CHATHAM – After the loss of a couple of historic homes on Stage Harbor Road, and with slim prospects of saving at least two others currently under demolition delays, the news that the owners of two other old homes on the street are working to preserve their structures came as a welcome relief to members of the historical commission. Both homes are within the area that the Massachusetts Historical Commission ha...

EAST HARWICH — Sheila Smith, the longtime advertising sales manager at The Cape Cod Chronicle, is being remembered for her caring nature, her skill as a businesswoman, her fondness for animals, and above all her devotion to family. Mrs. Smith died Monday at the age of 83, less than two months after the passing of her husband, Preston. Born Sheila Whiddon, Mrs. Smith moved to Orleans at a young age and att...

CHATHAM – Randi Potash has been brushing up on county government in preparation for running for the town's seat on the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates. She's read the county charter, sat in on and watched many assembly meetings, and met with Barnstable County Administrator Jack Yunits and current county commission chairman Leo Cakounes. “I'm always willing to learn,” she said. Potash said she was...

CHATHAM – From the ground, it looked like a bunch of blue dots on the otherwise green outfield of Veterans Field. But from 220 feet up in the air, it came into clear focus. A giant great white shark, more than 170 feet long, almost spanning the entire outfield, was created last Wednesday as recognition of Chatham Elementary School students' positive behavior. In depicting a huge version of the school's mascot,...

CHATHAM — Finding ways to attract and retain year-round residents is more than an exercise in strategic planning; it’s an urgent task that deserves immediate attention, selectmen said Monday. The board is hoping to convene a new task force shortly that will examine ways to encourage a sustainable year-round population that includes all age groups, not just young families. “This is really the number one prior...

CHATHAM — Twenty years ago, the town faced some daunting challenges. The fire station was overcrowded, the police station was falling apart, and key town officials’ offices were warrens in a run-down annex cluttered with filing cabinets and desks. Many public meetings took place in an old portable classroom, and rec programs happened in a small community building that was largely unchanged since it was built ju...

CHATHAM – From the ground, it just looked like a bunch of blue dots on the otherwise green outfield of Veterans Field. But from 220 feet up in the air, the order of things comes into clear focus. A giant great white shark, more than 170 feet long, almost spanning the entire outfield, was created last Wednesday, as recognition of Chatham Elementary School students' positive behavior. The idea, said Principal Ro...

CHATHAM – The first payment by Harwich under the intermunicipal agreement for access to the town's wastewater treatment plant is in the bank. How should it be spent? To lower the tax rate? Pay for capital projects? Or pay down debt? Those and other options are being considered by town officials for the $2,265,000 initial payment under the agreement, which will bring in another $4.5 million in three more pay...

CHATHAM – Saturday is Oktoberfest in Chatham, and attendees who arrive in Bavarian garb will receive a free handmade commemorative pin. If that isn't incentive enough to come to the event – at least to see the costumes – how about free music, games, Pumpkin People and lots of seasonal food and drink from a raft of local vendors. Sponsored by the Chatham Merchants Association, the Oktoberfest celebration tak...

ORLEANS – A surfer and swimmer, Karl Hoefer was getting fed up with the presence of sharks at Nauset Beach. Shark attacks this summer, which severely injured one man and killed another, “tipped me over the edge,” he said. Sharks and seals, he believed, were being treated better than people. He decided to try to do something about “conserving” humans. “The Cape used to be a lot safer,” he said. “It's changin...

CHATHAM – Last Friday's downpours from the remnants of Hurricane Michael once again caused flooding at the intersection of Morris Island and Little Beach roads, but while a nuisance, homeowners are far more worried about the possibility of a repeat of the winter storms that caused severe damage in the low-lying neighborhood. The newly former Little Beach Association hopes to prevent the flooding that occurred ...

CHATHAM – A plan to stop taking cash at the town's transfer station has been put on hold. Officials originally planned to switch to a credit card and checks only system for payments at the transfer station gate as of Nov. 1. It wasn't clear exactly why the move was halted; there was some push back from residents, officials said, but they still hope to move ahead with the plan at some point. Department of Pu...