Josh Charpentier beams as he watches his students enter the room for a rehearsal just prior to the main event: their graduation from high school. Charpentier, co-founder and co-director of Plymouth’s Map Academy Charter School, talks them through the upcoming ceremony: giving roses to those who have come to celebrate with them, bringing their loved […]
Tag: Feature
Posted inBusiness Beat
We know you want a Trader Joe’s in Plymouth. Here’s why it hasn’t happened.
When is Plymouth going to get a Trader Joe’s? That question has probably been asked more times than there are O’s in a box of Joe’s O’s. It popped into my mind the other day as I glanced at a sad display of Stop & Shop strawberries – $9.99 for one measly package of off-season […]
Posted inGovernment
Two finance committee members quit over handling of vote on homeless shelter
Plans for a $7 million shelter to house up to 26 families in the Plymouth Industrial Park brought long-simmering tensions to a boil during a Plymouth Advisory and Finance Committee meeting Wednesday evening. By the end of the marathon session, two committee members had resigned in protest of how the meeting was conducted. The Plymouth […]
Posted inGovernment
School board OK’s nearly $119 million budget, but with a big caveat
A week after school officials declared the school budget approved by the town inadequate, the Plymouth School Committee on Thursday passed the same spending plan. But the school committee, which met in a special afternoon session, said it will come back for more money after it negotiates new contracts with unionized school employees, including teachers. […]
Posted inHistory & Architecture
All aboard: There was a time when Plymouth had three train stations
There’s a piece of Plymouth history that has forever frustrated me. That’s why I’m seeking assistance from readers of the Plymouth Independent. You have reached out to me for additional details every time I write a column – it’s been incredible. Now I could use your help. Bear with me while I detail a piece […]
Posted inWe Have Questions
The privilege and pain of being a veterinarian
When our golden doodle died a few weeks into the Covid lockdown, my wife and I grieved in isolation. Norm Stillman rescued us from despair. At the time, the Plymouth veterinarian owned Court Street Animal Hospital, which he opened in April 2005 and sold in December 2020. He tirelessly tended to pets and their owners […]
Posted inPolice & Fire
Plymouth Public House, Tavern on the Wharf hit with huge labor law fines
The owners of the Plymouth Public House and Tavern on the Wharf restaurants have been fined nearly half a million dollars for violating state labor laws. Peter Lucido and Paul Tupa have been ordered pay a total of $476,351 in civil penalties and in restitution for violating child labor, sick time, wage and hour compensation, […]
Posted inBusiness Beat
How many self-storage businesses does Plymouth need?
For months, I wondered what the building going up at the intersection of Commerce Way and Resnick Road might be. An office complex? A manufacturing plant that would create good-paying jobs? A – gasp! – tech startup incubator? Then came the big reveal: Another self-storage facility. What a letdown. The national company’s warehouse – with […]
Posted inBusiness
‘It’s a blight on the area’
The deteriorating hulk of a restaurant on Warren Avenue that longtime residents still call Bert’s seems to defy real estate logic. It’s a waterfront site with parking, at the entrance of a popular public beach, across the street from a national tourist attraction. It should be prime real estate, with developers lining up to build […]
Posted inGovernment
‘She’s not supposed to be here’
In October, the Planning Board suspended member Birgitta Kuehn from being its representative on the Community Preservation Committee. Nonetheless, Kuehn showed up at Thursday night’s meeting to take a seat at the board’s table. Her presence set off fireworks. Kuehn was determined to defend what she says is her right to serve on the committee. […]