CHATHAM -- Work being done in the immediate vicinity of the dinghy float on the east side of the boat ramp at Old Mill Boatyard will make the float inaccessible beginning Monday, Nov. 7. The float will remain in place but the gangway will be removed, according to a statement from the town, to allow installation of a new bulkhead.  Dinghies which are not in use should be removed; owners are urged to coordinate ...

CHATHAM – Shellfish from Nantucket Sound are once again safe to eat. Not that they weren't to begin with. The state division of marine fisheries closed Nantucket Sound on Oct. 10, following closures in Mount Hope By and Buzzards Bay, due to a potentially toxic phytoplankton bloom. The type of algae in the bloom, pseudo nitzschia, can build up toxins in shellfish that can cause amnesic shellfish poisoning, w...

CHATHAM – Faced with millions of dollars worth of water-related infrastructure improvements, the town is implementing a waterways user fee to supplement funding of those projects. Officials made it clear at a hearing last week, however, that the anticipate revenue from the user fee will be “a drop in the bucket” and that the majority of the funding for the infrastructure upgrades will be paid through property ...

CHATHAM — Police and family members are continuing their search for a 24-year-old Chatham man missing since last Thursday, Oct. 27. As of Tuesday afternoon, efforts to locate Matthew J. Amsler had all come up short. He was last seen on foot in the area of the Lighthouse Beach parking lot, wearing a red plaid long sleeve shirt and hooded gray or green jacket, cuffed blue jeans and black shoes. He is five feet...

CHATHAM – Citizens will be able to get a close-up look at how the town's fire and rescue department operates at the first-ever Citizens Fire Academy. The eight-week program begins in January. Participants will have a chance to see first hand the day-to-day operations of the department, enhance their knowledge of its capabilities and better understand the demands on the department and its staff. “It's the fi...

CHATHAM — A partnership of local business owners and residents has stepped up to save the former Eldredge Garage property for parking or other public uses. The consortium has signed a purchase and sale agreement for the two parcels at 365 Main St., with the goal of helping the present owners clean up any pollution at the site before razing the buildings and making the land available for the town to purchase....

CHATHAM – Tickets are now available for the “Raise the Roof” dinner and dance to benefit the Chatham VFW on Friday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day. The event will be held at the James-Brown-Buck VFW hall on George Ryder Road, with proceeds going toward the estimated $200,000 in repairs and upgrades needed by the facility. “The VFW Post in Chatham is a living monument to veterans in Chatham and all Cape Cod,” said fo...

CHATHAM – With docking space at a premium, town officials are considering ending the U.S. Coast Guard's lease at the fish pier's north jog. The Aunt Lydia's Cove committee last week voted to recommend to selectmen that the lease, which ends next fall, not be renewed. Nobody wants the Coast Guard to vacate the premises, however. The Aunt Lydia's Cove and waterways advisory committee are reviewing options for...

In a year when presidential politics is obscuring other news and the November election ballot is also crowded with a Congressional race, a State Senate contest and four ballot questions, it might be easy to miss two contested races for county office. But voters are deciding a hotly contested two-way race for Barnstable County Sheriff, and a four-way race for two seats on the board of county commissioners. Sher...

WEST HARWICH — On a clear blue morning Tuesday, thunder crashed over the trees in West Harwich. Or rather, the thunderous sound of steel plates colliding as high-flying workmen began disassembling the Lothrop Avenue water tower. It was the beginning of the end for the 30-year-old structure, which survived hurricanes and blizzards and served as a landmark for mariners offshore. It is being dismantled this wee...

HARWICH — The planning board unanimously approved four special permits last week paving the way for construction of the Harwich Port Plaza project in Harwich Port. The board acted after receiving and reviewing a development agreement with abutters to the east and west of the project site. Attorney Michael D. Ford told the planning board last Tuesday that his clients, Paul and Diane Manning, were able to forge ...

HARWICH — The abutters to the fish house on the Herring River, which the owners are seeking to reconstruct and lease as a shellfish nursery, have appealed the recent superseding order of conditions issued by the state Department of Environmental Protection, claiming that the state and town's review process was faulty. Francis and Debra Zarette, trustees of Farm View Realty Trust, purchased the former Lucas fis...

HARWICH ─ When the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released its 2015 graduation rates recently, eyebrows shot up at the Monomoy Regional High School percentage of 76.9. But Principal Bill Burkhead cautions that there is more to that statistic than just a stark number. “I think the low graduation rate certainly was alarming and not something we aspire to, but there's more to that one nu...

HARWICH — Town Clerk Anita Doucette is anticipating a 90 percent voter turnout for the Nov. 8 presidential election, which means more than 9,000 voters will be casting ballots. Early voting is helping to relieve some of the anticipated crowding on election day, but town officials have developed a plan to help mitigate conditions at the polls. It starts with parking at the community center, where voting will ta...

HARWICH ─ After dropping five recent games, the formidable footwork of Monomoy senior Akeem Bucknor lifted the Sharks to a much-needed 5-1 win against Sturgis West last Thursday, with Bucknor netting each of his team's goals in the outing. “It was important for us to play well and get a win today after losing five matches on the trot,” said Monomoy head coach Keith Clark. “I was waiting to see what our react...

HARWICH ─ Cape Tech quarterback Justin Lukas had one wish for his seniors in their last regular season home game against crosstown rival Monomoy. “Just to give my seniors a last good game on their home field,” he said. “To give them a 'W.'” Lukas, with the help of teammate Lorvens Estinvil and a fired-up Crusader squad, gave his fellow seniors their wish when Cape Tech came away with a stellar 28-20 non-l...