Erosion Threatens Refuge's Morris Island HQ CHATHAM – It was a year ago Sunday that an early spring northeast storm punched a hole in South Beach, about a quarter mile south of Lighthouse Beach, creating a new inlet in the barrier beach that runs along the town's eastern shoreline. After a series of winter storms, that barrier beach looks more like Swiss cheese than a solid line of dunes. The April Fool'...

CHATHAM — A 27-year-old man with addresses in Chatham and Norwood, Mass., faces a laundry list of criminal charges after his arrest Wednesday morning, hours after he allegedly stole one vehicle and then carjacked another. At his arraignment in Orleans District Court last Wednesday, Joseph M. Bopp pleaded not guilty to 14 separate charges. He was also the subject of several outstanding warrants for alleg...

CHATHAM — When mariners in distress call Coast Guard Station Chatham, more often than not, there’s a volunteer on the other end of that lifeline. While the local flotilla of the Coast Guard Auxiliary provides all kinds of support for the station, it also provides a team of qualified watchstanders who answer the telephone and monitor the marine radio for emergencies. And these volunteers, with varied backgrou...

CHATHAM — Come snow, rain, wind or high water, there’s one thing on the minds of many Lower Cape residents as the latest coastal storm passes through: will the lights stay on? In what appears to have been the largest power outage since Hurricane Bob in 1991, the Cape saw nearly 120,000 people without power during the height of last week’s blizzard, with the entire town of Chatham without electrical service f...

CHATHAM — In a bid to dig out from a growing pile of bills from recycling companies, the town is seeking to increase a variety of fees at the transfer station. While the change will affect per-item charges for residents recycling old mattresses, tires and electronics, the biggest increase will be for local commercial haulers looking to bring in mixed recyclables. For those two companies, Benjamin T. Nickerso...

CHATHAM – With the arrival of a new ambulance and two new pumper trucks, the fire department finds itself with one of the most up-to-date vehicle fleets in the area. When the department's tower truck, which went into service just about a year ago, is factored in, more than half of its vehicles are new. That's unusual, since the department typically spreads out its vehicle purchases. However, there was a lon...

CHATHAM – With one week left before nominations for the annual town election close, there are candidates for every position on the ballot, but as of early this week no contested races. Planning Board Chairman Peter Cocolis became the latest to join the slate of candidates, taking out nomination papers for the one-year term on the board of selectmen left vacant by the resignation of Amanda Love. Cocolis was una...

CHATHAM – A massive rewrite and consolidation of mooring, waterways and harbormaster regulations impacts some of the town's most important resources and residents need time to digest them, selectmen said Tuesday. A public hearing on the 54-page document is scheduled for today, but at the selectmen's urging, the waterways advisory committee agreed to continue the hearing on April 26 to give people more time to ...

Heavy, wet snow and high winds knocked out power for much of Cape Cod Tuesday and into Wednesday. It was the second time in less than two weeks that a storm caused widespread outages, and the third major storm in that period. As of Thursday, power had been restored to most of the region, although about 10 percent of Harwich remained out. Check real-time outage information here . Crews were out in force We...

CHATHAM — About 20 years ago, Barnstable County brought Lyme disease education to the schools. They’re still doing it today, and there’s reason to believe the effort is paying off. Entomologist Larry Dapsis, the deer tick project coordinator for the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, said he was approached by a Harvard researcher who was intrigued by the fact that Barnstable County is the only county in the sta...

CHATHAM – Through-hiking the Appalachian Trail is not for the faint-hearted. It's an enormous challenge, approximately 2,190 from start to finish, covering rolling hills and harsh mountain terrain stretching from Georgia to Maine. But you're looking to take a journey of self discovery, it's a good place to start. Kasey Gillies, who grew up in Harwich, graduated from Nauset High School and works at Pate's Re...

CHATHAM – Anyone who has driven down Stepping Stones Road in the past two weeks can't help but notice it: The hill that sat along the south side of the road between the bike trail and Heritage Lane is significantly lower. Heavy trucks have been leveling the hill, removing truckload after truckload of earth to create more usable terrain for an expanded Union Cemetery. Some of the sand has gone to protect se...