after spilling from a truck. The cranberries covered the roadway from Harbor Freight to the Burger King, and stained the asphalt red even after the...

Democratic Committee has presidential yard signs on offer

The Wareham Democratic Town Committee has a limited supply of “Wareham for Biden/Harris” signs available for those who want to show their support for the candidate. Although there is no set cost for a sign, the committee appreciates donations. To...

How to vote in the Nov. 3 election

Election Day is Nov. 3. Aside from the presidential election race between former Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump, Massachusetts voters will be deciding between incumbent US Senator Ed Markey or Republican challenger ...

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