ORLEANS —  The owners of the Skaket Corners Shopping Plaza have withdrawn their proposal to build a nearly 10,000-square-foot new building for CVS at the corner of Route 6A and West Road. Following a lengthy meeting July 13 with the Orleans Architectural Review Committee, whose members commented extensively and unanimously on why the building did not fit with the community character the town wants to pro...

At length we stopped for the night at Higgins's tavern, in Orleans, feeling very much as if we were on a sand-bar in the ocean, and not knowing whether we should see land or water ahead when the mist cleared away. – from “Cape Cod” by Henry David Thoreau   ORLEANS — Townspeople are invited to walk in the tracks of Henry David Thoreau this summer by reading his “Cape Cod” as part of Snow Library's ...

CHATHAM -- Officials confirm that the minke whale seen feeding in Stage Harbor Thursday has died.  Its remains were located Friday morning in the Oyster River. It is not immediately clear what caused the animal's death, though it did sustain injuries apparently while diving under a pier at Old Mill Boat Yard. 18-foot minke whale that apparently didn't want to leave Stage Harbor Thursday. The adult whale was...

CHATHAM – The shark spotting season is off and running, with researchers putting eyeballs on three great white sharks last Thursday. Of the six research voyages as of Monday, sharks have been seen on five of the days. Also, seven previously tagged white sharks have been detected on acoustic receivers in Chatham and Orleans waters. Shark scientists say this is typical of the previous three years they've cond...

CHATHAM – Cockle Cove Beach has been in rough shape for some time. It's been almost two years since a significant amount of sand has been brought in to build up the eroding beach, and officials are worried that its condition could deteriorate further before a planned fall or winter dredging project at nearby Mill Creek can provide an additional buffer between Nantucket Sound and the beach parking lot. Last wee...

CHATHAM – In what has become a tradition on the Wednesday before July 4, members of the Chatham Merchants Association, artists and supporters last week helped relocate the Sharks in the Park exhibit from Kate Gould Park to the front lawn of the Eldredge Public Library. Along with the 50-plus sharks, the move also included the video monitoring equipment that has thus far recorded the theft or attempted theft of...

CHATHAM – The scene was quintessentially American and particularly Chatham: thousands of people lining Main Street, many in red, white and blue garb, flags galore, clear blue skies and a light sea breeze. A perfect July 4 for a perfect Independence Day parade.   With more than 100 entrants and some 2,000 participants, ranging from kids in mini-cars to the town's oldest resident, the parade had something f...

CHATHAM – At the Eldredge Public Library last week, University of Oregon professor and immigration expert Daniel Tichenor discussed the turbulent history of America’s often hostile attitude towards immigrants and ways in which they have contributed to the enhancement and bettering of our nation since its founding. Tichenor began by reminding the audience that we have always been reluctant to welcome immigrants...

The Chatham Chorale joined the Chatham Band at Kate Gould Park Friday, June 30, for a surprise rendition of "Look to the Day."

SOUTH HARWICH — Tom and Trish Kennedy are back in town. The IT entrepreneurs who shaped BackOffice into an internationally successful data solutions company, then sold it to a Goldman Sachs-backed investment group, are developing an innovative technology center and AppFactory at the offices of their former business that will bring dozens of new jobs to town. Last Wednesday they celebrated the opening of their ...

In 1993, it was clear that the best approach to tackling the growing problem of homelessness on Cape Cod was to prevent it from happening in the first place. With grants and services that help working families cope with life's ordinary financial emergencies, it could be possible to keep them from losing their homes. Under the leadership of the late Bob Murray, the Housing with Love Walk was born. Twenty-five y...

HARWICH — Interest continues to grow in the use of the former Harwich Middle School as a cultural center. Nearly all of the rooms on the first and second floor have been rented as artist studios, and town officials think its time to invite residents in to observe the activity. “It's a chance for residents to come in and see the operation there and the success of the cultural center concept,” Community Center D...

A member of AmeriCorps Cape Cod has been assigned to work with the Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT), the Harwich Conservation Department, and the Chatham Conservation Foundation (CCF) in 2017 and 2018, according to the organization. This AmeriCorps member, who has yet to be named, is typically a college student and will serve in Harwich for two days a week and in Chatham for one day per week. The AmeriCorps pr...

PLEASANT LAKE — Sixty-three years ago, regional and national newspaper reporters descended on sleepy Harwich for a big news story. A 16-year-old girl from Quincy, Mass., saved her family from being asphyxiated when their summer camp on Seymour Pond became filled with gas from a malfunctioning refrigerator. Sixty-three years later, the memories of that day are as fresh as ever for Patricia Evans, the heroine of...

HARWICH — The town's transfer station is fully back in operation after four days of requiring commercial trash haulers to dump in Yarmouth. The transfer station compactor and push-pit components were compromised by what appears to be electrical voltage issues. Department of Public Works Director Lincoln Hooper said the transfer station operated at limited capacity for four days while issues were examined. With...

CHATHAM ─ On a summertime afternoon John Schiffner stands at the third-base dugout fence gazing out at Veterans Field, taking a breather in between fielding text messages and phone calls that followed in a flurry after the announcement that his 2017 season as head coach of the Chatham Anglers will be his last. “It's time, for a lot of reasons,” Schiffner said. While the winningest head coach in Cape Cod B...