“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” Like the Wizard of Oz, the Trump administration is blustering, threatening and bullying states to fully open schools in the fall. Like the small, frightened man behind the curtain, they're trying to further their own interests through the art of distraction, threatening to take away federal funding if schools don't reopen. It's certainly true that until scho...

Honoring The Right Heroine Editor: I was pleased to learn that Ginny Locke is being honored as a 2020 Commonwealth Heroine by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. About 20 years ago, I attended a Crosby Mansion open house and subsequently signed on as a volunteer with The Friends of Crosby Mansion.  What a great group of people they are and I attribute their successful accomplishments in res...

The newly rebuilt observation deck at the Chatham Fish Pier is certainly an improvement over its predecessor. Solidly built, spacious, attractive and made of more durable material than the previous wooden deck (situated in one of the harshest environments one can imagine), it will no doubt weather storms, sun and salt spray for years, hopefully decades, to come. But getting to the point of opening the deck to ...

Chatham Selectmen Fail Voters Editor: If you have ever thought about serving as a volunteer on a Chatham board, think twice. Your efforts will not be appreciated unless you cede your right to speak freely and express an honest opinion. Don’t ever criticize the board of selectmen or you’ll not be re-appointed. Despite entreaties from friends, colleagues, and concerned citizens, I was not re-appointed to t...

If you’ve lost track of time and space, stumbling about in a calendar-less COVID-19 coma, the recent explosion of fireworks, sending shuddering dogs into under-the-bed mode, might have alerted you to the sudden appearance of the Fourth of July. As so many traditional Independence Day activities and formal fireworks displays have been canceled due to the virus, let us be illuminated by some little-known July Fo...

One needn’t look far beyond the daily headlines for reminders that the United States of America remains an imperfect union, a grand experiment in self-governance that has seen both triumphs and failures. But there are still plenty of reasons to fly the American flag with pride. We strongly object to the notion that those who fly Old Glory automatically subscribe to a set of beliefs or ideals, support a particu...

One-third. That's the approximate number of mail-in ballots received in last week's annual town election in Chatham. Orleans also received a hefty number of mail-in ballots in its election last week, so many that it briefly delayed the determination of the outcome. These were local elections, where the turn-out is minuscule compared to what is likely to be a heavy show by voters in the November presidential co...

U.S. History Good But Imperfect Story Editor: The original protests over George Floyd’s death have been appropriated and co-opted by various political groups. The tie that binds is a commitment to mob chaos and violence as either a paid or recreational enterprise. Their common goal seems to be to tear down every symbol of our American history, including statues, public buildings, and businesses, on the prem...

In an unprecedented event that almost did not happen, and despite COVID-19 restrictions, an estimated 1,000 people gathered in Harwich Center’s Brooks Park on a June Saturday afternoon to demonstrate. Initially proposed as a march from Route 28 and Bank Street to the Harwich Community Center by Susannah Brown and Hope Jorgensen, two Monomoy Regional High School eighth grade students, their plans evoked negative s...

I have a daughter who is 37, which is a remarkable fact in itself, since I seem to harbor a misty belief, floating crazily in the back of my mind, that I am only 39 years old. I have another daughter who is 33 years old, which of course makes her younger than me. It’s funny how your kids grow up and we always see them as kids. And we can’t have aged that much, or do we? A mere three months ago, which now seems...

Milkweed Seeds Still Available Editor: I am still distributing milkweed seeds, free of charge, to help the monarch butterfly, whose caterpillar can only eat milkweed. Send your address via email to suzannaaan@yahoo.com, or pick some up at the display case at 606 Main St. Chatham, at the corner of Seaview Street, in a jar. Suzanna Nickerson Chatham

It's summer, according to both the calendar and the traffic. While there may not be quite as many visitors here as in past years, there are certainly more people out and about — on foot and on bicycles — than usual, a holdover from the long shutdown during which taking a walk or a bike ride were among the few escapes from quarantine. Lately we've noticed drivers, walkers, runners and bikers not being as carefu...