HARWICH — Selectmen on Monday night revisited votes on the annual town and school district budgets, generating debate on the spending habits of the community and whether the board should take a stronger position on reducing taxes. Selectman Michael MacAskill has made his position clear, repeatedly saying the growth in the annual operating budget is unsustainable and the town needs to take a break on funding ca...

HARWICH — “Sip, Sample and Sparkle,” the theme for the 18 th Toast of Harwich, is a good characterization of the annual spring kickoff event sponsored by the chamber of commerce at the Wequassett Resort and Golf Club on Pleasant Bay.  “It's an event where people like to dress up and come out and enjoy their local restaurants, sample some wines, and see what's new,” said Chamber Executive Director Cyndi William...

HARWICH — The 2.25-mile reconstruction of Lower County Road received the endorsement of selectmen on a 3-2 vote Monday night. The project has been estimated to cost $5.5 million, but Department of Public Works Director Lincoln Hooper told the board he is anticipating bids to be much lower. Hooper told selectmen his department sees this project as the priority road improvement for the community. The project was...

HARWICH — When Tom Gagnon started work with the Harwich Police Department in 1986, the job was a bit different. Law enforcement involved less paperwork, the number of calls was much lower, and what's now known as community policing was just, well, policing. This week, Gagnon will retire as deputy chief after a 33-year career in Harwich. It’s actually been a public safety career of around 40 years for Gagnon,...

HARWICH – It was an impressive home opener for Monomoy boys varsity baseball pitcher Joe Cottle. On Monday, the junior hurler led the Sharks to a 15-0 shutout victory in which he struck out eight and only walked three. But that wasn't all. Not only was the game a shutout, but it was also a no-hitter for Cottle, who kicked off the season with a commanding all-around performance in the Sharks' April 1 outing. “H...

HARWICH – The Monomoy boys varsity lacrosse team opened its 2019 season with a commanding 15-2 victory against Sturgis West on March 28, kicking off the spring season on a high note. Eleven players scored in the home opener, and leading the fray was Connor Deveau, who netted himself a hat trick against the visiting Navigators. The Sharks got off to a strong start after Rory Carpenter won the opening face of...

“This show is what our theater is all about,” said Nina Schuessler, producing artistic director of the West Harwich theater and director of this show, as she welcomed the opening night audience. And she’s right, the Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre and “Tuck Everlasting” are a pair that are sure to embrace full houses this spring. The play, based on the book by Natalie Babbitt adapted by Mark J. Fr...

An event that has become an ongoing part of the Cape’s musical calendar essentially without benefit of advertising or publicity beyond word of mouth, and that has raised thousands of dollars to benefit local human service agencies, is returning to Brewster on Wednesday, April 10. Now in its 15 th year, the Full Moon Open Mic, the creation of Orleans resident and musician David Roth, will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. ...

When my children were young there was a song on Sesame Street that they sang incessantly. I don’t remember all the words, but it started with the line, “Sing, sing a song…” and I find myself humming, if not singing, that simple ear worm of a tune at this time of year. Spring is the time for singing in the natural world. One could argue that singing comes to all as naturally as breathing. It’s probably not too ...

Reasons For Anti-discrimination Laws Editor: In response to Commissioner Beaty’s question to ponder, I have a request for Mr. Beaty (and others ready to engage this topic). I invite you to please take the time to learn about the privilege that white men share. We have access to treatment both under the law as practiced, and in our culture as experienced, that is not granted in the same way to other groups. ...

Getting more year-round residents – particularly young people – involved in local government isn’t just a good idea. It’s a pillar of social sustainability on the Lower Cape. What does that mean? If you understand the need for affordable year-round housing, or the necessity of supporting businesses that provide good, year-round jobs, or the need for affordable child care for young families, then it’s not en...

There is a lot of talk these days over what should happen to Harwich Center. Indeed, according to published reports, there are so many groups examining the question that one has decided to take a hiatus to await the results of the others. This is not new. Ever since the demolition of the Exchange Building in 1964, the nature of Main Street between Bank Street and the intersection of Routes 39 and 124 has been unc...

Think teen vaping is just a passing fad? Think again. The trend, which involves the use of electronic cigarettes or nicotine vaporizers by kids as young as 11, is on the rise, and with it a host of health problems. Though the first tobacco vaporizer hit the market in 1963, their use soared after the mid-2000s when the market was saturated with products. The electronic or e-cigarettes are battery operated, hand...

'Phantom' Field Trip Many students may never have the opportunity to step into a majestic, historic theater and enjoy a live theatrical performance, which is just one of the reasons why Monomoy Regional Middle School administrators and teachers work tirelessly each year to plan a whole-school field trip to regional theaters to attend a professional musical production. Three years ago, the school traveled ...

ORLEANS — “When I got elected, I think I was the devil if you listened to the sewer people,” Selectman Mark Mathison said last week. It's said the devil is in the details, and that's where Mathison, one of three candidates running for two seats on the board in next month's election, has spent much of his tenure. “My question right from the beginning with the sewer issue,” he said, “was, 'Are we talking about c...

ORLEANS — Supporters of a public-private effort to prevent further development of Pleasant Bay's Sipson Island encountered some headwinds last month as several selectmen offered criticisms. “Why spend a million five to get a conservation restriction on something that probably can't be built on that nobody can get to unless they already live on the bay and have a boat?” Selectman Mark Mathison asked at his boar...