Town Clerk Kelly McElreath appeared before the Select Board Tuesday evening to explain how a systemic failure led to dozens of residents appointed or elected to town positions not being sworn in within the required 30-day period. McElreath was put in the spotlight after a revelation at the Sept. 9 board meeting that 66 people […]
Author Archives: Fred Thys - Independent Staff
Posted inBusiness
After 14 years, New World Tavern to go dark
The New World Tavern, faced with mounting financial and legal problems, is closing permanently on Sunday, creating a void in the downtown restaurant scene and leaving the town without a key music venue. The restaurant, owned by Karl Heine for 14 years, announced the impending shutdown in a Friday Facebook post. “We are writing this […]
Posted inBusiness
Town takes restaurant to court over grease trap
New World Tavern, a downtown fixture fighting to survive, faces yet another challenge: A lawsuit from the town over the Main Street restaurant’s failure to install an expensive new grease trap in its kitchen. The town is seeking a court injunction to force owner Karl Heine to have the work done – as other local […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
‘Swap shop’ aims to boost reuse of household goods
Wondering what to do with that mixer you bought to make bread during the pandemic now that you’re not using it anymore? Thinking of picking up a guitar, but aren’t ready to invest in one? Here’s a deal that might be hard to resist. Starting Saturday, Plymouth residents will be able to turn in items they […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
ICE agents pull man from car in front of middle school students
Plymouth public school bus #8 was stopped on Standish Avenue, at the intersection of Cherry Street, shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday when the middle school students aboard it got an eyewitness view of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents’ aggressive tactics. As the children looked on, they watched ICE officials pull a distraught man out […]
Posted inGovernment
In a stunning move, Canty ousted as Select Board chair
In what appeared to be a preordained move, Select Board Vice Chair David Golden Tuesday became its new chair by enlisting the support of fellow members Dick Quintal and Bill Keohan to oust Kevin Canty from the position. The unusual action – which played out in dramatic fashion during an “on the road” meeting at […]
Posted inGovernment
Sixty-six people appointed to town committees failed to get sworn in
It’s a stunning number that casts a shadow on citizen participation in local government: 66 people appointed to town boards and committees by the Select Board over the past two years have never bothered to get sworn in, as required by town bylaws, Kevin Canty, the board’s chair, told the Independent. Why people who […]
Posted inBusiness
A mixed menu for the summer restaurant scene
As the summer season winds down, one waterfront restaurant owner wonders why her establishment and others didn’t attract the usual crowds this year. The owner – who asked that her name be withheld out of fear of derogatory comments on social media that might further hurt business – said tourists have been filling up parking […]
Posted inBusiness
Lawsuit accuses restaurateurs of failing to make payments on $1.2m advance
The owners of Proof 22, the shuttered Main Street restaurant that surrendered its liquor license last month, face yet another financial problem: a $734,000 lawsuit from an investor that claims they defaulted on a contract to turn over 30 percent of revenue from their restaurants to cover a $1.2 million advance. Fundamental Capital, a private […]
Posted inBusiness
Downtown fixture New World Tavern fighting to survive
Karl Heine is in a predicament many restaurateurs face as the industry struggles to regain its footing since the pandemic. He’s trying to save his business, The New World Tavern, amid a decline in tourism, fewer young customers, higher prices for goods, a shortage of workers, and – most important – a six-figure bill from […]