Town Meeting may not decide whether to allow firearms in public buildings and parks after all. The Select Board next week is expected to reconsider its Feb. 25 3-2 vote recommending that Town Meeting in April approve an article proposed by Police Chief Dana Flynn – and backed by Town Manager Derek Brindisi – that […]
Author Archives: Fred Thys - Independent Staff
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Trump cuts prompt concerns about funding for Jenney Pond work
A town project aimed at making major improvements at Jenney Pond could be affected by the Trump Administration’s move to dismantle parts of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The work depends on a $10 million NOAA grant to build a herring bypass at the Jenney Pond dam, as well as a new bridge over […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Plymouth police won’t take people into custody based solely on immigration status
As the Trump Administration attempts to move forward with its plans for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, Plymouth Police Chief Dana Flynn says his department will adhere to state law in deciding when to assist federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. That means it generally won’t cooperate with ICE officials unless there is a court-ordered […]
Posted inGovernment
Town employee discovers nearly 600 ‘missing’ affordable housing units
An enterprising town employee has discovered that there are hundreds more units of affordable housing in Plymouth than previously reported. Town Manager Derek Brindisi told the Select Board this week that the employee’s audit of the town’s housing stock identified 588 affordable housing units that were never submitted to the state for consideration. That’s nearly […]
Posted inBusiness
Town will no longer subsidize outdoor dining parklets
Outdoor dining will return to downtown Plymouth this summer, but it will cost restaurants more to offer it. For the first time since al fresco dining was started during the pandemic, the Select Board – by a 3-to-1 vote – decided to stop subsidizing the cost of setting up and breaking down the “parklets” in […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Police chief wants to allow guns in Town Hall, other public buildings
Town Meeting members will decide in April whether to opt out of a state law that bans firearms from public administrative buildings and properties, including parks. At the urging of Police Chief Dana Flynn, the Select Board Tuesday voted 3-2 to recommend to Town Meeting that it support his proposal to exclude Plymouth from the […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
He inherited a deadly condition that took his mother’s life. But buoyed by family and friends, Anthony Boccalini is hopeful.
Anthony Boccalini, suffering from a rare inherited condition that caused his mother Judy’s death three years ago, is hoping for a kidney transplant that could save his life. Boccalini, 41, is the youngest of six siblings in the well-known Plymouth family. Four of them have the dominant gene that causes the deadly condition, a form […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Holtec owns a valuable 1,600-acre parcel around the nuclear power plant site. What’s to become of it?
On a recent day, Mark Withington walked along precarious ice-encrusted trails in the Chiltonville woods to a clearing at the boundary of the land owned by Holtec International, the company that is decommissioning the former Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Manomet. Withington has a vision for the nearly 1,600 acres of mostly forested property around […]
Posted inBusiness
State seizes waterfront restaurant over $228,000 in unpaid taxes
Carmen’s Café Nicole, a popular breakfast-and-lunch restaurant on Water Street, has been seized by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue for failure to pay taxes. According to the department’s website, the owner, Aria Capone, owes the state more than $228,000. Capone said in an email Thursday that she has been working with an attorney and a […]
Posted inGovernment
Number of polling sites dramatically reduced
Plymouth voters who prefer to cast their ballots in person will likely have to do more driving, starting with the May 17 town election. The Select Board Tuesday voted unanimously to reduce the number of polling sites from 14 to just 5, following Town Clerk Kelly McElreath’s earlier recommendation to consolidate voting locations. The […]