Defeated state Senate candidate Kari MacRae has asked a Plymouth County judge to dismiss her lawsuit alleging that election officials failed to properly verify the identity of voters in last year’s primary. MacRae, a Republican from Bourne, sued six towns in October – including Plymouth – asking judges in Plymouth and Barnstable Superior courts to […]
Author Archives: Andrea Estes - Independent Staff
Posted inEnvironment & Health
In federal suit, vocal sand mining critic says she has been targeted by local officials, business leaders
Environmental activist Meg Sheehan is seeking to identify anonymous critics she says maligned her on a Facebook page called “Meg Cost Us Millions” and other social media sites. In a 117-page lawsuit filed in US District Court in Boston, Sheehan, alleges that she has been victimized by town officials and powerful business leaders because she […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Judge raises bail to $75,000 for man charged with raping woman outside downtown bar
A Plymouth judge has set a higher bail for a man accused of raping a woman he met at a downtown bar, after prosecutors argued the $1,000 bail imposed at his arraignment would allow him to leave the country before the case is heard. Plymouth District Court judge Shelby Smith on Friday increased bail for […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Paroled murderer accused of groping girl in Plymouth hotel pool wants case dropped
Editor’s note: On Sept. 26, 2025, a jury found James Barnes not guilty of the charges listed in this report. A paroled killer accused of groping a 13-year-old girl in a Plymouth hotel pool wants a judge to throw out the charges, arguing that police lost key evidence — notes and recordings from interviews with […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
‘You can’t sit on your balcony or even watch TV’
They moved to the Plymouth waterfront, drawn by the spectacular bay views from their living room windows. Life at Copper Cove Village was idyllic, and the condo owners loved calling it home. They knew that living in the downtown area might come with some noise. But they never imagined their lives would be upended by […]
Posted inEducation
State says Plymouth pre-school was ‘less than forthcoming’ during investigation of alleged misconduct
The operators of Starboard Academy stonewalled, dissembled, and delayed efforts by a state agency to investigate allegations of misconduct at the private Plymouth school for young children, according to a report obtained by the Plymouth Independent. School leaders did almost nothing when a male teacher was accused of repeatedly touching a female colleague in front […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Plymouth man charged with raping woman outside of Main Street bar
A Plymouth man faces possible deportation after being accused of raping a woman he met early Sunday morning at a downtown bar. Luan Lucas De Souza Goncalves, 21, is being held on $1,000 bail after pleading not guilty to rape and indecent assault and battery charges Monday in Plymouth District Court. He is in the […]
Posted inGovernment
Ignoring that jury duty notice could land you before a judge
If you don’t show up for jury duty, you may end up in court anyway — this time as a criminal defendant. Most residents of Plymouth County, including Plymouth and the rest of Massachusetts, answer the call to serve, state officials say. But a small number don’t. They toss their jury duty notice in the […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
From a teetering Jeep to a toppled sign to a dangling bumper, police arrest three drivers in separate incidents
What do all these have in common? A Jeep teetering at the edge of Manomet Point, a giant highway sign splayed across the hood of a Buick, and a public school bus with rear-end damage. That’s what Plymouth police found when they answered three separate driving-related calls this week. Three drivers now face criminal charges […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Former Holtec worker at Pilgrim plant alleges radiation poisoning
A former Holtec worker at the shuttered Pilgrim nuclear power plant has filed suit against the company, alleging he was poisoned by radiation. Adam Snyder, 41, a boilermaker from Ohio, also claims the company kept secret the dangerous conditions at the Manomet plant, which stopped generating power in 2019 and is being decommissioned by Holtec. […]