Thirty years ago, the ocean broke through North Beach opposite Chatham Lighthouse.  Today, the effects of the inlet that formed soon after are still being felt.  Watch this Chronicle video to learn more.    

CHATHAM – The Avis Chase cottages in the Old Village, vacant for the past two seasons, may once again host visitors from Philadelphia this summer. In a decision handed down last month, the Massachusetts Appeals Court reversed a Barnstable Superior Court decision awarding the three properties to the Young Women's Christian Association of Boston. The Boston organization had sued the Young Women's Christian Assoc...

 See a photo gallery of Chatham's 26th annual First Night activities here.

CHATHAM – An iconic windmill that's been a landmark along the town's eastern shoreline for nearly 90 years will be preserved, although in a new location. The process is underway to move the windmill at 66 Briggs Way, constructed as a summer cottage in about 1930, onto neighboring property owned by the grand niece of Herbert Briggs, the man who built the windmill cottage and two other homes in the area. The ...

CHATHAM – On Jan. 2, 1987, Cape Cod was engulfed in a fierce northeaster. Winds gusted to 68 miles per hour, driving an eight- to 12-foot storm surge, adding to tides already unusually high due to a full moon and a rare celestial alignment called syzygy. When the afternoon high tides sent waves crashing over a narrow section of North Beach opposite Chatham Light, few anticipated that the impact of the “breakth...

CHATHAM – A proposal to require that all letters sent to boards, committees and commissions be read out loud at public hearings was rejected by the board of selectmen last week. The board declined to include a general bylaw amendment regarding the reading of correspondence at public hearings on the warrant of the Jan. 23 special town meeting. A majority of board members felt the bylaw impinged on the rights of...

PLEASANT LAKE ─ The Cape Cod Tech school building committee has voted, and their decision has Superintendent Bob Sanborn cautiously excited. On Nov. 30, after debating a number of possibilities regarding the aging Pleasant Lake facility, the committee voted unanimously to pursue a new building, with a current cost estimate of $143 million. The decision came when it was learned that the difference in cost ...

HARWICH — Having served 23 years with the Harwich Police Department, Donna Idman Tavano has an admission to make. As much as she loved her job, her coworkers and the citizens she served, work was getting in the way of her other interests. So with as little fanfare as possible, she retired from the department late last month. Over the years, Tavano served as a special officer, a dispatcher, a records clerk an...

HARWICH — Allen Harbor Marine Service will be celebrating its 90 th year in business this year, and it will do so under new ownership but with a familiar face at the helm. Longtime general manager Craig LeBlanc purchased the real estate connected with the business last week. “I plan to carry on the legacy of the (Nichols) family,” LeBlanc said of the marina's 90 years of service to the community. “There wi...

HARWICH — Low water levels and sand deposits at the sluiceways in the headwater ponds of the Herring River made it a challenge for fry to make their way to the ocean this fall. Fisheries officials observed juvenile fish seeking a route to Nantucket Sound as late as early December. In response, a unique solution has been developed to prevent sand from blocking fishways. Natural Resources Department Director ...

HARWICH — Aurore “Rorie” Zuzick sailed her first boat on Long Pond as a kid growing up. As she studied the dynamics of wind against sails, little did she realize how far it take her. Today she is a naval architect providing major technological guidance for ships like the USS Zumwalt, a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer and the nation's most technically advanced warship. Zuzick specializes in computational flu...

HARWICH ─ In the family that is Cape Cod basketball, Jordan Fisher was not only well known, but also beloved, not only for his love of the game, but for his infectious grin and a friendly personality that won him much respect. This weekend, Fisher, who tragically lost his life in a car accident in October, will be honored in the first Jordan Fisher Memorial Basketball Tournament, happening Saturday at the commu...

HARWICH ─ Field hockey has been a lifelong passion for Monomoy senior Marina Small, who proved a formidable player for the Sharks during her tenure at the high school. Now, after formally signing her letter of intent, Small is taking her talents to Westfield State, where she's looking forward to joining the Owls in some fierce competition. Small first picked up a hockey stick when she was in kindergarten, ap...

It was a struggle, but with support from dozens of Cape Cod Chronicle readers – and a remarkable last-minute donation from an anonymous contributor – the 2016 “Helping Neighbors” campaign to benefit the Family Pantry met its fundraising goal. With the tally still about $4,000 short, the secret donor pledged the funds necessary to bring the campaign to its $60,000 target. The contributor, identified only as a N...

CHATHAM — In what promises to be a memorable evening, the Chatham Orpheum Theater will hold a special screening of the new feature film “Patriots Day” on Jan. 13 as part of a fundraiser for the Arrendondo Family Foundation. The evening features a reception and post-show question and answer session with authors Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge. The two wrote the bestselling book “Boston Strong,” the inspiration f...

CHATHAM – The following council on aging events are scheduled during January. Most take place at the Stony Hill Road senior center and require registration or reservations. Transportation is available for most programs. For information or to register, call the COA at 508-945-5190. Monday, Jan. 9, CCRTA Travel Training Presentation, 10:30 a.m. Paula George from the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority will be do...