Almost every day I walk outdoors. Many of the places I walk are places I return to again and again for different reasons. Some are simply close by and easy choices when time is tight. Some are seasonal. I have my favorite spots for watching for spring migrants and I know where I’ll often find the first blooming mayflowers. There’s a spot where brown creepers sing and a place where big black racers stretch o...

“When you’re down and out When you’re on the street When evening falls so hard I will comfort you I’ll take your part Oh when darkness comes And pain is all around”   Paul Simon wrote “Bridge Over Troubled Water” in 1969 and he and his partner, Art Garfunkel, released the song in January 1970. The song was a huge hit and stayed at number one on the pop charts for six weeks. It was also a s...

Virus Keeps Candidate Off Ballot Editor: Under ordinary circumstances, I would have been able to get the signatures, by Thursday's (March 26) deadline, necessary to qualify as a candidate for the board of selectmen this spring, as I had back in 2008 and 2009. However, due to COVID-19, we all have been advised to practice "social distancing" which, for any of us, makes it risky to handle, or even sign, a pa...

After last summer's tornado, there was an outpouring of assistance for those unlucky enough to be caught in its path. Neighbors helped neighbors, food donations flooded emergency service providers, and there was a sense of pulling together in the face of a disaster. We've seen that before, after hurricanes and winter storms. Cape Codders look after each other. The coronavirus pandemic is a disaster on an entir...

Though it could not be confirmed through public health channels, the COVID-19 virus has apparently claimed the life of a retired priest who was affiliated with Christ Church, Harwich Port. According to the Rev. Brian McGurk, rector at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church of Chatham, the Rev. Dr. Richard Ottaway, an Episcopal priest and college professor, died Sunday night at Cape Cod Hospital as as result of COV...

Recognizing that many local residents are hurting because of the closures and other restrictions imposed by the coronavirus emergency, businesses, individuals and nonprofit organizations are stepping up to the plate to provide much-needed support and services, ranging from financial donations to supplying families with diapers and other necessities to sewing protective masks for healthcare workers. “This commu...

CHATHAM — Not surprisingly, selectmen this week officially threw their support behind the plan for a new senior center at 1610 Main St. The board recommended that town meeting pass the $8.28 million article, despite the fiscal uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. “The issues with the council on aging are not going to go away after we get through this period of emergency,” Selectman Peter Cocolis s...

CHATHAM — In the short term, new electrical equipment being installed in downtown Chatham aims to help town officials charge their new electric vehicles. But in the longer term, it’s designed to reduce the number and duration of power outages in the downtown area. John Ventura, Eversource Manager of Distribution System Engineering, spoke to selectmen last week to secure permission to install two new transforme...

CHATHAM — Voters at the next annual town meeting will be asked to reserve the town-owned house at 127 Old Harbor Rd., formerly the water department offices, for affordable housing. But it’s not clear whether any specific plan is on the table for doing so. In 1971, a special town meeting voted to accept the property as a gift from the late Marion Nickerson Ellis, with the provision that the property be designat...

HARWICH – The decision to put off a request for additional funding to complete phase two of the comprehensive wastewater management plan is creating problems for one local developer. Eastward Homes Business Trust of Chatham was issued planning board approval for the eight-lot Bascom Hollow subdivision off Route 39, to the east of the commercial district, in May 2018. Among the conditions imposed by the board o...

HARWICH — Outer Cape Health Services will be conducting all its COVID-19 testing from its Wellfleet health clinic, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Andrew Jorgenson said in a teleconference on Monday afternoon. But he expressed frustration with the lack of test kits and protective supplies available to the clinic. He explained the reason for using only one of OCHS’s three clinics is to prevent the other clinics from ...

HARWICH — With more businesses either closing their doors or reducing staff, more people are reaching out to The Family Pantry of Cape Cod and the Lower Cape Outreach Council to feed their families. Family Pantry Director Christine Menard said Monday the pantry is seeing an increase in the number of people in need of food for their families, many of whom were just laid off. There are others who have utilized t...

As the COVID19 crisis continues to impact people across the globe, students in local districts got back to the business of learning thanks to modern technology and dedicated educators in the Monomoy and Nauset school districts, as well as at the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School. Monomoy Superintendent Dr. Scott Carpenter said he began working with district administrators on remote learning several weeks ago ...

If you see a handful of kids on bicycles out and about in East Harwich, they’re not just having a good time. They’re called the East Harwich Neighbors and they’re on a mission—helping those that need it most during the region’s COVID19 crisis. For the past few weeks, roughly since schools closed, Mercy McLardy, Abby McLardy, Paul McLardy, Caleb Escher, and Autumn Escher have been dropping off fliers around the...

There was a time when Dede Trimble Griesbauer had a promising job on Wall Street. But once she began competing successfully in IronMan contests, her coach urged her to consider leaving the white-collar world behind in favor of going pro. That decision paid off mightily on Feb. 16 when Griesbauer crossed the finish line of Ultraman Florida with a record-setting time of 22:48:31, becoming the fastest female finishe...

During the COVID-19 emergency, public health officials are encouraging people to enjoy time outdoors, as long as they’re still observing social distancing precautions. But let’s face it...how many walks around the neighborhood can a person take? Enter Geocaching, the outdoor treasure hunt that allows users to explore conservation areas and other public lands, stretching their legs and exercising their brains. ...