State Senator Dylan Fernandes has introduced legislation that would prevent Holtec Decommissioning International from venting radioactive vapor at the former Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Manomet until state officials can evaluate the potential effect on Plymouth and surrounding communities. “We want a study on this to find out what the impact is, confirm that it […]
Author Archives: Fred Thys - Independent Staff
Posted inEnvironment & Health
How did a giant wind turbine blade end up in a bog?
A week after a blade from a 300-foot-tall wind turbine fell into a cranberry bog on Head of the Bay Road, RWE, the company that owns the project, says it’s already begun an “exhaustive” analysis of the incident with Spanish company Siemens Gamesa, which built and maintains the equipment. “The project has been shut down […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Holtec appears unlikely to win appeal of radioactive water ruling
An appeals officer for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection is recommending that the state uphold its decision to deny Holtec Decommissioning International’s request to dump more than 800,000 gallons of treated radioactive water from the former Pilgrim nuclear power station into Cape Cod Bay. Holtec is decommissioning the Pilgrim plant in Manomet, which […]
Posted inGovernment
Golden, Canty clash again during Select Board meeting
Less than two months after Select Board chair David Golden promised “a restoration of collegiality,” tensions between him and former chair Kevin Canty rose to the surface again during this week’s board meeting. The latest clash began when Golden, clearly directing his remarks to Canty, asked board members not to repeatedly ask during meetings that […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
18-year-old Plymouth man one of two arrested for Harvard Medical School explosion
FBI agents arrested two men from Plymouth and Bourne early Tuesday in connection with Saturday’s explosion at Harvard Medical School, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley said in a press conference. On Cape Cod Avenue, in Manomet, Logan David Patterson, 18, was taken into custody at his mother’s house. One neighbor who did not want […]
Posted inGovernment
Memorial Hall needs $750,000 in emergency repairs
The Select Board Tuesday agreed to spend more than $750,000 to make urgent repairs at Memorial Hall to stop water from leaking into the building and keep it from being closed. Town Meeting last month approved allocating $90,000 for a study to determine viability of restoring 100-year-old hall, which is decaying, but officials say emergency […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
State funding squeeze delays downtown project
A planned transformation of Court and Main streets aimed at improving walkability, pedestrian safety, aesthetics, and climate resiliency will be delayed for at least a year after funding for the project fell through. The work would have been largely paid for by a $3 million state grant that did not come through, said Michael Cahill, […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Plymouth firm’s app lets ICE identify people through eye scans
A Plymouth company has landed a contract with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to provide ICE agents with an app that can scan irises to tap into databases nationwide and identify people. BI2 Technologies, based in a one-floor building on State Road, signed a $4.6 million deal with ICE in September. The app […]
Posted inGovernment
Here’s what happened at Town Meeting
During a relatively low-key Town Meeting Saturday, members cut funding for irrigation and lighting from a proposal to restore the 314-year-old Training Green, rejecting an argument from Town Manager Derek Brindisi in support of the improvements. The fall gathering of Plymouth’s legislative body also supported repaving an airport runway and taxiway, an accessible trail near […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Bill Nye sounds alarm on climate change deniers
Bill Nye, known for the long-running public television series “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” told attendees at the 4th annual Plymouth Blue Future conference Thursday that science is under siege. “People are attacking science for reasons that are deeply tribal within us,” said Nye, who was the keynote speaker at the conference, held at the […]