HARWICH — Julie Bradley, well-known in the town's business community, became the first local resident to succumb to the COVID-19 virus. She passed away at home on March 28 after a brief battle with the virus. She was 59. Board of Health Director Meggan Eldredge informed selectmen of the death in the board’s meeting Wednesday night. Despite the state Department of Public Health recommending that local officials...

HARWICH — While the police department is down a couple of members, the COVID-19 pandemic has not impacted the department's operation significantly, and Police Chief David Guillemette said he considers staffing stable. Guillemette was responding to concerns raised by Selectman Michael MacAskill about the impact a spending freeze instituted by the board might have on public safety. The spending freeze applies to...

HARWICH — The annual town meeting and local elections have been moved to late June in the hope that the COVID-19 pandemic will have dissipated, and health officials will be satisfied that social distancing is no longer necessary and residents will once again feel comfortable congregating. Selectmen last week set June 22 as the date for the annual meeting, and the town election will follow on June 30. The st...

HARWICH — Julie Bradley, well-known in the town's business community, became the first local resident to succumb to the COVID-19 virus. She passed away at home on March 28 after a brief battle with the virus. She was 59. Board of Health Director Meggan Eldredge informed selectmen of the death in the board’s meeting Wednesday night. Despite the state Department of Public Health recommending that local officials...

When Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker officially closed schools until May 4 it became clear that distance learning would be the way to go, at least for the time being. While many districts scrambled to execute a way of educating students they hadn’t previously put into practice, Monomoy Schools and the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School hit the ground running, and, according to administrators, are ready to keep t...

EAST HARWICH — There will be no night sewer work on the north side of the main intersection along Route 137. Interim Town Administrator Joseph Powers recommended not going to night work given reductions in traffic associated with the COVID 19 stay-at-home restrictions. Selectmen approved the recommendation last week. Powers told selectmen he met with staff, consultants and contractor Robert B. Our Company a...

HARWICH — A freeze on non-essential spending has been put in place by selectmen in an effort to keep town costs down given the unknown financial impact the COVID-19 pandemic may have on the community. Selectmen last week expressed concern that revenues could be lost if the pandemic keeps people away from the Cape this summer. Various taxes and fees, such as the meals and hotel taxes, would likely be lower than...

Staff Reduced, Emergency Equipment In Short Supply HARWICH — Outer Cape Health Services is hoping to keep its three health clinics in operation, but this week it took the drastic step of reducing its staff by 50 percent. The COVID-19 outbreak has reduced patient visits and driven additional expenses to the point that projected revenue losses are as much as $1 million a month, according to the agency. “Betwe...

HARWICH — Last week, Natural Resources Director Heinz Proft reported more than 2,000 herring had already passed through Johnson’s Flume at the West Harwich herring run. It’s a good, early start for the annual anadromous spawning migration. The state Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) installed an electronic fish counter at Johnson’s Flume a few years ago, and it registered 1,223,211 passing in 2019, more herri...

HARWICH – The decision to put off a request for additional funding to complete phase two of the comprehensive wastewater management plan is creating problems for one local developer. Eastward Homes Business Trust of Chatham was issued planning board approval for the eight-lot Bascom Hollow subdivision off Route 39, to the east of the commercial district, in May 2018. Among the conditions imposed by the board o...

HARWICH — Outer Cape Health Services will be conducting all its COVID-19 testing from its Wellfleet health clinic, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Andrew Jorgenson said in a teleconference on Monday afternoon. But he expressed frustration with the lack of test kits and protective supplies available to the clinic. He explained the reason for using only one of OCHS’s three clinics is to prevent the other clinics from ...

HARWICH — With more businesses either closing their doors or reducing staff, more people are reaching out to The Family Pantry of Cape Cod and the Lower Cape Outreach Council to feed their families. Family Pantry Director Christine Menard said Monday the pantry is seeing an increase in the number of people in need of food for their families, many of whom were just laid off. There are others who have utilized t...