HARWICH — Albert Raneo is a man of community. He served the town of Harwich in an official capacity for 25 years, and following retirement has continued serving for an additional 25 years through volunteer efforts. “I try to do as much as I can to help people,” said Raneo, 88. “I do it because I want to, it’s in my heart.” Long-time Harwich residents know Raneo through for his work running the town's hig...

On March 14, it will be one year since the first case of COVID-19 was diagnosed on Cape Cod. Three days later, Gov. Charlie Baker shut down schools and all but essential businesses statewide. How well are we coping? Do we need to find additional help? The Cape Cod COVID-19 Response Task Force and MassSupport Network sponsored a livestreamed forum, “Season of Change, Coping During COVID,” on Feb. 24. People may...

Preschool 'Community Friend' Screenings and Registration   On Wednesday and Thursday, March 17 and 18, the Monomoy Regional School District will hold preschool screenings for families who would like to enroll their 3- or 4-year-old child as a “community friend” in the Monomoy Integrated Preschool program for the 2021-2022 school year. The Monomoy Integrated Preschool supports children with disabilities and wh...

A program using grant money to purchase large oysters from local oyster farmers and pay to have the oysters shucked, packaged and frozen and donated to food pantries is helping everyone along the line – from the farmers to food-insecure people. “This program not only provides much-needed relief to our local oyster farming industry, it also provides seafood protein to our clients,” says Gennie Moran, chief oper...

CHATHAM — John and Barbara Emison of Chatham met 78 years ago when they were both students at DePauw University. The world was torn apart by World War II when the 17-year-old freshman and the 20-year-old junior went on a blind date. “John’s good friend and my roommate wanted us to meet,” Barbara Emison, 95, recalled during a telephone interview last week. His friend and her roommate came up with a ruse beca...

Since the start of the pandemic, and even today, there’s been conflicting information about which face masks are best to use. Some advocate high-filtration N95 masks, while others swear by cotton masks or gaiters. And last week, Dr. Anthony Fauci advocated doubling up on masks for additional protection. The only thing that’s not in dispute is that wearing face coverings remains absolutely essential in the fight a...

For Lindsay Garre Bierwirth, co-owner with her husband Fred of the North Chatham fitness center Chatham Works, stepping up during the coronavirus pandemic is a way to show her young daughters that in hard times, you have to help others. “In the darkest times, you shine the brightest light,” Bierwirth said during a telephone interview last week. For several months now Bierwirth has opened her gym at 323 Orleans...

Kay Slater, owner of True North Farm in Harwich, trotted out an entire herd of answers when asked what makes Pony Club special. After several tries, she finally settled on something unexpected. “I love that the testing is oral,” she responded. “Getting especially young girls to speak out loud confidently about what they know is life changing.” Pony Club provides a comprehensive horse education curriculu...

Monomoy Middle School Students Spread Kindness With Handmade Cards As part of monthly service challenges throughout the entire school, Monomoy Regional Middle School students created 1,185 cards throughout the month of November. This card drive was a school-wide effort, with all students making at least one card and most making many more. The cards will be distributed to elderly people on the Cape, shipped t...

It turns out that opals do not fare well when moved rapidly from indoor warmth to the outdoor cold of winter. They may even crack. It was 27 degrees one morning last week, so the staff of Forest Beach Designer-Goldsmith at 436 Main St. in Chatham did not include the opals on the outside display tables. “Everything else is hardy,” says Steve Wardle. The sensitivity of opals is one fun fact about gems that Wa...

Nine months ago when the coronavirus pandemic began, few could have predicted that medical experts would recommend that families not travel or get together during the holidays to avoid spreading the virus. “For nine months we’ve been seeing increasing isolation,” says Emily Mitchell, director of the Harwich Council on Aging. “There’s no worse time to be isolated than at the holidays.” “This is hard, this is...

HARWICH – Since 2006, Jodi Belson has been serving the women and families on Cape Cod. Now she's bringing her skills as a certified nurse midwife to Outer Cape Health Services, and Belson couldn't be happier. “I live on the Outer Cape,” Belson said. “This is my community. This is my home.” Prior to signing on with OCHS, Belson practiced in both private and hospital-based settings, most recently with Cape Co...