CHATHAM — Federal officials are issuing a familiar warning to boaters and beach goers. Seal pups are on the shore, and getting too close is dangerous – and illegal. Local police departments get scores of calls from well-intended citizens each spring about young harbor seals on the beach. The pups are often left alone on the shore for as long as 24 hours while the mother feeds just offshore. That behavior is ...

CHATHAM — On a weekend filled with the sounds of sizzling hamburgers and joyful family gatherings, a group of citizens took time to hear the stories of fallen veterans, the report of a rifle salute, and the mournful strains of Taps. More than 150 people attended Chatham’s Memorial Day observance at the community center Monday. SPC Ted Miller, U.S. Army, Ret., led the commemoration, and provided a “virtual to...

CHATHAM – It was a day of remembering and celebrating as members of local fishing families and those who support them gathered at the Chatham Fish Pier for the annual Blessing of the Fleet.     With the warm sun shining down, the Rev. Brian McGurk of St. Christopher's Church and Karen Murdoch of Women of Fishing Families (WOFF) offered prayers and thoughtful sentiments at the soulful gathering, hel...

CHATHAM – With the number of Preservation Awards steadily declining the past few years, the coalition that oversees the annual event voted last week not to hold an awards ceremony this year. Beginning next year, the awards will be given out every other year. The awards honor projects that use sensitivity in renovating, restoring and preserving historic buildings. They are overseen by members of the town's hist...

CHATHAM — It’s been a wet winter and spring, with Chatham receiving almost three and a half inches more precipitation than average since the start of the year. Still, starting on June 15, the town will once again impose voluntary restrictions on water use, even as it considers tightening rules on residential irrigation systems. Town officials say the need for conservation isn’t about a lack of rainfall, but ...

CHATHAM — On a recent morning, Sgt. Bill Massey stood outside Chatham Elementary School, greeting children as they stepped off the bus. Most gave him friendly fist-bumps, and one young girl flung her arms around him. Not a bad way to start the work day. Sgt. Massey is already a familiar face for students at Chatham Elementary and Monomoy Regional Middle School, but soon they’ll be seeing him just about ev...

CHATHAM – When Mac and Alex Hay opened their seafood company in Wellfleet in 1995, Mac drove to Chatham every day to buy freshly landed fish from Chatham Fish and Lobster. As it expanded to include several restaurants and seafood markets on the Outer Cape, Mac's Seafood continued to source much of its product from the Chatham company. Now, 23 years later, the Wellfleet Harbor Seafood Company, which owns the Ma...

CHATHAM – The Women of Fishing Families (WOFF) will sponsor the annual Blessing of the Fleet at the fish pier on Saturday, May 26 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Rev. Brian McGurk of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church and Amy Middleton of the First Congregational Church will lead the ceremony with a blessing for fishermen, their crews and their boats for a safe fishing season. There will be performances by bagpiper Sa...

CHATHAM – In 2014 a population study began aimed at getting a better sense of just how many white sharks are in the waters off Cape Cod. Since then more than 320 individual white sharks have been identified. Proving a big help to renowned shark researcher Dr. Greg Skomal and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy have been vibrant yellow buoys affixed with acoustic receivers. Not only has the time come for the f...

CHATHAMPORT — Once again this year, the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center will soon be hosting a special guest. Princess Elettra Marconi Giovanelli, daughter of the famed inventor and station founder Guglielmo Marconi, is visiting from Italy from May 30 to June 4, and will take part in a number of events at the center. The princess will visit students at Monomoy Regional Middle School on Wednesday afternoon fo...

CHATHAM — Thomas R. “Tim” Pennypacker, II, is being remembered as a caring neighbor, as the officiant at countless marriages, as a lover of local history, and as a plain-talking politician with a strong sense of duty toward his community. Mr. Pennypacker died Sunday at the age of 73, shortly after having been diagnosed with cancer. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family,” Board of Selectmen Chairm...

CHATHAM – After the state refused to allow them to build a revetment to protect their $3.9 million home, a Shore Road couple is proposing an innovative shoreline stabilization project that could serve as a state-wide model. Lisa and James McGonigle are seeking permission from the conservation commission to install a “living shoreline” at the base of the coastal bank at 498 Shore Rd. The project involves the cr...