HARWICH — The board of health made it official this past week, voting to increase the age at which people can purchase tobacco products within town limits from 18 to 21. That was the only major change in the regulations, though there were a number of changes to the document designed to clarify language. The board worked on adjustments to the regulations for several months and weighed additional restrictions, i...

Using towns on the Lower Cape as a model, a bill filed by Congressman William Keating aims to help other communities save money when taking part in federal flood mitigation programs. The legislation, H.R. 3135, would provide resources so towns with flood-prone neighborhoods can create regional partnerships to share the cost of participating in the National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System (CRS...

EAST HARWICH — As they near their deadline to produce a groundbreaking report for the Friends of Pleasant Bay, researchers from the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies are gaining a clearer picture of the organisms, large and small, that inhabit the bay. The researchers gave an update of their work at the annual meeting of the Friends of Pleasant Bay Monday afternoon at the Wequassett Inn. The study, com...

HARWICH — Residents along Lovers Lane were not showing much affection for their neighboring farmer when they came before selectmen Monday night to complain about incessant roosters crowing. Lovers Lane resident Audrey Greenway initially thanked selectmen for the assistance she has received from town officials over issues she has had with the Resilient Family Farm at 35 Chatham Rd., but she said she needed more...

WEST HARWICH – Duncan Berry has been one of the skippers of the effort to create the Captains' Row Historic District. There is something inside him driving this initiative: genetics, a linkage like halyards to the history of sail. Last Friday, a subtropical storm pounded winds and rain like ocean waves against the side of the the Captain James Berry House along Route 28, an 1860 Greek Revival which Berry owns ...

HARWICH — It was clear Monday night that some town officials are still concerned with the cost of the Saquatucket Harbor landside development project. The town is expected to seek bids on the project this week. Harbormaster John Rendon provided selectmen with the latest estimate from Brown Lindquist Fenuccio & Raber, Architects, the firm that did the design for the harbor improvements. “I know there are...

HARWICH –The state Department of Environmental Protection has placed a stay order on the fish house project on the Herring River, which was before the conservation commission last week for an after-the-fact notice of intent filing for work conducted there this spring. The commission issued an emergency certification allowing the stabilization of the structure, which sits in the river, based on a structural eng...

More than a postcard backdrop, the Cape's working waterfront is an economic engine. And it deserves continued financial support from the state, said Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who is also the chairman of the state's Seaport Economic Council, which is making sizable investments in the shorefront infrastructure in Chatham and Harwich. Polito visited Old Mill Boat Yard in Chatham and Saquatucket Harbor in Harwich Por...

Cape Cod's housing shortage is a big problem. Some say help could come in the form of tiny houses. Very, very small houses – think about the square footage of a big garden shed or a garage – increasingly have appeal to people who want to live with a modest footprint. It's called the “tiny house” movement, and while they aren't for everyone, these diminutive domiciles have distinct advantages. They also have a ...

SOUTH HARWICH — Tom and Trish Kennedy are back in town. The IT entrepreneurs who shaped BackOffice into an internationally successful data solutions company, then sold it to a Goldman Sachs-backed investment group, are developing an innovative technology center and AppFactory at the offices of their former business that will bring dozens of new jobs to town. Last Wednesday they celebrated the opening of their ...

In 1993, it was clear that the best approach to tackling the growing problem of homelessness on Cape Cod was to prevent it from happening in the first place. With grants and services that help working families cope with life's ordinary financial emergencies, it could be possible to keep them from losing their homes. Under the leadership of the late Bob Murray, the Housing with Love Walk was born. Twenty-five y...

HARWICH — Interest continues to grow in the use of the former Harwich Middle School as a cultural center. Nearly all of the rooms on the first and second floor have been rented as artist studios, and town officials think its time to invite residents in to observe the activity. “It's a chance for residents to come in and see the operation there and the success of the cultural center concept,” Community Center D...