Chatham resident and former long-time finance committee member Roslyn Coleman posed an interesting – and certainly “outside the box” – proposition at Monday's meeting of the board of selectmen. With the conversion of year-round houses to summer homes one of the factors driving up real estate prices and making it difficult for young families to stay in town, and with demolition of modest homes one of the main ways...

Chatham police received several calls Monday from residents worried about a seal that had hauled itself up on the ice at Harding's Beach. Even though the animal was probably just resting – basking in the sun on an unusually warm winter day – the human instinct is to conclude that something is wrong; this is a marine mammal and it's out of the water. It must need help. While injured or sick seals sometimes do h...

Chatham Helps With Shoe box Project Editor: I am writing to thank Chatham residents for sharing the true meaning of Christmas with children in need this past holiday season. Because of the generosity of donors in Chatham and across the United States, Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, collected more than 8.8 million shoe boxes in 2018. Combined with those collected from partnering...

There is no doubt – we are in the midst of the dark, cold, quiet season of winter. Our weather has become unpredictable. Two years before I moved here the Cape’s snowfall made the national news – my first winter nary a flake fell. January 2017 was so mild that the snowdrops were blooming in my yard before being covered by six weeks of snow. Wind and ice last year damaged trees and fences and shut down our power t...

An Opportunity For Reflection  Editor: My name is Jim Nelson and I have spent some time researching my ancestry. Fortunately, it appears than I have less genealogical connection to the now infamous Beverly Nelson than the infamous Elizabeth has to the Cherokee Nation. One thing I do have in common with Beverly is that my family and I have the privilege of owning a home in Chatham. Our decision to move to...

Chatham selectmen heard the details of a recent comprehensive sidewalk management plan and the news was rather discouraging. There are 11 miles of sidewalks in town and 265 curb ramps, much of which requires repair or upgrade. The good news is that this inventory allows the town to rank the condition of sidewalks and curbs and determine how to prioritize repairs; only 1.78 miles are ranked as excellent, with more...

“Another op’nin,’ another show In Philly, Boston or Baltimo’ A chance for stage folks to say hello! Another op’nin,’ another show” In 1948, Cole Porter opened his great musical “Kiss Me Kate” with “Another op’nin,’ another show.” The song has become a Broadway anthem. The musical, which was based on William Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew,” was one of Broadway’s most enduring shows. I’ve been th...

Letter Opened A Much-needed Dialogue Editor: In recent weeks there as been an outpouring of feedback to the letter from Beverly Nelson.   Like everyone else, I was outraged and a little pissed off at Bev to say the least.  As time as gone by, though, I want to thank Beverly for her (in my opinion) misguided and uninformed letter.  Her letter began a conversation that was long overdue. Like most things in li...

Given the discussions that have gone on in Chatham recently about trying to sustain a diverse year-round population, the park and recreation commission's proposal to raise the annual resident beach sticker fee comes at the wrong time. Like death by a thousand cuts, each time town government raises a permit fee it digs into the limited resources of those who live here year round. Some, like building permits, ha...

The last thing I expected to find on a warm October day in Washington, D.C. was a Maine lobsterman. Or, rather, a statue of one. It was a brilliant, warm, breezy day. Rains from a couple days before had churned up the Potomac, resulting in the light rust mud color of the water, along with all manner of branches and leaves scattered across and under the surface. Having never been to the newly renovated Distr...

Churches Key To First Night  Editor: We should all be thankful for the support given to First Night Chatham by the churches in Chatham that provide venues for the events. Roughly half of the locations this year were town-owned properties with the balance being offered by our community organizations that provide venues for a very high level of artistic and entertaining performances which were enjoyed by all ...

The men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard pride themselves on being semper paratus , or always ready. At sea, they answer the call when lives are on the line. In addition to their search and rescue function, the Coast Guard has taken on a variety of other duties, from securing our ports and responding to oil spills to monitoring endangered whales and intercepting drug traffickers. And year after year, come al...