CHATHAM — Driven by the hyper-contagious Omicron variant, COVID-19 numbers are spiking across the Lower Cape, the state and the nation. And with many of those testing positive having already received two or three doses of the vaccine, public health officials are getting back to basics, encouraging or requiring the use of masks indoors. Following the lead of Harwich last week (see related story), the Chatham Bo...

When Norman Katz, 84, was a young man straight out of Northeastern University, he was chosen to work in a clandestine position in the White House Continuity of Government Special Operations Division. In that capacity he was present during the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 and on the day of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963. “I’m the last one left in the world from this whole ...

High school students experiencing mental health issues and substance use disorders often end up suspended from school as part of the school’s disciplinary process. But a different approach calls for targeted intervention for those students, rather than just sending them home. South Chatham-based Behavioral Health Innovators, Inc. (BHI) is the recipient of a $101,000 grant from the New York-based Peter and Eliza...

CHATHAM – When Vera Mazulis retired from her job in Hartford, Conn. in 1975, she and her husband Joseph bought the historic Bow Roof House at 59 Queen Anne Rd. as a “retirement gig.” Forty-six years later — longer than the length of many people’s entire careers — Vera, whose 97 th birthday is Nov. 21, is still running the guest house along with her son David and his family. Joseph died in 1982. The guest h...

Chatham The Chatham Council on Aging is sponsoring the following events. To register or for help with Zoom, call 508-945-5190. The Homeless Prevention Council of Cape Cod will present a proactive housing planning session on Monday, Nov. 15. “Let’s Talk About Tomorrow” will be held via Zoom. The information session is designed to create awareness about senior housing on the Lower Cape, to encourage atte...

There seem to be new headlines every day describing which group of people are now eligible to receive which COVID-19 vaccine. Some people can now get booster shots, depending on their age, health and occupation. There is even talk now about a possible fourth shot for some people, even as public health officials work to get first doses into many arms. Let’s sort it out. Initial doses of the vaccine are currentl...

ORLEANS – It’s the oldest surf shop on Cape Cod, and the name you call it by is almost a marker of your generation. “Nauset Surf or Nauset Sports…you can tell how people know us by how they refer to the shop,” said Molly McIntire. “We love it.” These days, the longboard sign hanging above the big window just off the Orleans rotary at Jeremiah Square ties the shop squarely to its roots: Nauset Surf Shop. But...

Don't Be Afraid To Report Fraud, Officials Urge It began with an innocent online order. Back in late July, the 68-year-old Orleans woman made a rare purchase through Amazon.com, so the next day, when she took a call from a man identifying himself as Amazon security, she believed him. The man asked her if she had purchased a $600 phone, as his records indicated. When she said no, he put his “supervisor” o...

Health officials are sharing encouraging news about COVID-19 case counts, but say it’s too early to loosen requirements for mask-wearing. “The numbers have been going down,” Chatham Health and Natural Resources Director Robert Duncanson told the health board Monday. Twelve cases were reported in the first week of September, then seven and nine cases, and just five cases in the final week of the month. “And tha...

It's “Helping Haiti Week” at Monomoy Regional High School. With more than a dozen Haitian-American or native Haitian students, the tragedies that have befallen the Caribbean country – the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July and the Aug. 14 earthquake – hit close to home. Many areas of the nation have not yet recovered from three major hurricanes that hit the island in less than 10 years. Studen...

When traveling abroad, Ruth Odile Davis has spotted women wearing the art clothing that she has created in Odile Designs for the past 35 years. And it’s no wonder, since Odile Designs, with a shop in Harwich Center, has a following of over 8,000 fans and a loyal customer base. So when, on Aug. 12, Davis sent out an email titled “Big News from Odile,” the reception was bittersweet. The big news is that “a...

With kids returning to school, cooler weather around the corner, and the Delta variant spreading rapidly, public health officials have a clear message: the best hope for the putting the pandemic behind us is for more people to get vaccinated. Last Monday, the FDA granted full approval to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which had been authorized only for emergency use, like the Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vacc...