Gail K. Nickerson               Gail Kuhns Nickerson passed away peacefully at home with family and friends early in the morning of November 17, 2016.               Gail was born March 30, 1930 in Mineola, New York, daughter of Frank and Hazel Kuhns. Raised initially on Long Island, the Kuhns family left the city life and bought a working farm in Mill River, when Gail was in elementary school. Growing...

CHATHAM – There was an empty space at the community center, and George Gatzogiannis wanted to fill it. The space was on the wall right behind the front desk which Gatzogiannis, a building supervisor at the center, mans most weekdays, greeting visitors and signing in the folks who use the various facilities in the Main Street building. One of those people is local artist Steve Lyons. Gatzogiannis had tried t...

CHATHAM – How can the town encourage the reuse, rather than demolition, of commercial buildings in neighborhood centers, especially if they are historically significant? Incentives, the planning board was told recently, ranging from relief from dimensional requirements and density bonuses to reducing permit fees and tax breaks. As part of its ongoing review of recommendations for the Route 28 corridor conta...

CHATHAM – The town's First Night celebration is a survivor. As it heads into its 26 th year, the annual event has left New Year's Eve celebrations in other communities in the dust, and still reliably sells out its 7,500 admission buttons. Mounting First Night Chatham is a massive effort, however, that takes many hours of planning and help from hundreds of volunteers. “To put on something like this, it real...

CHATHAM – The municipal fish pier will be packed with young fans of Santa Claus Sunday as the Jolly Elf himself arrives in style on the historic Coast guard motor lifeboat CG36500. Santa will be pulling in to the north jog at the pier at 1:30 p.m. this Sunday, Dec. 4, accompanied by a contingent of active Coast Guard members from Station Chatham as well as the operators of the lifeboat boat made famous by the ...

CHATHAM – A resident is calling for the chairman of the conservation commission to apologize and step down following a confrontation over a skiff stored on the shore of Oyster Pond. Resident Elaine Gibbs said Conservation Commission Chairman James “Buck” Upson showed up at her home on Oct. 26 and questioned her about a skiff on her private property on Oyster Pond along Stage Harbor Road. She said Upson identif...

CHATHAM – The following council on aging events are scheduled this month. Most take place at the Stony Hill Road senior center and require registration or reservations. For information or to register for a program, call the COA at 508-945-5190. Monday, Dec. 5, Holiday Extravaganza Lunch and Show, “Making Spirits Bright,” featuring Tom Madden. Noon, tickets $9. Space is limited, reservations are required. Fr...

HARWICH — Classes will once again be in session at the Harwich Middle School, with a room rental program by the town eliciting interest from a summer environmental education program and others. Since a sign was placed in front of the school announcing the availability of rooms Community Center Director Carolyn Carey has been busy serving as the town's real estate agent. “I show it on a regular basis,” Carey...

HARWICH — Crews responding to a fire in an attached garage in the sleepy Great Sand Lakes neighborhood last Tuesday didn't expect to find anything other than a run-of-the-mill blaze. But literally before the smoke had cleared, they knew they had uncovered a major marijuana growing operation. Police have issued an arrest warrant for one man and are also investigating a second man believed to be connected to t...

HARWICH — With limited interest by boat yards in leasing sections of landside area at Saquatucket Harbor for winter boat storage, Harbormaster John Rendon has put forward a plan for the town to take on the rental of the space. Selectmen on Monday night held a public hearing on an amendment to the harbor management plan allowing the town to conduct winter boat storage at the site. Rendon told selectmen he di...

HARWICH — Town officials continue to wrestle with the cost and need for a full-service generator for Brooks Free Library. The library trustees voted a few weeks ago to submit an article for the annual town meeting in May for a “full-building size generator.” The article has a $110,000 placeholder price tag, but it was clear Monday night when the proposal was discussed with selectmen that with an estimate yet t...

HARWICH — The circa 1815 cannon installed Monday on the grounds of the Brooks Academy Museum has a colorful history. Most of it red. Thanks to voters who approved Community Preservation Act funds, the cannon will now have a peaceful retirement guarding one end of Harwich Center. Two other cannons guard the east end of the village at Brooks Park. Harwich center's cannons have shuffled around somewhat. A fe...

EAST HARWICH — In May, town meeting voters will be asked to appropriate $310,000 for an architect to draft up plans to expand and renovate the 40-year-old East Harwich fire substation. And if they approve the measure, construction funds would be sought next year for what fire officials say is a badly needed capital project. The expansion of the fire station is still in its early conceptual phase, and officia...

HARWICH ─ The Monomoy football team had much to celebrate on Thanksgiving Day after soundly defeating off-Cape rival Sacred Heart 17-7 in the annual holiday game, largely due to an offensive line that came together in a big way on a big day. The win brought Monomoy's overall record to 5-5, a thrilling accomplishment for each member of the team, particularly the OL. “A huge credit to the offensive line,” s...

EASTHAM ─ Nauset might be the Cape's outermost high school, but as the boys soccer team's amazing 2016 season unfolded, the excitement spilled across the peninsula, including, thanks to a quartet of local players, into Chatham. For senior Ben Mulholland, junior Vance Bates, and sophomores Avery Santoro and Colin Terrio, it was a season unlike any other. Not only did the Warriors battle through their regular ...