Rosemarie was born in Brookline, Mass. on Jan. 14, 1953.  She grew up in Arlington, Mass. and attended Arlington Catholic High School, Boston College and Framingham State College. Rosemarie moved to Chatham at 20 years old to join her soon-to-be husband, Robert F. Denn.  They married on Dec. 29, 1973.  Theirs was the last entry in Chatham’s 1973 list of marriages.     She worked at Chatham Town Hall in th...

CHATHAM – There's an imbalance in Chatham—economic and demographic— that the Chatham 365 task force is working to identify and find solutions to. There's an age imbalance: 14 percent of residents are 19 years old and under; 44.5 percent are 62 and older. The number of school-age students had dropped by 35 since 2010. There's an average of about 25 to 30 births in town annually, and 150 to 190 deaths. There'...

CHATHAM — Shoaling in Chatham Harbor continues to be a serious problem, with sand choking access to both the North and South Inlets. Now, mechanical problems with the new county dredge are threatening plans to dredge Stage Harbor and its approaches. Town officials say that even if dredging is impossible, the Stage Harbor entrance channel will be navigable this summer, though the passage will be narrow. The M...

WEST CHATHAM — A few hundred brave souls took a dip in Nantucket Sound Monday afternoon in the annual April Fools plunge at Harding's Beach. The air temperature was 45, the water temperature 41, and the sign mounted on a fire engine declared “Feels like: Cold!” But that didn't seem to bother the folks who stripped down to their bathing suits and jumped in the water. Several swam out to where inflatable...

The Chatham Band is a beloved 87-year-old Chatham summertime tradition.  Now, from Tom Jahnke, the band’s director since 2014, comes a children’s book about town bands. He has just published “Little Town Band: A Musical Tale,” a charming picture book illustrated by Deb Hart-Chase of Centerville. It must be said that “Little Town Band” both is and isn’t about the Chatham Band. ...

CHATHAM — Selectmen are advancing a plan to build a new shellfish upweller, floating docks and a public rest room on the small town-owned parcel at 90 Bridge St., next to the Mitchell River drawbridge. The conceptual plan they reviewed Monday evening would cost about $3.44 million to build, less than the $4.17 million projected for an earlier, more ambitious plan. Consulting engineer David Anderson of Stante...

CHATHAM –When Barbara Matteson applied for a teller's job at the Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank in 1974, she had no experience in banking. At the time she was living and working at the Dolphin Motel, and a friend suggested working “banker's hours” might make it easier for Matteson to take care of her 4-year-old son. Over the next four decades, she rarely worked “banker's hours,” but certainly found a home at...

CHATHAM – With shoaling creating difficulty in accessing the inlets in Chatham Harbor, the Coast Guard is looking for an alternative location for its rescue vessels that will provide greater flexibility. The agency has suggested creating docking space at the town-owned Old Mill Boatyard on Stage Harbor for its two 42-foot lifeboats. Currently, two of the vessels are docked at the municipal fish pier in Aunt Ly...

HARWICH — Kelpeher Farms will be allowed to expand its experimental kelp farming operation outside the Herring River to a 2.5 acre site, selectmen voted Monday night. Mark Kelleher was before selectmen seeking approval to expand the experimental kelp project he has been operating this winter in Nantucket Sound. He also asked the board to put in place aquaculture regulations that would assist in making the perm...

The plovers are back. The small shorebirds have begun returning to the area pretty much on time, according to local officials. The birds have been sighted on Nantucket Sound and Atlantic beaches, and efforts have begun to erect protective measures to help ensure a successful nesting season. Plovers have been spotted on Red River Beach, Bank Street Beach and Merkel Beach in Harwich and at the east end of Har...

HARWICH — Selectmen on Monday night revisited votes on the annual town and school district budgets, generating debate on the spending habits of the community and whether the board should take a stronger position on reducing taxes. Selectman Michael MacAskill has made his position clear, repeatedly saying the growth in the annual operating budget is unsustainable and the town needs to take a break on funding ca...

HARWICH — “Sip, Sample and Sparkle,” the theme for the 18 th Toast of Harwich, is a good characterization of the annual spring kickoff event sponsored by the chamber of commerce at the Wequassett Resort and Golf Club on Pleasant Bay.  “It's an event where people like to dress up and come out and enjoy their local restaurants, sample some wines, and see what's new,” said Chamber Executive Director Cyndi William...

HARWICH — The 2.25-mile reconstruction of Lower County Road received the endorsement of selectmen on a 3-2 vote Monday night. The project has been estimated to cost $5.5 million, but Department of Public Works Director Lincoln Hooper told the board he is anticipating bids to be much lower. Hooper told selectmen his department sees this project as the priority road improvement for the community. The project was...

HARWICH — When Tom Gagnon started work with the Harwich Police Department in 1986, the job was a bit different. Law enforcement involved less paperwork, the number of calls was much lower, and what's now known as community policing was just, well, policing. This week, Gagnon will retire as deputy chief after a 33-year career in Harwich. It’s actually been a public safety career of around 40 years for Gagnon,...

HARWICH – It was an impressive home opener for Monomoy boys varsity baseball pitcher Joe Cottle. On Monday, the junior hurler led the Sharks to a 15-0 shutout victory in which he struck out eight and only walked three. But that wasn't all. Not only was the game a shutout, but it was also a no-hitter for Cottle, who kicked off the season with a commanding all-around performance in the Sharks' April 1 outing. “H...