A delegation of 10 students, two chaperones, and eight “VIPs” are headed to Japan for an eight-day trip to Plymouth’s sister city of Shichigahama on July 29. Officials tout the excursion as beneficial to the town, but critics say it’s a junket that costs $30,000 and doesn’t produce a quantifiable return. Select Board chair Kevin […]
Author Archives: Fred Thys - Independent Staff
Posted inBusiness
Free shuttle will connect business district with MBTA station
Tourists and others will soon be able to catch a free ride on a Ride Circuit vehicle from the Kingston MBTA commuter rail station to Plymouth’s downtown and waterfront district – and back – thanks to a $30,000 state grant. The funding will allow the tourism organization See Plymouth to operate a five-passenger electric vehicle […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
Jenney Pond footbridge marks a major step in restoration project
The new bridge at Jenney Pond is open, marking a milestone in an ambitious project to revitalize the popular park area all the way through Brewster Gardens to the waterfront. The 75-foot-long, 10-foot-wide span replaces a narrower, less accessible wooden footbridge that was more than 50 years old and deteriorating. “I’m very happy with how […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
All clear: Town says testing shows Memorial Hall air is safe
Graham Nash fans can breathe easy. Friday night’s concert by the legendary member of Crosby, Stills, and Nash will go on as scheduled at Memorial Hall after outside testing showed air and surfaces inside the town-owned building were within a normal range for silica dust. The decaying downtown venue was closed last week after […]
Posted inGovernment
Memorial Hall closed after union claims workers’ health put at risk.
Town officials have closed Memorial Hall until early next week, when they expect to receive test results from an air quality sample taken July 10, a week after dust was created when a contractor removed a cement covering on a wall. The closure means the relocation of a national dance contest, Take Centerstage Dance Challenge, […]
Posted inBusiness
Can downtown Plymouth become more like Portsmouth?
Plymouth’s downtown and waterfront businesses are putting together a plan that they hope will persuade residents and visitors to spend more time and money in the district. Their pitch comes as the town is preparing to launch a major transformation of Court and Main streets aimed at making downtown more resilient to climate change and […]
Posted inCulture
Plymouth’s Brazilian residents live in fear
From a squat gray brick building on Castle Street in North Plymouth, Pastor Gessuy Freitas leads a congregation of about 100 at the First Brazilian Baptist Church of Plymouth. The congregation has been roiled by recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, leaving families frightened, and wondering what will happen next. Freitas said that 90 percent […]
Posted inBusiness
Outdoor dining drops off the menu for downtown restaurants
Outdoor dining was a savior for downtown restaurants during the pandemic, attracting patrons who didn’t want to eat indoors because of Covid and bringing a lively spirit to the district during otherwise bleak times. Many thought it was here to stay. Apparently not. Five years later, not a single business will offer outdoor dining in […]
Posted inGovernment
‘No Kings’ rally draws a large, boisterous crowd
Hundreds of charged-up protesters gathered on Coles Hill and around Plymouth Rock on a gray Saturday to demonstrate against President Trump and his polices, taking part in a wave of similar “No Kings” events held in cities and towns in Massachusetts and across the country. They were protesting, among other things, the detention of Plymouth […]
Posted inGovernment
Select Board’s Cedarville meeting attracts a crowd
Residents packed the Cedarville Fire Station Tuesday evening for the first in a series of Select Board meetings to be held in Plymouth’s neighborhoods, starting with those farthest from Town Hall. “I wanted, personally, to come to Cedarville first because I know that Cedarville often feels ignored and not heard by people at 26 Court […]