CHATHAM — Few local issues in recent memory have been more divisive than the debate over the West Chatham roadway redesign. But there was plenty of common ground in last week's meeting on how the corridor should be landscaped. The state's plan to install trees, shrubs and grasses along the renovated stretch Route 28 between George Ryder Road and Barn Hill Road is good, but more landscaping would further enha...

CHATHAM – Jacqueline Zibrat-Long is the town's newest representative on the Monomoy Regional School Committee. In a joint meeting last Thursday, the board of selectmen and Chatham members of the school committee elected Zibrat-Long to fill the unexpired term of Amy Middleton, who recently resigned. Zibrat-Long was chosen in a 5-2 vote over a second applicant, Linda Kelley. Zibrat-Long ran unsuccessfully for...

CHATHAM – Buttons for this year's First Night celebration, with the theme “ Light Up The Town,” go on sale at several locations beginning Oct. 8. The button admits wearers to a wide variety of events and performances, including concerts, children’s activities, even a circus. Information on performers and events is available at the First Night Chatham website (www.firstnightchatham.com), which will be updated ...

On Monday afternoon roughly three miles off the shores of South Monomoy Island, a vessel rocked slowly on gentle swells as those on board peered eagerly at the water, hoping for one thing: the slice of a fin through the waves. Unfortunately, it was a shark-free day aboard the OCEARCH shark research boat, but the day provided an opportunity for guests joining the crew to learn a bit about what goes on “out there.”...

CHATHAM — When it comes to senior citizens' housing needs, there's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution. That was the message the planning board heard from elder advocates last week. In a rare joint meeting with the council on aging board of directors last Tuesday, the planning board posed a series of questions designed to help them consider zoning changes that would encourage the development of sen...

CHATHAM – Efforts are underway to improve the playground behind the elementary school on Depot Road, beginning with the installation of a well and irrigation system early next month. The longer term project will eventually involve upgrading the existing playground equipment, but for now officials are concentrating on making the playing field on the east side of the school more usable. Currently the area is cov...

In the alphabet soup of state standardized tests, local students have once again risen to the top. Results of the spring Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests were released Monday afternoon, and students in the Monomoy Regional School District, Cape Cod Tech and the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School performed ...

WEST HARWICH — Residents and town officials got a thorough presentation Monday night on the plume that has moved slowly from Dennisport, through West Harwich to the Herring River over nearly the past 20 years. While several studies have been done, there still remains concern about the status and impact from the plume, which initially showed tetrachloroethylene levels 1,000 times beyond limits along Smith Stree...

HARWICH — The south wind whispered across Nantucket Sound last Thursday shortly after the equinox drew the line on autumn. But with 80-degree temperatures, little wave movement from the light south wind on Nantucket Sound, and the sand at Bank Street Beach still hot beneath the feet, it was hard to believe summer was in the rear view mirror. Bank Street Beach parking lot was three-quarters full and beach umbre...

HARWICH — With Halloween only a month away, departments at the community center are looking to stock their “Boo-tique” with a costume donation drive. Anyone with a used Halloween costume kicking around the house who is looking to get rid of it can make a donation to the “Boo-tique.” The “Boo-tique” is set up to help kids who might not otherwise have the opportunity to get a Halloween costume and become a pirat...

HARWICH — The Brooks Free Library emergency lighting transistor inverter, which has failed three times in the past year, was scheduled to be repaired on Wednesday and full services are expected to be restored on Thursday. That was the word from library director Ginny Hewitt earlier this week. Should the library open on Thursday, the failed inverter will have caused the municipal library to operate with vastly ...

HARWICH — It's been a while in coming, but the board of health has rolled out the town's first e-permitting function. Additional express permitting may be coming soon for the conservation commission and building department. Harwich is one of six towns involved in the Accela e-permitting program being overseen by the Cape Cod Commission, designed to make filing permits easier and allow the general public to con...

The manatee that visited Harwich waters over the summer got a surprise last Thursday when it was captured by marine mammal rescue experts and shuttled to the Mystic Aquarium for rehabilitation. And then it had a surprise for researchers. It's pregnant. On Tuesday, veterinarians were conducting a routine medical exam on the manatee, named “Washburn” after the island in Falmouth where it was rescued. “An u...

HARWICH ─ After just one year on the job, Monomoy Athletic Director Brendan Case has resigned, according to an email sent by Superintendent Scott Carpenter to families in the school district on Saturday. Frustrations had been mounting regarding Case's accessibility, though the email states that the reason for Case’s resignation, effective Sept. 23, is to “explore other options and have more time with his you...

Cyd Zeigler has a feeling about being gay that might surprise some people. “Being gay is one of the best things that ever happened to me,” said Zeigler, co-founder of OUTsports.com and a graduate of Harwich High School. But he hasn't always felt that way. There was a time when the realization of his sexuality was unsettling, especially when it came to participation in sports. To help athletes, teammates, co...

HARWICH ─ Before the start of the Monomoy football team’s game Friday against Avon/Holbrook, team captain Nathan Amaker gathered the team in a huddle and led them in a passionate victory chant. It was magic that worked for the Sharks, who cruised to a 41-16 win in their inaugural outing in the Mayflower Athletic Conference Comprehensive. “They’re an undermanned team, and our kids came out and did what they h...