One hundred years ago, during World War I, the only attack on American soil by the Germans took place on Nauset Beach in Orleans when U-boat 156 fired shells that hit the beach. That attack was soon answered by seaplanes from the Chatham Naval Air Station, which dropped dud bombs on the U-boat. It was July 21, 1918, a hot and hazy Sunday, when U-boat 156 lurked in the waters just off Orleans. According to o...

CHATHAM – “Little rocket man.” “The dotard.” Prior to the summit in Singapore last month between North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, the pair exchanged insults. Is this good diplomacy? No, said Gov. Bill Richardson, a part-time Chatham resident, during a talk Wednesday. “I’m a traditional diplomat, I’m a dull person. I just don’t believe in insults,” Richardson said. “Diplomacy i...

CHATHAM – One of the longest-serving members of the finance committee in recent memory is stepping down. Roslyn Coleman opted not to be reappointed after 18 years on the finance panel, said Moderator William Litchfield, whose is charged with appointing finance committee members. “Roz served with great dedication and devotion over the course of six terms on the finance committee, which is at least a modern d...

CHATHAM — Several residents of the Riverbay neighborhood say they’re afraid to walk to the mailbox or have their grandchildren play outside after a longtime resident was attacked by a neighbor’s dog last month. On the morning of June 7, Joan Maloney had gone outside to retrieve her morning paper, and struck up a conversation with neighbor Jeffrey Howell, who was walking his dog. Ernie, the 45-pound lab mix, ...

CHATHAM — When a series of coastal storms inundated Little Beach early this year, it was the first time in recent memory that rising water left people stranded in vulnerable neighborhoods. And with the barrier beach eroding and the sea level rising, officials predict it’ll happen again. When it does, the town will be ready to deploy its new high-water rescue vehicle to get rescuers into flooded areas and to ...

CHATHAM – “Little rocket man.” “The dotard.” Prior to the summit in Singapore last month between North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, the pair exchanged insults. Is this good diplomacy? No, said Gov. Bill Richardson, a part-time Chatham resident, during a talk Wednesday. “I’m a traditional diplomat, I’m a dull person. I just don’t believe in insults,” Richardson said. “Diplomacy i...

CHATHAM – With the town surrounded by some 60-plus miles of shoreline and dotted with many freshwater ponds and inland wetlands, the conservation department is busy. The conservation commission meets weekly and last year held more than 300 hearings and project reviews. The workload is a reflection of both the push to develop more marginal properties and the understanding that protecting the environment is protect...

CHATHAM – The board of selectmen has rejected pursuing private property for a new senior center. At an executive session July 2, the board declined two proposals from private property owners that were the result of a request for proposals the town put out for privately owned parcels that might be suitable for a new council on aging facility, according to a statement. “Out of fiscal prudence, the board decid...

CHATHAM – The controversy over the western boundary of the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge is a complicated issue, and the way the story has been portrayed in the media – that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took over some 4,000 acres of water and submerged land west of the island in 2016 – isn't the way the agency sees things. “That is false,” Refuge Manager Matthew Hillman said of the spin the town and s...

CHATHAM — In a ruling last week, a state appeals court panel decided that a lawsuit filed by a woman who was seriously hurt in a skydiving landing at Chatham Municipal Airport in 2012 could proceed. The justices overturned a lower court ruling that the lengthy liability waiver signed by jumper Tricia Cahalane had indemnified Skydive Cape Cod and the other defendants in the case. In their July 3 ruling, Justi...

CHATHAM — If they’d rather not shark around for an available free parking space, visitors to downtown Chatham have a new option: the lot at 365 Main St., the former Eldredge Garage property. Under a newly signed contract, Chatham Valet, Inc., is operating the site as a paid parking lot, sharing the revenue with the town. While Chatham property owners can park for free, all others pay $15 per day for all-day ...

CHATHAM - Each year, it seems that there are more protected piping plovers nesting on area beaches than the year before. Ospreys, once on the brink of extinction, can be seen everywhere. And don't even start with seals, which can be found by the tens of thousands on Monomoy but are protected by federal law. If you’ve ever wondered why, you’re not alone.   Piping plovers Given the number of times they s...