CHATHAM – With the arrival of a new ambulance and two new pumper trucks, the fire department finds itself with one of the most up-to-date vehicle fleets in the area. When the department's tower truck, which went into service just about a year ago, is factored in, more than half of its vehicles are new. That's unusual, since the department typically spreads out its vehicle purchases. However, there was a lon...

CHATHAM – With one week left before nominations for the annual town election close, there are candidates for every position on the ballot, but as of early this week no contested races. Planning Board Chairman Peter Cocolis became the latest to join the slate of candidates, taking out nomination papers for the one-year term on the board of selectmen left vacant by the resignation of Amanda Love. Cocolis was una...

CHATHAM – A massive rewrite and consolidation of mooring, waterways and harbormaster regulations impacts some of the town's most important resources and residents need time to digest them, selectmen said Tuesday. A public hearing on the 54-page document is scheduled for today, but at the selectmen's urging, the waterways advisory committee agreed to continue the hearing on April 26 to give people more time to ...

HARWICH — “These walls are smiling,” someone whispered as the voices of angels filled the sanctuary of the former South Harwich Methodist Church on Saturday. It had been many years since those walls buffered the voices of parishioners. The renewal of voice came in melodic harmony from the Chatham Chorale celebrating the 13-year preservation effort by the Friends of the South Harwich Meetinghouse, Inc., a major...

HARWICH — Mary Oldach, the current assistant principal at Harwich Elementary School, had the opportunity to become a principal in a neighboring school district, but decided she’d really rather remain in Harwich. “Every time I thought about leaving Monomoy, I was just very sad and heartsick,” she said. Oldach’s patience paid off. Last week, Superintendent of Schools Scott Carpenter announced that she will be ...

HARWICH — Officials are taking more low-key approaches to collecting back taxes, including arranging payment plans for delinquent taxpayers, than the more aggressive auction of tax liens to private investors that had been considered. The tax lien auction was seen by Treasurer/Tax Collector Amy Bullock as a way to reduce the $5.7 million in liens sitting on the books and quickly infuse money into town coffers. ...

HARWICH — There seems to be a greater interest in knowing where our food comes from and placing locally grown “farm fresh” products on the table. On Saturday, residents have an opportunity to learn more about locally grown products at the ninth annual “Meet Your Local Farmers” at the community center. The event will provide the public with the opportunity to meet and discuss farming techniques and tips with lo...

HARWICH — The chamber of commerce will be kicking off the summer season a bit early this year and doing so in “Five-Star style” with the Toast of Harwich returning to a single location at the Wequassett Resort and Golf Club. Over the past couple of years, the Toast was held at several locations, with patrons moving around town in trolleys, but the decision was made this year to return to the original concept o...

HARWICH – A snow day might have delayed the walkout at Monomoy Regional High School, but come Friday morning, a significant number of students braved the brisk and breezy weather as they stood in silence for 17 minutes, senior Grace Boyle reading aloud the names of those killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14. There was one name for each minute the local students stood outside, some with sig...

Bank customers will miss one of the most familiar and friendly faces in Chatham when teller Alice Fritz retires on March 30 after 43 years with Rockland Trust. And what will Fritz miss the most? “Meeting people,” she says during an interview in the conference room at Rockland Trust’s branch at 655 Main St. She adds that she enjoys her work, and that “it’s different every day.” “People trust Alice—her pro...

HARWICH – Cape Cod might be known as a place of wealth, but hunger is a real problem here, one that those at Monomoy Regional Middle School are doing something about. To ensure struggling families have what they need, the school created the Monomoy Market, an in-school food pantry, and to raise money for the market the school will host its first-ever Empty Bowls, Full Hearts fundraiser. Slated for March 26,...

“It’s only a shanty In old shanty town The roof is so slanty it touches the ground That tumbled down shack by an old railroad track Like a millionaire’s mansion it’s calling me back.”   Ted Lewis and his band performed the song in 1932 in the movie “The Crooner.” It was a huge hit and became the number one song in the country and stayed there for 10 weeks. Many artists have recorded this great s...

Recalls Old Radar Station Editor: Your article on the expansion of the Union Cemetery at the former site of the Gap Filler SAGE radar installation, ESS Station Chatham, brought back memories of researching my 2007 novel, “Stepping Stones.” In the course of writing, I was able to contact some radar veterans who provided details and some photos of the Chatham site. The two buildings were very rudimentary, and...

The restoration of the South Harwich Meetinghouse is a perfect example of a public-private partnership coming together to benefit the community at large. The historic structure, built in 1836 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was in poor condition when the Friends of the South Harwich Meetinghouse stepped in to oversee its restoration. It's been a long process – 13 years – but finally, la...

ORLEANS — The day after the Nauset Beach clam shack was demolished, town officials planned to talk about an alternative food service plan for this summer. The March 21 session was to be held after the newspaper's deadline, but documents in the selectmen's (meeting as park commissioners) packet indicated interest in a Mobile Kitchen Unit like those used by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protec...