FIRST NIGHT UPDATE Dec. 31, 2:30 p.m. CHATHAM — Due to anticipated rain and wind, tonight's midnight fireworks have been canceled.  The fireworks at Veterans Field after the 6 p.m. Noise Parade will go off as planned.  Main First Night story: With button sales just starting to pick up momentum, people are gearing up for the town’s famous First Night celebration on New Year’s Eve. The pieces are in ...

Even before it's finalized, the fiscal 2020 Monomoy Regional School District budget is projected to run a deficit of nearly $1 million. Superintendent of Schools Scott Carpenter told the school committee last week that the preliminary budget is up 5.25 percent over this year's $39 million spending plan, but because of several factors, the assessments to Chatham and Harwich will increase by 6.09 percent. The in...

CHATHAM — By order of selectmen, town groundskeepers will no longer use glyphosate, the active ingredient in herbicides like Roundup, to control weeds in parks, athletic fields, mulch beds and along walkways. The board’s vote Monday came at the request of Laura Kelley of the group Protect Our Cape Cod Aquifer (POCCA), who has argued against the use of pesticides that might contaminate the region’s shallow gr...

CHATHAM – A video of a sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck in its nostril has galvanized Monomoy Regional Middle School students to work toward eliminating straws in the school's cafeteria. Members of the school's garden club and animal rights club recently brainstormed ways to increase awareness among students of the pollution caused by plastic straws as well as convincing school officials to replace plasti...

CHATHAM — Finding health insurance coverage isn’t just expensive, it’s confusing. And with news headlines about challenges to the federal Affordable Care Act, it can be all the more confounding. Adding to the stress, there’s a deadline of Jan. 23 for Massachusetts residents to enroll in a new plan or to change plans. There’s a new resource for local families who are trying to get coverage or change plans dur...

CHATHAM — When the state funeral was held for President George H.W. Bush recently, a man with Chatham roots helped provide a proper military tribute. Carlton Eldridge serves with the U.S. Army as part of the Third U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard; one of the unit's key duties is to fire artillery salutes at funerals. “We fired a 21-gun salute for his state funeral,” Eldridge said. “The last sta...

CHATHAM — With more coastal flooding virtually certain in the weeks and months ahead, residents of the Little Beach neighborhood are asking for federal help. On Friday, they will make the case that the neighborhood should be designated a disaster area. In late November, the officers of the Little Beach Association sent a letter to Gov. Charlie Baker asking for a disaster declaration, acknowledging the rep...

HARWICH – Oh, how the time did fly. Just two weeks ago, after sharing Thanksgiving dinners and collecting nearly two weeks worth of memories, it was time for students from Vigo, Spain to enjoy one last event with their Monomoy Regional High School counterparts before hopping back across the pond for home. For the second year, MRHS students hosted a group of students from Spain, during which there were visits t...

CHATHAM – The owners of the iconic house at 233 Seaview St., which overlooks Shore Road and Chatham Harbor, last week asked the historical commission to lift an 18-month demolition delay imposed last April. Owners Ronald and Ann Cami have agreed to retain the central core of the structure, built in 1927, but at a hearing Dec. 4 the commission asked to see revised plans before it formally lifts the demolition d...

CHATHAM – For more than two years, town officials, neighbors and Chatham Bars Inn have wrangled over the use of two inn-owned properties on Chatham Bars Avenue. After prolonged negotiations and a court-ordered remand, it appears as if all sides have agreed on the future of the properties. Last week the zoning board of appeals approved a special permit to allow the former bowling alley at 45 Chatham Bars Ave. t...

CHATHAM — Bids have been opened from contractors hoping to build the new observation deck at the fish pier, and for town officials, it was like an early holiday gift. The low bid for the job, which includes the replacement of aging fuel tanks, is $1.48 million, about $400,000 less than expected. With a conservative contingency fund, the total project cost is expected to be $1,628,540. The winning bidder is W...

CHATHAM – In early June, while ramping up for the busy summer season, the staff at the Chatham Historical Society's Atwood House and Museum learned that within weeks, one of the largest donations the museum has received in several years would be arriving. “It happened very quickly,” said Executive Director Danielle Jeanloz. The donation came from Sears Atwood Eldredge, a Chatham native now living in St. Pau...