Michelle Badger is running for the open House of Representatives seat in the 1st Plymouth district, which includes all of Plymouth except downtown and North Plymouth. Badger, a Democrat, is chair of the Plymouth School Committee. Badger is positioning herself as a defender of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, which have been under attack […]
Author Archives: Fred Thys - Independent Staff
Posted inGovernment
Wallace Spencer announces bid to become state rep
Dee Wallace Spencer, a principal lecturer at Northeastern University, is running for the open seat in the 1st Plymouth House district. Wallace Spencer, who is a lifelong Plymouth resident, made the announcement Thursday at a campaign kickoff at the ThreeV restaurant at Cordage Park. She is the only Republican in the race so far. On […]
Posted inGovernment
As expected, Biden, Trump easily top primary ballots in Plymouth
President Biden and former president Donald Trump each easily topped their parties’ presidential primary ballots in Plymouth – as they did statewide – on a not-so-super Super Tuesday. In the Democratic primary, Biden received 5,780 votes, or 87 percent of the ballots cast. “No preference” came in second with 363 votes, about 5 percent of […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Holtec improperly donated money to the Chamber of Commerce, local parades
A Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspection of Holtec International, the company charged with decommissioning the Pilgrim nuclear power plant, found that it misspent $84,000 from a trust fund paid for by a surcharge on electric bills. The Decommissioning Trust Fund – set up to cover the cost of decommissioning Pilgrim and storing the spent fuel […]
Posted inGovernment
Officials say airport’s $7.6m runway expansion won’t bring more, bigger jets
Sharon Racette says she can taste fumes outside near Plymouth Airport’s main runway. She wonders whether a planned extension of the runway will make it worse. The Plymouth Airport Commission wants to lengthen the runway by 351 feet to 5,001 feet, or nearly a mile long. Racette believes that could bring in more jets, more […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Plan to pump treated wastewater from harbor to Camelot Park raises concerns
Last fall, fish started dying at Darlene Nickerson’s trout hatchery in Chiltonville. “I knew I should have been testing my water, but it’s expensive,” said Nickerson – who owns Gilbert Trout Hatchery – during a recent walk along her fence-lined and netting-covered brook. “But when you lose them it’s just heartbreaking.” After she finally […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
High-end staffing company owned by Plymouth man fined $2.5 million by state for labor law violations
A staffing company owned by a Plymouth man has been fined $2.5 million by Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell for violating state labor laws. The company, Concierge Services, is owned by Gregory Doyle. Its office is on Franklin Street in Boston, but the company also has a Plantation Road mailing address in Plymouth. Doyle did […]
Posted inGovernment
Desloges seeking Democratic nomination for state rep.
Arthur Desloges is running for the Democratic nomination for the 1st Plymouth district in the Massachusetts House. The seat is open because its current occupant, Republican State Rep. Matthew Muratore, is running for the State Senate. Desloges, a Plymouth resident, will face off against Plymouth School Committee member Michelle Badger and local businessman Scott […]
Posted inCulture
Immigrants find a temporary home, but face an uncertain future
The Baymont by Wyndham Motel in Kingston has become a temporary home to about 300 people from all over the Americas. Ninety-six immigrant families live at the motel off Route 3, where their housing is overseen by the Plymouth Area Coalition for the Homeless. About 75 percent of the families are newcomers to Massachusetts, said […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Holtec to pay $200,000 to settle AG’s suit over asbestos disposal at Pilgrim
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell has settled a lawsuit against Holtec, the company charged with decommissioning the Pilgrim nuclear power plant, accusing the company of improperly disposing of asbestos. The complaint, filed in Suffolk Superior Court, contended that Holtec didn’t properly handle waste that contained asbestos and endangered the company’s employees as well as the […]