As Chatham officials and others are discovering, protecting swimmers from a shark attack is a problematic proposition. There were no takers when the town asked for proposals on shark safety measures at Oyster Pond Beach. Proponents of a shark warning buoy pilot project, currently the subject of a Go Fund Me effort, have run into reluctance from some outer Cape towns, whose legal eagles warn that such a system cou...

This column STEMs from my need to advocate for art and creativity that does not necessarily involve numbers and engineering. As you may know, the acronym STEM translates to science, technology, engineering and math. Schools have gone bonkers in this educational direction. Presicent Obama stressed that since the U.S. was losing ground worldwide in these categories, and girls and minorities were being “left behind,...

Make Decision On Facts  Editor: I was disappointed to read of the Harwich Board of Selectmen balking at the idea of a plastic bottle ban. While the board conveyed the message that they thought it was a good and well-intentioned idea, they fell short of voting in favor of the ban for reasons of convenience and misinformation. They argued that the fire department uses plastic bottles to hydrate firefighters, our...

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...

Ban Will Counter Harm Of Plastic Editor: I am writing with enthusiastic support for the municipal plastic bottle ban in Chatham. My support arises from my deep concern about the significant deterioration in the quality of the natural environment. This has become apparent in recent years due to the large and steadily increasing volume of litter, particularly plastic bottles, year after year, on Chatham’s bea...

Once, boarding houses and dormitories that provided reasonably priced places for seasonal workers to live were fairly common. Large employers like Chatham Bars Inn had their own dorms, and buildings in places that were in locations that weren't yet desirable, like the former Epicure in downtown Chatham, rented rooms to students and others who waited tables, cleaned rooms and landscaped. Together with the family's...

“Somewhere beyond the sea Somewhere waiting for me It’s far beyond the stars It’s near beyond the moon I know without a doubt My heart will be leading me there soon.”   “Beyond the Sea” was a big hit for Bobby Darin in 1959. The lyrics were by Jack Lawrence and the music was from a 1945 French song “La Mer” written by Charles Trenet. Fishing, boat building and intercoastal commerce weighed he...

The proposal that prompted the controversial letter from Beverly Nelson last December – town-funded childcare vouchers for Chatham families with young children – has taken a back seat to an alternate plan to add $30,000 to the town's existing childcare voucher program, which will go before voters at the May annual town meeting. Undoubtedly this will help a number of local families, but it doesn't go far enough. ...

What Is A 'Protected Class?' Editor: I have a question that I feel the need to ask your readers for them to ponder over, and hopefully come to their own respective conclusions about.  Relative to anti-discrimination statutes, since a “protected class” is a group of people qualified for special protection by law, do you believe persons with such a “protected status” in essence are unfairly given more righ...

Every day I post a photo or video from here to social media. Practically every day. It’s often a doughnut from Chatham Bakery or a slice of pie or muffin from Chatham Village Market, set against the landscape of Lighthouse Beach or the Oyster Pond or the lifeguard stand at the end of Bank Street. Growing up here, you get used to having friends from away whom you might see only in the summer. Maybe just for ...