For years, swimming has been prohibited in the Cockle Cove Creek that runs along the Cockle Cove Beach parking lot, where it bends east to merge with Buck's Creek and empty into Nantucket Sound. Consistently poor water quality readings resulted in essentially a permanent closure. A 2005 study failed to find conclusive evidence of a specific source of the contamination, ruling out effluent from the sewer plant, ro...

There are those who will roll their eyes when they read this week’s story about the Harwich town seal, which portrays a Native American standing next to a Great Plains-style teepee, rather than the traditional wetu dwelling used by Wampanoags. It’s admittedly a small detail, but it’s not inconsequential. We choose to believe that Harwich residents 123 years ago included a Native American on their new town seal...

Bad Encounter With A Dog Editor: Recently visiting my daughter on Cape Cod, I brought my grandchildren to Jackknife Cove in Chatham. It was extremely hot. It's an idyllic spot for kids to wade and splash in the shallow lagoons, and safe to cool off. It was an extreme low tide with many families and shellfishermen about. While there, a man came on the shore with an unleashed dog. Dogs doing what they d...

Next Tuesday's primary election offers little to get excited about. There’s only one contested race on the Republican side, and in Barnstable County, two Democrat races are contested. In the races for Massachusetts Senator, we endorse Democrat Edward Markey; he has represented the state well and now is not the time to change our Congressional delegation, given the difficult issues the next Congress will face. On ...

We've all read the headlines about the U.S. Postal Service. A ban on overtime by the new postmaster general; the removal of mail boxes and mail sorting machines; reports of delayed delivery from across the nation; concern about the post office's ability to meet what will likely be a huge volume of mail as voters concerned about the pandemic cast mail-in or absentee ballots. Locally, we've been fielding calls f...

Beach Walks Never Change Editor: Mary Richmond’s “Learning To Love Nature” (Aug. 6) reminds us that we are “fortunate” in so many ways despite the changes brought by the Corona virus. Her childhood memories of watching hermit crabs trying on shells and her swimming underwater with eyes opened made us smile. The shorelines have changed and the beaches now have annoying rules. But a simple walk near the ocean...

Ah, how perceptions change. Not long ago, masks were considered theatrical devices, Halloween disguises and the work gear of doctors and dental techs. In February, as I saw the COVID-19 writing on the wall, I began making and wearing them. At that time, anyone wearing one in public was given weird looks and a wide berth. A few months went by and now, anyone not wearing one is either clueless or a social deviant...

Movement Built On Nonviolence Editor: The success of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s was due to the principle of nonviolence. “We must not let violence overcome non-violence,” quoted Diane Nash of the Freedom Riders. We met John Lewis and C.T. Vivian in 2015 on Martha's Vineyard. These heroes and heroines of the Civil Rights Movement knew that they were the precious children of God, despite a worl...

A significant piece of Chatham history is in danger, and it will take a community effort to save it. The full Cape on the shore of Bassing Harbor was built sometime before 1725, one of only four buildings in town from the so-called First Period of American architecture, from 1629 to 1725, and it may in fact be the oldest house in Chatham. A recent architecture study confirmed the age of the home. More importan...

It’s true that sometimes it’s not overly crowded at Schoolhouse Pond, the town’s only residents-only swimming beach. But other times the beach is packed beyond capacity and people are unable to follow social distancing rules. People, many of them children, are regularly exposing themselves to an increased risk of COVID-19 transmission. It’s happened more than once, and more often than town officials would probabl...

Noticing Small Act Of Kindness Editor: We have been enjoying Harding’s Beach in Chatham since May 1987. We often take for granted the daily service of the life guards but this past Sunday we witnessed the kindness and consideration of one of Chatham’s “finest.” There had been a significant improvement to Harding’s this past spring when tons of sand were dredged out from the boat channel and the resulting sa...

It comes down to personal responsibility. No matter how much we wish it could be so, there is no way to mandate that people wear masks and socially distance in private settings. Face covering mandates in public spaces are difficult enough to enforce; try telling someone having a few friends over that they must wear masks while entertaining in their back yard. And yet, taken to extremes, failure to comply wi...