CHATHAM – Between fiscal years 2018 and 2019, use of the town's online bill paying system increased by 60 percent. The figure is likely to increase with the introduction of a new system that allows people to pay more bills online with fewer fees. Beginning with the next round of water bills, scheduled to be issued in the next week or two, residents and property owners will be able to pay free of charge with el...

Nauset Beach from the parking lot south will be closed to vehicles beginning Friday, May 31 at noon due to unfledged piping plover chicks in the vicinity of the ORV corridor. The town's natural resources staff announced the closure Wednesday afternoon, saying they will continue to monitor the situation daily and open the trails as soon as possible under a state permit that allows vehicle access with escorts on...

CHATHAM – When Monomoy Regional Middle School students want a drink of water, they visit the nearest hallway fountain or turn on the tap. When students in Kenya want a drink of water, they have to walk, sometimes many miles. To help ease their situation, MRMS students are raising funds through their first Walk to Water event with the goal of creating a water station near a school in Kenya. According to MRMS li...

Charter Review Group At Odds Over Allegations CHATHAM – Members of the charter review committee are at odds over an allegation of Open Meeting Law violations, with some members finding the complaint valid while others calling it “garbage” and “preposterous.” “At no point in time has this committee in my opinion done anything except bend over backwards to try to adhere to open public process,” said committee...

Each community in Massachusetts publishes an annual town report, usually about the time of the annual town meeting. The reports cover the previous year and contain a wealth of information and statistics that provide insight into how towns operate, municipal priorities and the people who make local government work. The Chatham, Harwich and Orleans reports for 2018 have all arrived—Chatham was the last one, beco...

YARMOUTHPORT — In 20 years as head of Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod, Vicki Goldsmith of Harwich has seen political and public support for affordable housing ebb and flow. But as she looks forward to her retirement in December, Goldsmith is as optimistic as ever. “There’s been such an upsurge in energy from the towns,” she said. More towns have established housing trusts to help them purchase property when...

CHATHAM — Amid the bustle of the holiday weekend, more than 100 people paused Monday to remember those who died in service to the nation. The U.S. Coast Guard’s honor guard takes its place in Monday’s Memorial Day observance. “This is not just another three-day weekend,” said SPC Ted Miller, U.S. Army, Ret....

CHATHAM — Amid the bustle of the holiday weekend, more than 100 people paused Monday to remember those who died in service to the nation. The U.S. Coast Guard’s honor guard takes its place in Monday’s Memorial Day observance. “This is not just another three-day weekend,” said SPC Ted Miller, U.S. Army, Ret....

Following Shark Barrier Loss At Town Meeting CHATHAM — The message from voters at the annual town meeting was clear: Chatham shouldn’t be spending money on shark detection and mitigation at Oyster Pond Beach. But with swimming lessons starting up soon, selectmen are wondering what might still be done to improve safety for beachgoers. “Is there anything else we can do for Oyster Pond?” Selectman Peter Cocolis ...

CHATHAM – Voters in the annual election last Thursday approved borrowing $7.1 million for the next phase in the town's comprehensive wastewater management plan. The town is nine years into the 20-year first phase of the wastewater plan. Work previously completed or authorized, including last week’s approval, amounts to sewering about 20 to 25 percent of the town, according to Natural Resource Director Robert Dun...

CHATHAM — A week after town meeting voters rejected it, the proposal to build a new senior center could soon be making a comeback. A revised plan—likely on a different parcel of land—could be back before voters as early as this summer. “I think we all kind of agree generally we have to move ahead,” Selectman Peter Cocolis said Monday. “I believe that we need a new council on aging building.” Delaying the pro...

Named Mercy Otis Warren Cape Cod Woman Of The Year CHATHAM — Saddened by an act of violence at a women’s clinic in Brookline, Juliet Bernstein decided to organize a candlelight vigil in front of the Eldredge Public Library, and asked selectmen for permission to do so. When the board denied her request, Bernstein went ahead anyway, asserting her constitutional right and giving the town fathers a well-deserved...