The so-called “mansion tax” proposed in Chatham is an innovative way to fund affordable and attainable housing, but it needs much more discussion and refinement before it goes before voters at the annual town meeting set for June 12. A one-half of one percent surcharge on real estate sales of more than $2 million, the fee would provide a steady stream of revenue to complement other sources, including property ...

Proud Of The Port/Ember Team Editor: In response to your article on The Port and Ember (“Selectmen To Conduct Hearings On Port And Ember Liquor Licenses,” Feb. 18), I would like to give a first hand account of how we responded to COVID rules and regulations this year. I have worked at The Port/Ember for the past 10 years, and both restaurants operate as a family. We care about one another and work hard y...

“Little darling, I feel the ice is finally melting Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been clear Here comes the sun Here comes the sun, and I say It’s all right”  During the 10-plus years I hosted an oldies rock and roll radio program on WOMR-FM, I never played a Beatles song. My friends know that somehow the great music of John Lennon and Paul McCartney never excited me. It sounds incongruous that...

New Answers On Monomoy Theatre Editor: The Monomoy Theatre saga continues. The buyers, summer residents, told the community that they were involved with restoring historical theaters and returning them to use. They proposed year-round activity for the arts.  What it looks like is just another real estate developer trying to maximize his profit. I think it would have been appropriate for them to have star...

A new puppy entered the household last fall and with her came a new term: “the zoomies.” That's when the dog gets so excited and energized that it runs back and forth in a frenzy. It's a bit startling at first, but you get used to it after a while and accept it as a necessary way to discharge excess energy. In a sense, we've all had the zoomies for much of the past year, though technically we should call it th...

Save Cranberry Farming Editor: The recent announcement that the Harwich Conservation Trust is seeking to purchase the Jenkins property that includes 20 acres of cranberry bogs is of interest. Preserving additional open space for public use is honorable and important for the environment and the community. But cranberry production is a vital part of the history and economy of Harwich (my great grandfather was...

With the federal and state government still struggling to coordinate the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine, it’s no time to give up on the precautions that are containing the spread of the disease. That means that we need to keep wearing masks, staying socially distant and washing our hands frequently. But with an end to the crisis now on the horizon, it’s time to look to the future. If you have grown weary of ...

This week we're introducing a new column by Susanna Graham-Pye,“The Place Between.” An Orleans resident since age 12, she is a former Chronicle staff member and novelist who currently teaches at the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School. Her column will appear monthly. I’ve heard it said that Orleans folk are “full of ginger.” It’s pretty true if you ask me and I’m one of them. We’re a spunky bunch, up and at ‘...

Harwich officials learned this week that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation project review committee gave the green light to a sidewalk along Route 28 between Saquatucket Harbor and Bank Street. It's about time. Walking along the heavily traveled roadway is dangerous, as is biking. There's little space on either side of the pavement to scoot off the road. A pedestrian path between the harbor and Ha...

A year has passed since COVID-19 reared its spiky corona head, and we have become well versed in altering our traditions in response. Like it or not, Valentine’s Day is on the way. Many of us have unlimited time to devote to anything and everything, so even if you are a Never-Valentiner, consider embracing it this time around. Oh, Valentine’s Day, why do we love thee, minus the hearts and love appeal? It bo...

Committee Supports Boathouse Return Edi tor: The South Coastal Harbor Plan committee had a full discussion of the issues of the history and conditions of the USCG Chatham boathouse at our meeting on Monday, Jan. 25. Committee members reviewed the December 2020 “Due Diligence Report” by GEI consultants, among other documents. We regret decisions wrongly made by former boards of selectmen not to accept prior...

It’s not lost on us that, exactly a year after Massachusetts recorded its first case of COVID-19, we’re already making a vaccine available to members of the public. That’s a truly remarkable achievement, and in that light, it’s reasonable for public health officials to ask us to be patient as vaccine production and distribution are ramped up. Still, our patience is running thin. It’s well known that, demogr...