CHATHAM – Carolyn Wass has wanted to vote in a political election for some time, and now, after becoming an American citizen, she can and couldn’t be more excited, even if the ceremony was far more understated than is typical due to the ongoing pandemic. Wass’s son was the first in the family to obtain US citizenship some time ago. His ceremony was held at Mechanics Hall in Worcester where he was one of at lea...

CHATHAM – The two incumbent Monomoy Regional School Committee members beat back two challengers to win new terms in Thursday's annual town election. Nancy Scott and Jacqueline Zibrat-Long were re-elected to new three-year terms, outdistancing Robert Hessler and Elizabeth Taylor. Scott received the most votes, 366, one vote more than Zibrat-Long. Hessler received 201 votes and Taylor 174. Scott said she was ...

CHATHAM – A woman wearing a face mask walked into a downtown restaurant and heard a quack. No, that's not the setup for a joke. It's what one local resident related happened to her last week, saying she felt ridiculed for wearing a mask, even though a board of health order makes face coverings mandatory downtown. Heading into the July 4 holiday weekend, the number of visitors to town is rising and officials...

CHATHAM – The two incumbent Monomoy Regional School Committee members beat back challenges to win new terms in Thursday's annual town election. Nancy Scott and Jacqueline Zibrat-Long were re-elected to new three-year terms, outdistancing Robert Hessler and Elizabeth Taylor. Scott was the top vote getter in the race with 366, one vote more than Zibrat-Long. Hessler received 201 votes and Taylor 174. A total ...

CHATHAM — A new shellfish upweller building and multi-purpose waterfront facility on Bridge Street will almost certainly cost more than the town anticipated several years ago. But to get closer to knowing exactly how much more, selectmen last week voted to spend another $200,000 in engineering funds. While critics of the project say the town should be reining in spending given the pandemic, supporters say a st...

CHATHAM – This year's Art in the Park exhibit will go forward with “pods” of decorated whales socially distanced for safety. About 50 five-foot whales will be spread throughout Kate Gould Park beginning on July 3. They will remain on display through Aug. 21. “It's a little bit of normalcy” on Main Street in a summer that has seen the cancellation of the July 4 parade and Friday night band concerts, said Sel...

It was certainly not a traditional last day of school. On Monday, dozens of Chatham Elementary School families, safely ensconced in their own vehicles, lined up for a “last day of school parade.” Led by School Resource Officer William Massey, students and their families drove past teachers who waved and cheered and said farewell to their students for the summer. The Chatham Fire Department sounded horns and hu...

CHATHAM – It appears as if the only way to enjoy a parade in town on July 4 this year will be virtually. While the town's Independence Day parade committee is continuing to collect contributions for a video honoring the July 4 holiday, plans to hold a boat parade in Chatham Harbor that were announced last week have been cancelled. Chatham Bars Inn put out a call to boaters to participate in a July 4 “Red, W...

CHATHAM – A second round of applications, with an increased assistance cap, has resulted in a surge of requests for help from the Chatham Coronavirus Impact Fund. Last week saw 33 applications approved and a total of $42,388 disbursed from the fund set up to help Chatham residents suffering economically because of the pandemic. Based on those numbers, “there's quite a lot of need out there,” said fund founder ...

Voters Quickly Approve Budget, Postpone Senior Center CHATHAM – In his three-plus decades as town moderator, William Litchfield acknowledged, he's sometimes been accused of being “out in left field.” “In fact, finally, tonight I am,” he said during Monday evening's annual town meeting, held in the outfield at Veterans Field. With 202 mostly masked voters social distanced across the field, the town held i...

CHATHAM – Monday saw two historic firsts: the first annual town meeting held outdoors, and the quickest meeting in recent memory. As fog drifted in and out of Veterans Field in typical Chatham fashion, 202 voters acted on a pared-down warrant with little debate, passing operating, school, water and capital budgets while postponing other significant — and potentially controversial — measures until a planned fal...

CHATHAM — A working group has issued its recommendation on creating a one-way traffic pattern downtown to allow better social distancing for pedestrians: scrap the idea. Instead, the 18-member group recommended leaving current traffic patterns in place, but creating three small no parking zones to allow pedestrians to stay distant from one another by stepping off the sidewalk when necessary to pass other...