HARWICH — People have a hard time talking about death and dying and discussing plans for the inevitable. So the Council On Aging has taken steps to encourage such discussion, not in the form of grief support or counseling, but in a more informal fashion. Kevin Grunwald, MSW, social service coordinator at the COA, facilitates the Death Cafe, a group-directed discussion of death with no specific agenda. Using...

PLEASANT LAKE — Two men face a variety of charges stemming from an alleged shooting that police say followed a drug deal gone wrong Monday. Police say a 21-year-old man from Harwich had arranged to purchase an unknown quantity of marijuana from two other men at the commuter parking lot on Route 124 just before 6:30 p.m. Monday. “The drug deal went wrong and turned violent, which resulted in the suspect sh...

HARWICH — The Harwich Farmers' Market was in full swing last week, led by the Cape Cod Chamber Ensemble. There will be plenty of other opportunities to dance alongside fresh produce into early October; the market will be open every Thursday. The town's agricultural committee, in cooperation with the Harwich Historical Society, sponsors the Farmers' market on the grounds of Brooks Academy. Local farmers provide...

HARWICH — After five months of deliberation, the appeals board last week approved the 40B comprehensive permit for Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod's project off Route 28 in West Harwich on a 3-2 vote. The approval paves the way for the creation of an eight-lot subdivision on 2.46 acres, of which six lots will provide affordable homeownership dwellings. The two lots along Route 28 will eventually be held in se...

HARWICH — The message was clear Monday night: the town will need more money to do the preservation work at Brooks Free Library. Two recent bid submissions have come in well over the $490,000 the town has dedicated to the project. “We're going to need more money to do this project and we don't have that money floating around,” Town Administrator Christopher Clark told selectmen. That position was supported b...

HARWICH — The conservation commission has issued fines to Francis Zarette, owner of the fish house along the Herring River, for work done outside the emergency order the commission approved in January to shore up the structure. The commission also issued its approval of the after-the-fact filing for the emergency structural work and site improvements, though there was opposition to that approval and an effort ...

HARWICH — Everyone had something to celebrate at the National Health Center Week legislative breakfast Aug. 16. The Community Health Center of Cape Cod held a grand reopening of its expanded Bourne office just the night before. The Duffy Health Center of Hyannis reported on its new program to cure Hepatitis C. And the event's host, Outer Cape Health Services, showed off its new space, much of it still under ...

HARWICH — Senior health inspector Meggan Eldredge has been named to replace Paula Champagne as the town's new health director. Selectmen on Monday night confirmed the appointment made by Town Administrator Christopher Clark. Eldredge has served in the Harwich Health Department for nearly five years. Clark told selectmen she has more than18 years of experience. “It's nice to see an internal promotion as well...

HARWICH — The Saquatucket Harbor waterside dredging and reconstruction project will be moving forward this fall, but no decision has been made at this point on whether the town will proceed with the landside project based on the bids opened last week. Selectmen on Monday night voted to award the waterside reconstruction project to BTT Marine Construction of East Boston, the low bidder. In doing so, selectmen a...

HARWICH — The last time viewers watched fireworks associated with the Harwich Cranberry Festival was a soggy Friday night in September 2008 along Red River Beach. This year, the tradition is being revived through the efforts of the Harwich Chamber of Commerce. “The Harwich Chamber of Commerce is the organizing and coordinating group for this long tradition in partnership with the Harwich Cranberry Festival,...

HARWICH — The town received several competitive bids for the Saquatucket Harbor marine side reconstruction project expected to begin in October. Two of the base bids were within the $7 million appropriation approved in the May for the project. There were seven bids filed with base bids ranging from $6.8 to $9.1 million. There were three alternates also provided in the bid package. The low bidder was BTT Marine...

For years, local youngsters have enjoyed hands-on lessons in biology, climate science and ecology thanks to programs sponsored by the nonprofit Friends of Pleasant Bay. Soon, they'll be getting those lessons out on the bay itself, on a custom-built floating classroom. The 35-foot-long pontoon boat is being designed by South Carolina-based American Pontoon and is expected to be built this fall and winter. If al...