Plymouth Independent

10/09/2025

Customs agent charged with impersonating town manager blames ‘light sensitivity.’ He’s seeking to have identity fraud charges tossed.

A condition called “light sensitivity” drove a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent to file a bizarre traffic complaint with the Plymouth police last year using the name of town manager Derek Brindisi, his lawyer says. In seeking to have identity fraud charges thrown out, Christopher Marden....

10/09/2025

Dozens of committee appointees can now officially take a seat. Select Board measure addresses a systemic failure that led to them not being sworn in within 30 days.

Thanks to some administrative maneuvering, the Select Board Tuesday voted to legitimize dozens of appointees to boards and committees who were not sworn in within the legally required 30-day period. It unanimously adopted a solution proposed by board member Kevin Canty to retroactively appoint peopl...

10/08/2025

Our latest Your Art Here submission is a photograph from Bruce Carmell titled “Field of Dreams.” “Backyard hummingbirds love the backyard garden,” he writes. “I took this opportunity to set up my tripod and catch these fun birds in action.”

10/08/2025

Reshaping Brewster Gardens: ‘It’s a lot of work,’ A major project to build a fishway, repair the Jenney Pond dam, and improve the park’s paths moves into its next phase.

The early stages of major repairs to the Jenney Pond dam, the construction of a nature-like fishway around the Plimoth Grist Mill, and the remaking the pathway through Brewster Gardens are underway. The work is part of an ambitious project to revitalize the popular park area all the way through to t...

10/06/2025

This Your Art Here submission is a photograph from Richard Palmer. “I took this picture of the Sagamore Bridge during a full moon from the bike path alongside the Cape Cod Canal,” he writes. For you photo nerds, here are the technical details: Nikon D5300 f/13, ISO 100, 66.0 second exposure; lens: Sigma 50-100 mm f/1.8.

10/06/2025

Don’t fear ‘An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe.’ Plus, the music of Johnny Cash at the library, a weather primer, a talk on the paranormal, ‘Roofman’ at Plimoth Cinema, and more.

You’re invited to submit a listing for this column: It’s easy. Email your information to [email protected] at least 10 days in advance. A good quality photo without type on the image – sent as a jpeg attachment – helps. There aren’t any jump scares planned during the Plymout...

10/06/2025

‘We have to be our best on everybody’s worst day.’ The new Zen Den at Plymouth Police headquarters helps officers deal with the job’s stress.

A police officer’s day is not easy. Like other departments, Plymouth Police deal with fatal traffic accidents, domestic violence, su***de, children’s deaths and other traumatic events – any of which can make it difficult to be emotionally and mentally prepared for the next challenge. “We hav...

10/04/2025

Brazilian man pulled from car by ICE being held in Louisiana: ‘He did not deserve what happened to him,’ says a friend.

David De Paula Souza, the Brazilian man pulled out of his car and taken away by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents in front of a school bus filled with middle school students Sept. 23, is being held at a detention facility in Louisiana, according to an ICE website.   “The bus driver initi...

10/03/2025

Makepeace defends ‘distasteful’ posts about environmental activist: New court filing reveals developer’s ‘counteroffensive’ against Sheehan in legal battle over alleged sand mining.

Environmental lawyer Meg Sheehan spent a lot of time and money trying to identify the person who created “Meg Costs Us Millions,” a page where she was ridiculed by anonymous critics. Unnamed posters called her “old crone” and “the second coming of Cruella De Vil.” They photoshop...

10/02/2025

GATRA buses back on the road: Tentative settlement reached to end two-day strike.

Drivers for the Greater Attleboro-Taunton Regional Transit Authority were back on the job Wednesday after the union representing them reached a tentative agreement with GATRA. The two-day strike ended with a contract deal that the union said handed drivers and the other employees the pay they were l...

10/02/2025

Systemic failure resulted in committee appointees and elected officials not being sworn in: Town clerk says new software will fix the problem, but the legitimacy of dozens of positions remains in question.

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 spotlight after a revelation at the Sept. 9 board...

10/01/2025

Plymouth residents likely face even higher utility bills this winter: As the heating season approaches, legislators on Beacon Hill grapple with the staggering costs of energy.

Before autumn turns to winter, Beacon Hill lawmakers still have work to do if they hope to ease potentially higher utility bills, especially for customers served by Eversource. According to state data, Eversource provides natural gas to about 640,000 customers in 121 Massachusetts cities and towns,....