HARWICH — The Harwich Conservation Trust has named Neil and Anna Rasmussen as their 2017 Conservationists of the Year in recognition of their leadership and land-saving philanthropy. The Rasmussens are Concord residents with a home in East Harwich who over the past 13-years have provided inspiration, leadership and financial support for the efforts to protect multiple tracts totaling more than 108 acres of na...

HARWICH — The Harwich Hometown Parade will roll through Harwich Port on Sunday, filling Route 28 with floats, bands and performers to celebrate community spirit. This year's parade will begin at 11:30 a.m. at Freeman Street and run through the village, ending at Doane Road. Over the past couple of years the parade route was longer, running all the way to Harwich Center. It was shortened this year to keep peopl...

HARWICH — The state Department of Environmental Protection has issued a notice of noncompliance under the existing Chapter 91 license issued for the fish house on the Herring River. The notification cites excessive work conducted under the Wetland Protection Act Emergency Certification to shore up the building. After receiving a complaint of potential violations to the emergency certification issued by the con...

HARWICH — There has been a lot of discussion about farms in residential areas and their impacts on neighborhoods over the past year. The operation of a piggery in such a location now has the board of health weighing if such an facility is a “noisome trade” and whether there should be restrictions or even prohibitions on piggeries in town. The board has scheduled a public hearing Tuesday evening to solicit comm...

HARWICH PORT – By many accounts it was a great summer in the village. With several investment interests focusing on real estate, there's optimism about the future of the business community. The owner of eight key commercial properties between Bank and Sea streets said he sees a bright future for Harwich Port, one he'll continue to invest in. “I’m just trying to improve those couple of blocks and do what’s r...

HARWICH — The state Land Court has ruled that the First Congregational Church of Harwich is the owner of the historic Harwich Center Cemetery, holding title dating back to 1743. The decision means the church also owns the memorial garden, a subject of controversy with the town's cemetery commission. The ruling makes clear that the cemetery commission has no authority to order the church to disinter cremains in...

HARWICH — People have a hard time talking about death and dying and discussing plans for the inevitable. So the Council On Aging has taken steps to encourage such discussion, not in the form of grief support or counseling, but in a more informal fashion. Kevin Grunwald, MSW, social service coordinator at the COA, facilitates the Death Cafe, a group-directed discussion of death with no specific agenda. Using...

PLEASANT LAKE — Two men face a variety of charges stemming from an alleged shooting that police say followed a drug deal gone wrong Monday. Police say a 21-year-old man from Harwich had arranged to purchase an unknown quantity of marijuana from two other men at the commuter parking lot on Route 124 just before 6:30 p.m. Monday. “The drug deal went wrong and turned violent, which resulted in the suspect sh...

HARWICH — The Harwich Farmers' Market was in full swing last week, led by the Cape Cod Chamber Ensemble. There will be plenty of other opportunities to dance alongside fresh produce into early October; the market will be open every Thursday. The town's agricultural committee, in cooperation with the Harwich Historical Society, sponsors the Farmers' market on the grounds of Brooks Academy. Local farmers provide...

HARWICH — After five months of deliberation, the appeals board last week approved the 40B comprehensive permit for Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod's project off Route 28 in West Harwich on a 3-2 vote. The approval paves the way for the creation of an eight-lot subdivision on 2.46 acres, of which six lots will provide affordable homeownership dwellings. The two lots along Route 28 will eventually be held in se...

HARWICH — The message was clear Monday night: the town will need more money to do the preservation work at Brooks Free Library. Two recent bid submissions have come in well over the $490,000 the town has dedicated to the project. “We're going to need more money to do this project and we don't have that money floating around,” Town Administrator Christopher Clark told selectmen. That position was supported b...

HARWICH — The conservation commission has issued fines to Francis Zarette, owner of the fish house along the Herring River, for work done outside the emergency order the commission approved in January to shore up the structure. The commission also issued its approval of the after-the-fact filing for the emergency structural work and site improvements, though there was opposition to that approval and an effort ...