CHATHAM — For aging veterans, a visit to the nation's war memorials in Washington can be a poignant experience. But for those who served in World War II and Korea, the most senior veterans, travel can be a challenge. On Monday, local vets heard from the founder of Honor Flight New England, which provides all-expense-paid trips to D.C. for senior veterans. Joe Byron spoke at the annual Veterans Day luncheon, ...

CHATHAM – A proposal to only allow registered voters to make agenda requests at selectmen's meetings was rebuffed by a majority of the board last week. Selectmen voted 3-2 to embrace inclusion and continue with the long-standing policy of allowing anyone to make an agenda request under the “Public Announcements and Agenda Requests” segment of the board's regular weekly meetings. “To exclude voices in politi...

CHATHAM – The fate of the three Avis Chase cottages in the Old Village is now in the hands of a three-judge panel from the state's appeals court. On Monday attorneys from the Avis Chase Women's Association of Philadelphia and the Young Women's Christian Association of Boston delivered their arguments over ownership of the cottages, which were bequeathed by Chase to the Young Women's Christian Association of Ph...

Selectmen Mull Multiple Options To House COA CHATHAM — Selectmen agree that the council on aging building on Stony Hill Road is a bad fit for seniors, with ill-suited program spaces located on three floors. But when it comes to where a new senior center should be built, or what size it should be, board members say they need more information. Principal Projects Administrator Terry Whalen analyzed several...

Volunteer Water Watchers Program Has Benefited Town For 18 Years CHATHAM – Without the town's coastal water monitoring program, which depends on volunteer “water watchers,” it's unlikely that the town would be as advanced as it is in improving its coastal water quality. The work done by the water watchers, a program run in conjunction with the Friends of Chatham Waterways, would cost hundreds of thousands...

CHATHAM – The town's attempt to block a citizens group's lawsuit that seeks to prohibit skydiving at Chatham Municipal Airport has been denied by the state appeals court. “We're disappointed,” said Chairman of Selectmen Jeffrey Dykens. “We've tried to exhaust all legal avenues for dismissal of complaint” in order to avoid prolonged and potentially expensive litigation. Associate Justice Eric Neyman turned d...

When Chet Grocki of Chatham was in high school in the 1950s, he was sometimes called out of class to play Taps at a military funeral. Local men from his town in Connecticut were fighting and dying in the Korean War. As a trumpeter in the Connecticut All-State Band, Chet was in demand for this somber task. “It was the beginning of my awareness of the idea of military service—what it ultimately meant was peop...

CHATHAM – Selectmen voted Tuesday to call a special town meeting for Monday, Jan. 23 at 6:30 p.m. to ask voters if they want to purchase the Eldredge Garage property. A group of residents and business owners have a purchase and sales agreement with the Eldredge family and intend to assist them in getting the property ready for town acquisition, potentially to be used for public parking. The board also voted...

CHATHAM – On Jan. 1, single-use plastic bags will be a thing of the past in Chatham. The board of health, which passed the ban a year ago, issued a reminder last week that it will be implemented on the first day of the new year. “We wanted to let the public and the merchants know it's going into effect Jan. 1,” said Health Agent Judy Giorgio. “We want to make sure they're all prepared.” Health department...

Local voters backed Hillary Clinton in Tuesday's presidential election, sent William Keating back to Congress and elected a first-time candidate to the state senate. Truro Democrat Julian Cyr captured the Cape and Islands Senate seat being vacated by Dan Wolf, defeating Harwich resident Anthony Schiavi. Cyr managed to beat Republican Schiavi in his hometown of Harwich as well as in Orleans, but not in Chatham....

Chatham, Harwich and Orleans will each hold ceremonies marking Veterans Day on Friday, Nov. 11, beginning at 11 a.m. The Chatham ceremony will take place in the community center. In the past the ceremony has been held at the downtown rotary, but after last year's event was held in the community center due to weather, many people said they enjoyed the indoors setting better, said organizer Robert Franz. “Bei...

CHATHAM – When surf is breaking on the Chatham Bar and fishing boats are either on their way out of the harbor or coming back home, the Coast Guard has taken to positioning one of its near-shore lifeboats near the entrance channel. “We have not done this in previous months,” said Station Chatham Senior Chief Corbin Ross. Members of the commercial fleet requested the move, however, due to increased shoaling on ...