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...

Changing the name of the Chatham Senior Center is a good idea, but we can't say that we're crazy about any of the suggestions listed on a survey being put out by the town's council on aging. “Chatham Adult Resource Center,” “Chatham Center for Active Living” and “Chatham Community Life Center” aren't bad, but we're pretty sure that “Chatham Center for Balanced Living” and “Chatham Anchors Center For Active Liv...

Enforce No Dog Rule On Beach Editor: Around 9 or so at Jackknife Beach in Harwich, there have been a bevy of dogs, some aggressive. The signs posted say “No Dogs Between Labor Day and Memorial Day,” yet six to eight dogs are present each morning. Could the Harwich dog officer please enforce these rules? It's out of hand. Jack Ford Harwich and Troy, N.Y.   Sharing The Hydrangea Magic Editor: ...

By not offering an explanation about how mail from Chatham's main post office ended up in a dumpster behind the Chatham Laundromat, U.S. Postal Service officials are doing a disservice to local residents. We understand that the incident is under investigation by the agency's Inspector General's Office, but the public needs reassurance that their mail is safe and will be delivered promptly, especially given the po...

If utility companies are not going to go through the effort of placing wires underground, despite popular support for such a plan, then they need to ensure that the above-ground infrastructure is safe and, more importantly, sound. Verizon owns most of the utility poles in our area and is responsible for their maintenance. The company reportedly inspects poles throughout a community on a periodic basis. And whi...

A Good Post Office Story Editor: West Harwich has many treasures. One is the beautiful Herring River. Another is a person. Her name is Marge Cummings. Marge is the mail carrier for the West Harwich Post Office. Every day Marge loads the postal truck twice. Once with all of the Amazon deliveries and once with the first-class mail. During COVID a senior resident was reluctant to pick up her mail from her pos...

Two-year old Aiden McCarthy went to last week’s Fourth of July Parade in Highland Park, Illinois. After shots rang out in the middle of the event, he was all alone. Aiden’s parents, Irina and Kevin McCarthy, were among the seven people killed in the shooting, leaving him in the custody of his grandparents. You have to ask yourself why. What did this young boy do to deserve such loss? What was his crime? The...

Problems Discerning Facts Editor: Our country is having a problem discerning fact from fiction. The biggest example is "the big lie.” We know it's a lie because the courts have said so. I like the word "discernment" because this is the word St. Paul uses in the Bible to discourage dissenters from making false claims. There is only one objective truth. The people who testify under oath are more likely to be ...

Residents should be outraged that anti-Semitic flyers were dropped along residential roads in Chatham earlier this week. Historically, Chatham has always been a very tolerant community, welcoming a diversity of religious denominations and people. To find something like this in our midst, and to know that someone with such abhorrent views was on our streets, sends a chill up the spine. About 20 of the flyers we...

Local downtowns are experiencing a renaissance of sorts. We're fortunate here that our downtowns have remained vibrant over the decades while many small towns have seen their traditional business districts wither as businesses relocate to malls and shopping centers. On the Cape, the summer tourist season is vital to our downtowns, but they've also been able to survive year-round thanks to local residents' devotio...

Disheartened By Letter Editor: I was so disappointed and disheartened by the recent letter from Jared Fulcher. A great example of the divide in our country. His point that it’s not guns, it’s mental illness, what about McVeigh, what about this guy is the exact reason more children will be slaughtered soon again. This isn’t a Democrat or Republican issue, we are Americans first and our children are being sla...