CHATHAM – Call it the first post-COVID parade. That seemed to be the sentiment among the thousands who lined the route of Monday's much-anticipated Independence Day procession. Crowds were nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, and there were more than 72 entrants in the parade, not the most ever but an improvement over last year's limited event.   Many of the entries capitalized on the theme of “Chatham:...

Even though Chatham has gone farther than most Cape towns in implementing protections for old buildings, the town is still losing its historic heritage at an alarming rate. Elsewhere on the Cape, the situation is even more dire. The mission of Protect Our Past, a nonprofit group formed in 2019, is to create media that shines a light on the gradual erosion of the region's built environment. It aims to use films...

CHATHAM — Last Thursday, flanked by his family, fellow officers and the department’s past leaders and their families, Michael Anderson took his oath of office and became the town’s chief of police. Even as he paid homage to his predecessors in the department’s 100-year history, Anderson said he is committed to modern policing that is transparent, accountable, empathetic and effective. After having been sworn i...

NORTH CHATHAM — At a time when gun violence seems to be in the headlines almost every day, local schools have been hosting active shooter training and lockdown drills. But a new partnership considers an equally horrifying possibility: a violent intruder at a nursing home. On June 21, Broad Reach Healthcare hosted public safety officials for a “tabletop exercise” exploring how officials would respond to a hypot...

NORTH CHATHAM — When it comes to finding ways to protect swimmers, surfers and boaters from shark encounters, a real-time white shark detection system is the holy grail for public safety officials. While such a system remains elusive, researchers are gaining useful insights that bring them closer to someday achieving that goal. “This is the basic question we’re trying to answer: the when, where and how do whit...

CHATHAM - Here's a brief video of highlights from Monday's Independence Day parade. Watch this week's edition for photos and a list of parade winners.  

Led Firefighters, Guided Airport, Welcomed Visitors CHATHAM — The sudden death of Richard “Dick” Hunter Sunday morning has left a wide circle of friends reeling, and the Chatham Fire Department in mourning. Mr. Hunter was a career firefighter who rose to the rank of deputy chief, and was the longtime chairman of the Chatham Airport Commission. He was actively involved in civic life up to the time of his dea...

WEST CHATHAM — For many people, finding an affordable place to live and raise their children on Cape Cod can seem like an impossible dream. But for the two families who will be purchasing new Habitat for Humanity homes in West Chatham, those dreams are becoming reality. Those prospective homeowners, screened by Habitat and chosen by lottery, helped raise the first walls of their new houses in an emotional cere...

CHATHAM – Last year, the town managed to pull off an almost-normal Independence Day parade, despite COVID still being present in the community. With levels of infection even lower this year, officials anticipate record-breaking crowds for the July 4 tradition. And the number of parade participants has almost reached its pre-pandemic level, according to Independence Day Parade committee chair Justin Bohannon. A...

CHATHAM — Thanks to a newly installed temporary treatment system removing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), one of the two Training Field Road public water wells is back online. While that provides some relief to the town’s over-stressed water system, abnormally dry conditions mean that mandatory water conservation measures are still important, town officials say. The select board last week issued re...

CHATHAM — In a perennial game of whack-a-mole, town officials ban parking in unsafe areas, only to see parking congestion appear in new neighborhoods. To try and break that cycle, the town will recruit an expert to take a broad look at the parking shortage around Chatham, with an eye toward finding fixes in time for the summer of 2023. Assembled at the direction of the select board in February, the working gro...

Young Humpback Fouled In Fishing Gear CHATHAM — Thanks to a cooperative effort from two marine conservation groups, a young humpback whale has a chance at growing old. Shark spotters with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy are credited with reporting the whale calf in trouble off Chatham last Tuesday. The calf had a black rope caught in its mouth and a large tangle of rope around its tail when rescuers fr...