Letter Captures Right Spirit Editor: We laud Maria Mazzer’s recent letter "Take Care of Each Other" (Nov. 8). Her articulate response to the fracas that is consuming our nation was poignant and insightful. Her call to action for each of us to harness the power of compassion, kindness, and the words we speak, illuminates a clear pathway that each one of us can chose right now, today. It highlights how impera...

About 20 years ago, on a warm early June day, I was still wearing my neoprene waders. It wasn’t because the waters of Stage Harbor were still too chilly for me while I spent four hours scratching for quahogs. Rather, I figured I could get through enough of the spring before the summer shift over to digging steamers in my bare feet on the flats. Cooler canvas waders were for those who would be digging littlenec...

We were saddened this week to note the passing of Andrew Fitzgerald, the last remaining member of the Gold Medal Lifesaving crew of the CG36500. Like his crewmates, “Fitz,” as his friends knew him, was a humble hero. He rejected the label of heroism, saying he was simply doing his job when he helped propel the little rescue boat to rescue 32 men from the tanker Pendleton in 1952. He didn’t even mention the eve...

As we tuck in at our holiday tables, we know there are plenty of reasons to be thankful. And you’re one of them. That’s because, between Thanksgiving and Christmas each year, Cape Cod Chronicle readers dig deep to support the Family Pantry of Cape Cod through our Helping Neighbors campaign. Together, we’ve raised hundreds of thousands of dollars that help local families put food on the table. While there are m...

Public's Charter Input Sought Editor: A charter review committee of five members was appointed by the Chatham Board of Selectmen in conformance with our Home Rule Charter this past June. In August the committee was expanded to nine members. Current members, including me, are John Bendas, Steven Buckley, Gloria Freeman, Tom Geagan, George Lane, Rick Leavitt, Stuart Smith and Seth Taylor. The purpose of the c...

Any plan to cull seals would likely face extreme challenges, including overcoming the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the likely opposition of both local and national environmental organizations. There has been no authorized seal culling under the Act related to shark attacks since the law was passed in 1972, according to Mike Asaro, Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Branch Chief of the National Oceanic and Atm...

A Spooktacular Good Time Editor: Thank you to all the groups and individuals who worked together to make the Halloween Happenings – The Halloween Parade, Cookout, Pumpkin Drop, Photo Booth and Monster Mash Bingo – a wonderful community event for dozens of local families. Special thanks to: Chatham Fire and Rescue, David Oppenheim and the Chatham Wayside Inn, Emily Dowal and the volunteers from Polhemus, ...

The country is divided. The political atmosphere has never been so divisive. Civil society is falling apart, and our democracy is in peril. This is what we've been hearing for months in the lead up to this week's midterm elections. It's the picture being presented by pundits in both the mainstream and fringe media and what politicians from the top on down have been spewing. While it may be true that Congress i...

It is the season of the celebrated pumpkin, in one story a Cinderella coach, in reality a perfect vehicle to transport us from the jack o’lantern to the cornucopia centerpiece. A pumpkin is a gourd, squash, vegetable or fruit, depending on which reference material you choose to employ, always the diva of every bountiful autumnal display, resplendent in traditional orange, buttery warm white, and even trendy green...

Clarifies Marconi CPA Grants Editor: In Michael Tompsett’s response (“Many Benefits of CPA,” Oct. 11) to my letter (“Ideas To Encourage More Families,” Oct. 4), he appears to have missed my point and has further misrepresented a critical fact.  While his recitation of recent CPA funds expended for affordable housing is no doubt accurate, they represent sunk costs which have not significantly furthered the o...

We don't know if election endorsements from newspapers, ours or any others, do any good, especially given the way most people regard the press today. There's not a lot to say about local races anyway, as there are few that are contested on the Tuesday, Nov. 6 ballot. All of the contests are for state or county office. The latter is growing more and more anachronistic. That's why we think Harwich resident Leo Cako...

Larry Marsland, executive director of the Lower Cape Outreach Council, speaking recently at the Federated Church of Orleans, made two comments that caught my attention. Many Council clients work in jobs that pay $8 to $12 an hour, inadequate to meet the cost of living on Cape Cod. Furthermore, even after they attain greater earning power thanks to programs the LCOC offers, they may not find housing that is afford...