By: Tim Wood
CHATHAM – While terns did well on the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge last summer – the refuge remains the largest common tern colony on the eastern seaboard – the number and nesting success of federally-endangered piping plovers fell below expectations. A total of 48.5 pairs of the small, sand-colored plovers nested on the refuge, a decrease from 52 pairs in 2016. Most (46 pairs) nested on South Monomoy, one...
By: Tim Wood
CHATHAM – A sign at the transfer station warning that single-stream recycling will no longer be accepted as of Jan. 31 has led to confusion among residents about the status of the town's recycling program. The ban only applies to waste haulers who bring in large loads of mixed recycling, and is the result of market trends that reach across the country and around the globe. Officials stress that there's been no...
CHATHAM – Selectmen Tuesday unanimously rejected a change to the regional school agreement that would have allowed a realignment of elementary school grades. After hearing from a number of residents who vehemently opposed the change proposed by the Monomoy Regional School Committee, board members agreed they had to uphold the promise made to residents when schools were regionalized five years ago to maintain a...
CHATHAM – Selectmen Tuesday unanimously rejected a change to the regional school agreement that would have allowed a realignment of elementary school grades. After hearing from a number of residents who vehemently opposed the change proposed by the Monomoy Regional School Committee, board members agreed they had to uphold the promise made to residents when schools were regionalized five years ago to maintain a...
By: Alan Pollock
CHATHAM — The president of the United States doesn’t like sharks. As it turns out, that’s working out nicely for the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. The nonprofit group has received a surprise surge in donations from Trump critics who are apparently seeking to make a political statement while also supporting white shark conservation and education. In 2013, Trump received a Twitter message challenging hi...
When filmmaker Craig Dudnick met Alice Tregay, he had no idea that she had played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement. At the time, he was working on a documentary about the struggles of the African American community in Evanston, Ill.; Tregay's brother was the community's first black firefighter, and she provided some photographs for the film. “She liked the film I made and said she had other things I...
CHATHAM – A waterfront home on Stage Island played a role in the recent U.S. Justice Department tax fraud case against a Connecticut man. Hyung Kwon Kim, a South Korean citizen but a legal U.S. resident since 1998, pleaded guilty to failing to report more than $28 million kept in Swiss bank accounts. He was sentenced Jan. 25 to six months in prison and paid more than $300,000 in restitution to the Internal Rev...
By: Alan Pollock
CHATHAM — Some activities that have become part of the downtown Chatham summer streetscape may soon be regulated, like balloon sales at town band concerts, street performers, merchants displaying their wares outdoors, and mobile vendors. Selectmen have asked staff to draft a bylaw revision covering these topics and to try to have it ready for the annual town meeting in May. A public hearing on the draft byl...
CHATHAM – For the town's conservation department, a couple of days of work by14 AmeriCorps Cape Cod members can clear six months worth of projects from the calendar. “They're terrific workers,” said Assistant Conservation Agent Paul Wightman. “In one day they can go in and clear a trail, create a scenic overlook and put signs and a fence up.” The town has more than 22 conservation properties, and last month...
Dissenting View Says Court Should Decide Issue CHATHAM – The House Committee on Natural Resources has issued its report on legislation setting the boundary of the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge at the low tide mark, paving the way for the full House to vote on the bill. The report, dated Feb. 2, also includes a dissenting view by three members of the committee who say that a final decision on the boundary...
By: Tim Wood
Town, Citizens Group Commit To Working Together To Address Crisis CHATHAM – Most weekday mornings, traffic traveling east on Route 6 comes to a standstill in Dennis, where the highway narrows into a single lane. Many of the vehicles are heading here, where the occupants work but can't afford to live. “We're becoming a bedroom town,” said Selectman Shareen Davis. The lack of affordable housing here is not...
CHATHAM – Construction activity continued at a brisk pace last year. While the number of building permits increased by only 3 percent, the total construction value of the permits jumped 15 percent. While most building numbers were up over last year, building activity hasn't yet caught up with 2015, which saw the town's highest-recorded permit values as well as a number of new homes. That year 49 new houses wer...
