CHATHAM — The holidays might seem pretty distant, but the Chatham Children’s Fund is urging supporters to get in the giving spirit a bit early this year. Thanks to the pandemic and economic emergency, the nonprofit is expecting increased demand from clients seeking help with food, winter coats and holiday gifts. The group is launching its holiday project appeal early, since COVID-19 rules will complicate the o...

CHATHAM – The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hit Bob Staake like an emotional punch. “I just really lost it,” the Chatham artist said. Along with grieving the loss of the iconic jurist, “I anticipated what it meant, the vacuum it created. I knew it was going to be big,” he said. After taking a walk, he went straight to his studio outside his Main Street home and completed an illustration he knew would...

For restaurants operating under strict public health protocols during the pandemic, any small bit of good news is worth celebrating. While certainly not game-changing, the relaxation of certain rules that took effect Monday represented progress, said Peter Barnard, owner of the Impudent Oyster in Chatham. “It’s been helpful,” he said. “Everything helps.” Announced last week, the changes allow restaurants...

CHATHAM — It’s not exactly high praise, but given the pandemic and the economic disaster it spawned, the summer of 2020 could’ve been worse. The visitor economy was buoyed by day-trippers and longer-term visitors who came from places within driving range to the Lower Cape. One metric of activity in downtown Chatham is the use of the paid parking lot at the former Eldredge Garage property. Chatham Valet ran ...

Selectmen, Plan Board Oppose Zoning Change CHATHAM – Saturday's special town meeting promises to be a drama worthy of the Monomoy Theatre stage, as the new owners of the venerable property try to convince voters to change the zoning bylaw to allow its redevelopment. The players lined up this week as Greg Clark of Alexandra Properties, which purchased the 2.7-acre property at 776 Main St. and 70 Depot Rd. a ...

Nearly two dozen students who are living in summer homes or staying with grandparents are attending classes in the Monomoy Regional School District this fall. But that increase in new students is more than offset by declines in enrollment, including the loss of 55 students whose families opted for home schooling rather than attending classes in-person or remotely. The district's total enrollment this fall drop...

HARWICH – The Harwich Police Department has a new member, and he’s here to teach kids in the Monomoy School District not to vape. If he gets a few treats in the process, that’s all the better. Fritz isn’t your average member of the force. Unlike his bipedal fellow officers, Fritz is an 18-month-old German shorthaired pointer and it’s his job, quite literally, to sniff out e-cigarettes and vaporizers on school ...

HARWICH — The more than 300 voters who turned out for the annual town meeting on Saturday spoke in strong support of protecting the environment, putting in place a ban on the sale of commercial single-use plastic water bottles and approving a resolution supporting the adoption of a town policy on climate change. Resident Patrick Otton put forward the petitioned article seeking to create a bylaw making it unlaw...

Special District, Multi-family Update OK'd HARWICH — It was long awaited, but residents finally got the opportunity to act on the annual town meeting warrant in an outdoor setting on Saturday. Five operating budgets were approved totaling $68, 957,862, a 1.4 percent decrease from last year's budget. Voters also approved unanimously a zoning amendment that creates a West Harwich Special District with a focus...

HARWICH — Town officials have been focusing on preservation of the historic character of the community over the past couple of years. The approval of the West Harwich Special District zoning amendment in the annual town meeting on Saturday was one step, and the historic district and historical commission is considering additional protective measures. The commission is working on extending the period of the his...

HARWICH —The chamber of commerce has issued its annual series of awards to local businesses and community members making outstanding contributions to the town and the chamber. The awards were announced during the chamber’s annual meeting, which was held virtually this year. Executive Director Cyndi Williams said after the announcements that the awards were presented in person following social distancing protoc...

Senior Student Athletes Grateful To Play In The Era Of COVID-19 HARWICH/EASTHAM – Tyler Potter has been looking forward to his senior year with the Monomoy football team since he was in eighth grade. But like so many seniors locally and across the state, Potter has had to adapt to a completely new way of doing sports and a changed senior season. For Potter, a team captain, the change means he and his fellow...

CHATHAM – A lot of attention is being focused lately on the preservation of the Monomoy Theatre building and the adjacent Washington Taylor House. There are several other old buildings on the property, though most are not particularly historic. With one exception. At the rear of the property — actually on a separate lot facing Depot Road — is a tiny, 645-square-foot three-quarter Cape that occupies a very swee...

CHATHAM – Once in a while a local gets to experience a one-of-a-kind Cape Cod day after working all summer while the tourists enjoy this glorious place we all call home. We were invited to join friends Jerry Evans and Erin Hilley on Jerry’s Carolina Skiff to go on a shark spotting adventure. Our hosts had heard there were numerous shark sightings off Chatham’s shores so off we went on a sunny breeze towards “J...

CHATHAM — “It's hard being closed,” said Kevin McLain, executive director of The Chatham Orpheum Theater. But don't get the wrong idea. The Orpheum is committed to staying closed until it can safely reopen to provide the same kind of experience for which it is known and loved. The number one priority of this community theater is exactly that. Community. It's that commitment to community which has inspired the ...

It's unfortunate that the proposed Main Street Overlay District zoning amendment, scheduled to go before voters at Saturday's special town meeting, did not get a thorough enough airing earlier. It's problematic and in its current form should not be approved. The overlay district clearly lacks the specificity needed to justify the tradeoff of less restrictive zoning for continuation of the iconic theater and re...