The tornado and 90-mile-per-hour winds that ravaged the area July 23 changed the streetscape in many locations in Chatham and Harwich. A glance at the nearly-empty hollow behind the Brooks Park bandstand, once thick with trees, confirms the storm's lasting impact. When some 3,000 trees are lost, as happened in Harwich, it can't help but change the appearance of the community. While many lost trees were on priv...

CHATHAM — In their search for a location for a new senior center, selectmen have narrowed the list to three sites: the existing site on Stony Hill Road, the rear of the Marconi property in Chathamport, and a private parcel at 1610 Main St., West Chatham. With all board members saying they firmly support construction of a new council on aging building, selectmen are under pressure to find a location that vote...

CHATHAM – How did the children’s television series “Phineas and Ferb” contribute to the formation of a local team for a benefit Muscular Dystrophy Association Muscle Walk? “Well, I was eight and I loved the show,” said Sage Barnes, a Chatham resident who will be a senior at Monomoy Regional High School in September. Dr. Doofenshmirtz, a character on the show, always created devices with the suffix “-inator,” “...

When Ronnie Braun was a young fisherman captaining the Peggy B, he used to cruise by buoys strung in a line, and they weren’t marking lobster traps. He always wondered what they were, but since he was catching thousands of pounds of cod a day, he didn’t think much of it. “I thought those days would never end,” Braun said. But they did. Braun, whose only career has been fishing, began involving himself ...

CHATHAM – The historical commission imposed an 18-month demolition delay on the iconic Champlain Road home known as Starboard Light, but agreed on a shorter delay—six months—for several ancillary buildings and additions. The commission asked owner Robert Mahoney to advertise the availability of the additions, which date from the early 1900s, so that they could be moved and preserved or salvaged. But because sa...

CHATHAM – Chatham Bars Inn and the town have reached a settlement in a lawsuit the inn filed over the town's 2014 taking of inn property adjacent to the municipal fish pier. In an agreement finalized in Barnstable Superior Court last week, the town will pay the inn $400,000 for a permanent easement over 10,566 square feet of land used for parking by commercial fishermen as well as access to the pier's south jo...

CHATHAM – Chase Park neighbors are concerned about what they see as its escalating use, including regular events held at the labyrinth at the rear of the property. In a sometimes contentious meeting July 16, park and recreation commission members countered that the park, located off Cross Street, is not heavily used and is open to all members of the public. “It is a park and it is for the entire community,”...

Each year, more and more people take advantage of the free nutritious food provided by the Family Pantry of Cape Cod. That's partly because the need is growing, and partly because the Pantry has found effective ways to reach out to new clients, people who might otherwise never have considered asking for help. In 2016, a study identified significant pockets of residents on the Lower Cape who suffer from “food i...

HARWICH/CHATHAM – The Old Colony Rail Trail, the stretch of the Cape Cod bicycle path that runs from Harwich to Chatham, is a popular and busy corridor during the summer months and didn't go unscathed during last week's damaging storms. But the good news is that the majority of downed trees, limbs, leaves, and pine needles have been removed from the pavement or swept away. In Harwich, which saw the lion's shar...

CHATHAM — Last week’s historic storm caused serious but short-lived disruptions to life on the Lower Cape. A week later, following a massive effort by local and state officials, utility workers, contractors and private citizens, the cleanup was largely complete. The National Weather Service Monday revised its findings to conclude that three tornadoes struck the Mid- and Lower Cape last Tuesday: one in Harwic...

CHATHAM – A tornado with wind gusts to 110 miles per hour touched down in Harwich Center Tuesday, uprooting trees and knocking out power to most of the town. The storm continued into Chatham, with winds gusting up to 90 miles per hour leaving a miles-long swath of damage in its wake.  Trimming damaged branches at Kate Gould Park, Chatham.  TIM WOOD ...

CHATHAM – Shark warning signs have been installed at all town beaches and many town landings, and lifeguards are keeping a sharp eye out for seals near designated swimming areas. As of late last week, lifeguards had observed three seals in Oyster Pond this summer, although none were within 300 feet of the swimming beach. Because the seals did not come close to the designated swimming area, the beach was not cl...