CHATHAM — Starting with the Chatham Trust Company, there's been a bank at the Chatham rotary continuously since 1955, but that could change when the current tenant, Rockland Trust, completes its lease in April. If no other bank takes over the space, it would be the first time in decades that Chatham has had only one full-service bank in town. Rockland Trust has petitioned the state and federal regulatory autho...

CHATHAM – If one conclusion came from last week's parking solutions forum, it was that virtually no one is in favor of paid or time-limited parking either downtown or at the fish pier. Chamber of commerce and merchants association members favored having the Cape Cod Commission study the issue this summer, as well as working with town officials to develop a way to encourage downtown employees not to park on Mai...

CHATHAM — Before they can make a recommendation about parking at Cow Yard town landing, the waterways advisory committee needs a plot plan to show them exactly where it's located and how large it is. Meeting last week to start its task for reviewing parking at Cow Yard and other shoreline access points, the committee learned that some town landings likely haven't been surveyed for around 50 years. It's often n...

CHATHAM — Town Manager Jill Goldsmith presented the select board with her draft budget summary for fiscal 2024 last week, floating a $37,761,514 operating budget. The spending plan represents an increase of 7.6 percent over the current year's plan, but would be funded without the need for a tax increase. While Goldsmith had a preliminary plan that would add more than 12 new full-time employees, the most recent...

College is routinely viewed as an opportunity to try new things. Students enroll in classes that will help them learn new ideas, they befriend people from various parts of the world and embrace a new environment that is, in many cases, a lot different from the one they grew up in. Leah Nash has embraced the opportunity to expand her horizons at the University of Washington. Although the 2021 Monomoy Regiona...

Several Lower Cape Cod residents will be among the thousands of walkers who will approach the historic Boston Marathon start line in Hopkinton on Oct. 2 to take part in the Jimmy Fund Walk. Since its inception in 1989, the Jimmy Fund Walk has raised more than $150 million for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, with the funds being used to support all forms of adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research...

Although Michael Berg had participated in sailing races in recent years, the longtime Cape Cod and Chatham resident was especially excited to learn that the Round The Cape sailing race was returning to the Hyannis Yacht Club this July after not being held for more than a decade. The announcement coincided with the return of Plum Crazy, Berg’s 38-foot Sabre sailboat that he maintains out of Stage Harbor. Ult...

CHATHAM – Leslie Gillis knew she needed a hobby to supplement the time she spent teaching eighth grade math at Walsh Middle School in Framingham. When her own children became college-aged, Gillis turned to golf. “I don’t consider myself athletic, but I don’t feel you have to be athletic to play golf if you enjoy people and being outside,” said Gillis, a 75-year-old retired Chatham resident who serves as the pr...

Connor Brickley donned a few different colored uniforms during his nine-year professional hockey career. He sported red, blue and gold as a member of the Florida Panthers, the team that selected him with the 50th overall pick in the National Hockey League’s 2010 draft. He also wore red, white and blue while playing for the New York Rangers, and many other colors as a member of various American Hockey League te...

CHATHAM – For a second consecutive year, the Monomoy Early Childhood Council is hosting a book drive for Chatham and Harwich children throughout the months of May and June. Last year’s inaugural book drive resulted in more than 700 new books being purchased and donated. The Monomoy Early Childhood Family Resource Center at Harwich Elementary School will distribute the books to children identified in collaborat...

ORLEANS – Chatham and Orleans have a new three-year agreement in place for the management of Nauset Beach, but officials in both towns say they need to get on the same page financially. During a joint meeting between the towns' select boards April 27, both boards voted to accept the new agreement, with finances to be discussed annually over the next three years. It was also agreed that Orleans would continue t...

A new year comes with New Year's resolutions, and officials in Chatham, Orleans and Harwich aren't short of them for 2022. We asked select board members from each of the three towns what's topping their list of legislative priorities this year. Perhaps not surprisingly, the creation of housing was almost universally cited as an ongoing need among officials in each community. "I'd hate to talk about anything...

CHATHAM -- ‘Tis the season for lights, wreaths, inflatable Santas and other traditional holiday decorations. But a pod of whales? Chatham is the latest Cape community to get on board with the holiday giants. The larger-than-life -sized metal sculptures have become a unique fixture in the region, helping bring an added dose of holiday cheer to the region. “Peop...

NORTH CHATHAM — Though it took some ingenuity, residents at Liberty Commons nursing home had an opportunity to spend some quality time with loved ones on Thanksgiving, face-to-face. It was the kind of gathering that wasn't possible last Thanksgiving because of the pandemic. The nursing home provided a large, heated tent that was erected in the parking lot, providing a safe, well-ventilated space for 100 reside...

CHATHAM — The select board is seeking a site where commercial fishermen can store their gear, where it won't interfere with airport operations – or rankle nearby neighbors. They may have found one on a sliver of land between the wastewater plant and transfer station. For decades, the town has allowed fishermen to lease space on the airport property to store gear that's not being used, but the airport commissio...

CHATHAM — The discovery of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in public wells in levels above state standards has already prompted some hefty spending by the town to ensure continued clean drinking water. To help defray those and expected future costs, the select board voted last week to seek to join a national lawsuit targeting companies that produced those "forever chemical" contaminants. The select ...