It was down to the wire. A real nail biter. But we made it. The Cape Cod Chronicle's Helping Neighbors summer fundraiser for the Family Pantry of Cape Cod met its goal. And then some. For a while, it seemed like reaching this season's $75,000 goal was a long shot; just a few short weeks ago, more than $45,000 remained to close the gap. In a series of stories, we emphasized the importance of helping the Family ...

It's hard to believe that Labor Day is here. In some ways, that means that summer is over. In others, it means it's just beginning. For summer residents and vacationers, the past two months saw an almost unparalleled stretch of beautiful, sunny, warm days – perfect beach weather – with just a handful of cloudy, rainy days, and few of them causing anything other than a minor annoyance. That, of course, is much ...

Airport Traffic Increasing Editor: Airplane traffic interferes with the quality of life in Chatham neighborhoods the most during the summer, when throngs of people are here, house windows are open, and people are socializing out on their decks and yards. This is when noisy late-night and early-morning charter flights most disturb sleep, and the repeated roar of flights most interrupts daytime peace and soci...

Chatham's search for a place to build a new senior center is stuck. The latest assessment released last week shows that building a new facility at the Stony Hill Road location of the current senior center is fraught with problems, from a lack of space for parking to the high cost. Adding on to the community center to accommodate some council on aging programs means more cost, bifurcated programming and potential ...

Appreciates Theater, Film Coverage Editor: The Aug. 11 edition of The Chronicle had really terrific coverage of the arts with more movie and theater reviews than I can remember in one edition. This was such a joy to see so much coverage of the arts, and this is the month when we have so much available. First, there was the review of a 2014 move, “Detours,” by James Cole, who apparently is a friend of the...

The highlight of last week's summer town meeting, sponsored by the town's summer residents advisory committee, was a report on the group's opposition to the residential tax exemption. Allowed as a local option under state law, the exemption gives a community the option to lower property taxes for year-round residents. As the summer residents' presentation noted, this shifts a portion of the tax burden onto non-re...

You’ve heard the one about the man who fell off a tall building? Each floor he passed by, he was heard saying, “so far, so good.” Well, that’s how it’s been with this year’s summertime Helping Neighbors campaign to benefit the Family Pantry of Cape Cod. Generous donations have been coming in steadily, making the most of dollar-for-dollar matching grants. So far, so good. But with the campaign set to end in ...

Vacation Rentals Vital To Economy Editor: I read with interest your article “Can Property Managers Help Guide Short-Term Rentals” in The Chronicle (Aug. 4).  As you’re probably aware, many towns on the Cape and Islands are grappling with the growth in STRs and how to regulate them while at the same time, allowing homeowners to rent out their homes seasonally as they have for decades. My husband and I own...

Forsooth, They Enjoyed It! Editor: My husband and I are still raving about last night's production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at Kate Gould Park. We can't recall when we have laughed so heartily or so continuously! It was a rollicking joy-filled evening thanks to an outstanding and enthusiastic cast, direction and production and the splendid backdrop by artist Carol Odell, at once authentic and whimsica...

Water is the lifeblood of Cape Cod. Hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent to clean up the coastal waters that surround us and represent the essence of the Cape and the chief reason that millions flock here every year. Millions more is invested in an arguably more important resource: the water that lies beneath our feet in the Cape's sole-source aquifer. Our groundwater is arguably an even more fragile r...

The National Shellfish Sanitation Program is a cooperative program between states and the federal government aimed at ensuring that shellfish are safe to eat. The program coordinates shellfish sanitation regulations between states so that they are uniform, with similar growing area classifications and dealer certification programs. But imposing uniform regulations over many shellfish-growing states doesn't nec...

Who Needs Climate Change? Editor: Not “on a winter's day” (credit Mamas and Papas) but here and now on California's Monterey Peninsula. Walking along Scenic Drive in Carmel, Calif. this week, I wore a hat, leather gloves, and a Polar Fleece jacket. The temperature was struggling to hit 48 and a high of around 60. Typical. I was reminded of that wonderful 1957 Novel by Nevil Shute, “On the Beach.” As many...