The country is divided. The political atmosphere has never been so divisive. Civil society is falling apart, and our democracy is in peril. This is what we've been hearing for months in the lead up to this week's midterm elections. It's the picture being presented by pundits in both the mainstream and fringe media and what politicians from the top on down have been spewing. While it may be true that Congress i...

It is the season of the celebrated pumpkin, in one story a Cinderella coach, in reality a perfect vehicle to transport us from the jack o’lantern to the cornucopia centerpiece. A pumpkin is a gourd, squash, vegetable or fruit, depending on which reference material you choose to employ, always the diva of every bountiful autumnal display, resplendent in traditional orange, buttery warm white, and even trendy green...

Clarifies Marconi CPA Grants Editor: In Michael Tompsett’s response (“Many Benefits of CPA,” Oct. 11) to my letter (“Ideas To Encourage More Families,” Oct. 4), he appears to have missed my point and has further misrepresented a critical fact.  While his recitation of recent CPA funds expended for affordable housing is no doubt accurate, they represent sunk costs which have not significantly furthered the o...

We don't know if election endorsements from newspapers, ours or any others, do any good, especially given the way most people regard the press today. There's not a lot to say about local races anyway, as there are few that are contested on the Tuesday, Nov. 6 ballot. All of the contests are for state or county office. The latter is growing more and more anachronistic. That's why we think Harwich resident Leo Cako...

Larry Marsland, executive director of the Lower Cape Outreach Council, speaking recently at the Federated Church of Orleans, made two comments that caught my attention. Many Council clients work in jobs that pay $8 to $12 an hour, inadequate to meet the cost of living on Cape Cod. Furthermore, even after they attain greater earning power thanks to programs the LCOC offers, they may not find housing that is afford...

The Housing Assistance Corporation's report released this week, “Housing on Cape Cod: The High Cost of Doing Nothing,” makes a solid case for the need to increase the stock of year-round housing on the Cape for middle to higher income local residents. While many local communities have concentrated on eking out a small but steady stream of affordable housing units – certainly not enough, as Chatham's recent housin...

Many Help Make House Tour Successful Editor: On behalf of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, we want to thank all who participated and supported our House Tour held on Oct. 6.    It truly was a community event, with local businesses showcasing flyers or signs, the Chatham Orpheum advertising in their pre-show, St. Christopher’s Gift and Consignment  Shop and Puritan selling tickets, The Chronicle publicizi...

This week The Chronicle lost a member of its extended family. Sheila Smith was a longtime advertising manager who helped grow the newspaper during the 1980s and '90s, a time when the publication was finding its niche and establishing itself as an indispensable part of the local community. Sheila helped the paper do that because she was an indispensable part of the community. She spent most of her youth in Orleans...

“We’re having a heat wave A tropical heat wave The temperature’s rising It isn’t surprising”   “Having a Heat Wave” was written by Irving Berlin in 1933 for the Broadway musical “As Thousands Cheer.” It was introduced by Ethel Waters and has been recorded many times since then. Our Earth is, in fact, having a heat wave. The impact is being felt all over the globe. The subjects of climate change ...

The Monday after Labor Day, when I found my father’s truck missing from his driveway, I had been planning on spending the day editing video mostly. The car that was parked in front of his house when I arrived was unfamiliar. Late model import sedan – an import – dark blue. Not the white Ford Ranger used in the family landscaping business that sits right outside his kitchen table window in West Chatham. The Mea...

Roar Out To Supporters Editor: On behalf of the Chatham-Nauset Lions, I extend a hearty roar of thanks to the following places of business that supported our seventh annual Pancake Breakfast: Chatham Village Market, Friends’ Marketplace in Orleans, Stop & Shop in Orleans, Star Markets in Harwich, Harwich Port and Orleans. Their generosity enabled us to substantially increase our club’s scholarship fund....

Cash figures in two stories in this week's paper. First, the town of Chatham has backed away from a plan to accept only credit and debit cards and checks for payments at the transfer station. There was an undercurrent of unhappiness about the idea that cash wouldn't be accepted to pay for disposal of items like mattresses and electronics. We understand the town's position – the transfer station handles more th...