ORLEANS — You might call it a fair exchange. The J-1 international visa program welcomes university and post-graduate students from overseas to enjoy a taste of the American experience while these visitors supplement the seasonal labor force. Those who've hired and those who've hosted the students gathered at the senior center Jan. 31 at the invitation of the chamber of commerce to encourage other residents ...

Superintendent Scott Carpenter has presented his draft fiscal 2018 spending plan for the Monomoy Regional School District, including an operating budget that's up nearly 5.5 percent over the current budget. The $38,115,065 draft spending plan includes a $35.5 million operating budget, plus $2.6 million in debt service and $305,000 in capital expenses. All tolled, it would be a 4.8 percent increase over this ye...

Some elementary school students could be boarding buses before 7 a.m. under new starting times announced by the Monomoy Regional School District. Last spring, the school committee endorsed the change, which shifts elementary school start times earlier and moves middle and high school times back. At the committee's meeting last Thursday Superintendent of Schools Scott Carpenter announced specific start times fo...

CHATHAM — Saying he will not be silenced by critics, Seth Taylor intends to seek a second term on the board of selectmen in May. “I believe that the public debate demands that we have as much information and as many points of view expressed as possible,” he said. Taylor said he will take out nomination papers shortly after they become available next Monday. Taylor said his role on the board of selectmen i...

CHATHAM – Several town employees handed out leaflets and wore placards outside of last week's special town meeting to draw attention to the fact that they've been without a contract for nearly two years. “We just want people to know the truth,” said Chatham Municipal Employees Association President Gary J. Kaser, who also picketed outside last Tuesday's board of selectmen's meeting. “Bottom line...this affe...

CHATHAM — Rounding out this year's list of projects seeking Community Preservation Act funding are preservation projects at the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center and various recreation projects, including a pickleball court. The community preservation committee will now begin debating the merits of the dozen different applications, which total more than $615,000. Having already heard presentations on several r...

CHATHAM – Selectman Amanda Love's recent email may have violated the Open Meeting Law, but it also drew attention to the fact that there's only two months to go before Fire Chief Michael Ambriscoe retires. In the email she sent to fellow selectmen, Love asked for a board discussion of promoting Deputy Chief Peter Connick to the chief's job, saying that the town needs to show staff how much they are valued by h...

CHATHAM – A state Land Court justice has ruled in favor of the town in a suit brought by Chatham Bars Inn over the 2014 taking of an easement at the fish pier. The suit involved the terms of a 1956 deed from the inn which gave the town ownership of a 7,130-square-foot parcel south of the fish pier packing building, at the Shore Road facility's lower level, an area known as the south jog. CBI claimed use of the...

“Chatham is the cradle of aviation,” says John Brown, the author of a new book called “Gustave Whitehead and the Wright Brothers: Who Flew First?” Brown came to this conclusion after he studied late 19 th century experiments in glider flight in Chatham that he says led directly to one of the experimenters being the first to fly in a motor-powered aircraft. Brown is a native of Australia living in Germany. ...

HARWICH — Selectmen made it clear Monday night the new coat of paint for Brooks Free Library should be white, and town counsel has questioned the historic district and historical commission's jurisdiction over dictating colors on the library in the Harwich Center Historic District. As part of the restoration project for the facade of the library, which is made up of the 1855 bank building, the 1880 Brooks buil...

HARWICH — Former selectman Larry Ballantine has taken out nomination papers for another run for the office. Ballantine served on the board for six years before making the decision in 2015 not to seek a third term. “I was worn out last time, but I'm fully rested,” Ballantine told The Chronicle on Thursday after taking out papers. He is the second candidate to take out nomination papers for a seat on the boar...

HARWICH — The community preservation committee gathered in a legally posted meeting last Thursday evening and revisited its recommendations for applications to be funded through the Community Preservation Act at the annual town meeting in May. A previous meeting of the committee held on Jan. 12 was called into question for potential violations of the state Open Meeting Law for failing to specifically identifyi...

WEST HARWICH — The fish house on the edge of the Herring River is in danger of collapsing. On Monday, Conservation Administrator Amy Usowski was crafting an emergency certificate that will allow minimum repairs to stabilize the structure to prevent its falling into the river and causing environmental damage. Usowski said she got word of the imminent danger on Friday from the owner, Francis Zarette, who had ...

HARWICH ─ Jordan Fisher's primary passion in his short life was basketball. Armed with that knowledge, and a deep desire to honor their son, cousin, and nephew, Fisher's family members came before the school committee this week to formally request the retirement of his basketball jersey and number. “We lost our son Jordan in a fatal car accident,” said his mother Charlene Fisher. “Our lives have been shatter...

HARWICH — Selectmen began rolling out a plan to address the ballot question that was approved in November allowing the use of recreational marijuana and the sale of pot through retail stores. Town Administrator Christopher Clark said legal matters relating to the use and sale of marijuana were discussed at the recent Massachusetts Municipal Association conference. The town of West Bridgewater approved a tempor...