SOUTH CHATHAM — Maybe it was the years of breathing sawdust and fiberglass particles, or maybe it was a fluke of genetics. Or perhaps it was completely random. But 44-year-old Rick Merrill now has severe scarring on his lungs, and he’s waiting for the double lung transplant that will save his life. A Chatham native and 1993 graduate of Chatham High School, Merrill is a big man with a firm handshake and kind ey...

CHATHAM – The new owner of the Monomoy Theatre property is proposing to restore and add on to the historic theater building and antique Greek Revival home at 774 Main St., as well as construct housing for people 55 years of age and over at the rear of the lot. Greg Clark of Chatham Productions LLC was before the historic business district commission last Wednesday with conceptual plans for the redevelopment of...

CHATHAM — This week, Gov. Charlie Baker signed a new law that makes it illegal for people to use hand-held cell phones while driving. Among those who lobbied for years in favor of the law is the father of the late Katie Brannelly, who spent many summers in Chatham before her untimely death at the hands of a distracted driver in 2013. “You can’t explain what you’ve gone through when you lose a kid,” Tom Brannel...

CHATHAM — A decision by federal regulators to adopt restrictions on herring trawler operations is being hailed by local fishermen. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last week approved Amendment 8 to the Atlantic Herring Fisheries Management Plan, including restricting midwater trawl gear inshore of the 12-mile limit from the Canadian border to Connecticut and inshore of 20 miles off Cape Cod....

CHATHAM — In the wake of vocal opposition to a previous runway approach plan, the airport commission is proposing an alternative that still improves safety but requires fewer private property easements to be taken. Under the adjusted proposal, easements would likely be required for 18 properties where trees would need to be removed or topped to provide adequate clearance for a new straight-in approach pattern....

Pollock Rip Shoals Turned Mayflower Around, Changing History CHATHAM – In his “Of Plymouth Plantation,” William Bradford devoted just a few lines to the events of Nov. 9, 1620. That was the day those aboard the Mayflower sighted land—the highlands of Cape Cod, the Nauset-Eastham area—and headed south toward their intended destination of the Hudson Valley, then part of the Virginia colony. “But after they ha...

A decision by federal regulators to adopt restrictions on herring trawler operations is being hailed by local fishermen. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last week approved Amendment 8 to the Atlantic Herring Fisheries Management Plan, including restricting midwater trawl gear inshore of the 12-mile limit from the Canadian border to Connecticut and inshore of 20 miles off Cape Cod. “This ...

If police officers in Chatham, Harwich and Orleans are looking a bit scruffy this month, it's not because the departments have relaxed their regulations. Members of all three departments, and many others on the Cape, are letting their facial hair grow during “No Shave November” to raise money for charity. More than 120 police departments across the state are participating in the program to benefit Home Base, w...

CHATHAM – The town's representative on the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates has filed a resolution accusing County Commission Ronald Beaty of violating the county's code of conduct. Randi Potash said Facebook and Twitter posts by Beaty that were critical of the assembly were counter to a section of the code that calls for elected and appointed county officials to avoid using social media to address pend...

CHATHAM — With shoaling at the entrance to Stage Harbor now at a critical level, the federal government is sending in the cavalry, or more precisely, the Army Corps of Engineers. The hopper dredge Currituck is expected to begin work around the second week in December. “Conditions have deteriorated substantially over the last few months, and from what I gather, even more so in the last few weeks after the serie...

CHATHAM – In the mid 1980s, it was clear that the town's drinking water system needed to be expanded, but the private company that owned it lacked the resources to undertake such a project. In 1985 the town purchased the system, but to oversee the ambitious goal of extended municipal water to most of the town, the right person needed to be found. It wasn't easy, but selectmen persuaded long-time finance commit...

CHATHAM — Despite worries about excluding voters who leave town for the winter, selectmen have called a Jan. 13 special town meeting to consider buying land for a new senior center. The warrant, which will be finalized shortly, will include a request for around $200,000 for additional design work, and an article for the purchase of the property 1610 Main St., using $750,000 to be funded by free cash. Because t...