Observe nature by our kettle ponds, at our outer beaches and in the local woods and you will be well rewarded by the wonder that insects, birds, animals and flowers provide. “Observe, observe, observe. Be better observers.” That was the message naturalist Peter Trull delivered to about 160 members of the Chatham Conservation Foundation Inc. (CCF) at the group’s 57 th annual meeting at the Wequassett Resort...

Roundabouts To Be In Place By Winter CHATHAM – By this winter, temporary roundabouts should be completed along Route 28, allowing residents to get familiar with new traffic patterns along the West Chatham corridor. Construction on the two-year, $4 million reconfiguration of the 1,700-foot roadway between Barn Hill and George Ryder roads is scheduled to resume on Sept. 3, the day after Labor Day. The initial...

CHATHAM — Later this month, Steven and Nancy Finch of Brewster will visit Coast Guard Station Chatham for a special remembrance of Steven’s great uncle, Norman. They’ll look out over the wide Atlantic, the final resting place for Norman and 129 of his shipmates who were lost on the Coast Guard Cutter Tampa nearly 101 years ago. And they’ll receive a Purple Heart on his behalf, honoring the ultimate sacrifice he...

Already endorsed by the Monomoy Regional School Committee, a plan to allow Head Start and the YMCA of Cape Cod to operate early childhood programs at Chatham and Harwich elementary schools has passed muster with selectmen in both towns. Superintendent of Schools Scott Carpenter said the lease of the classroom spaces must be finalized by the state education commissioner, but the new programs are expected to beg...

NORTH HARWICH — Maybe it was the disruption caused by the tornado, or perhaps people are starting to focus on back-to-school activities. Or maybe people are understandably focused on enjoying their Cape Cod summer vacations. But whatever the reason, donations had slowed to a trickle in our annual Helping Neighbors campaign to benefit the Family Pantry of Cape Cod. ...

Chatham has always been the “center of the universe” for Andy King, who grew up here and graduated from Chatham High School in 1979. But his appearance in an Emmy-nominated documentary now has King in the center of the social media universe. In “Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened,” King's story about how he would “do whatever it takes” to help save the doomed music festival became one of the most tal...

CHATHAM – A lawsuit filed by a group of residents hoping to prevent skydiving from returning to Chatham Municipal Airport was dismissed by a Barnstable Superior Court judge last week. In a six-page decision issued July 29, Justice Beverly J. Cannone said federal law governing airports overrides nuisance claims under the state's Tort Claims Act. Citizens for a Safe Chatham Airport, Inc. (CSCA), filed the sui...

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...