HARWICH — The dispute between The Port Restaurant and Bar and the abutting Perks Coffee Shop and Beer Garden became a little more fractious this past week, with 541 Main Street LLC, The Port, filing suit in state Land Court challenging the planning board’s issuance of a site plan special permit for Perks. This is the second challenge The Port, managed by Justin and Jared Brackett, has filed in the past few wee...

HARWICH — Brooks Academy Museum will celebrate the 175 th birthday of the historic Brooks Academy building with its seasonal opening Sunday. Native son Sidney Brooks supervised the construction of the building, completed in 1844, which initially served as the Pine Grove Seminary. Today the building belongs to the town of Harwich and is operated as a museum by the Harwich Historical Society. Sunday's opening w...

HARWICH — Selectmen agreed Monday night to establish an ad hoc noise containment committee to develop a policy designed to prevent noise from outdoor entertainment venues in commercial districts from disturbing people living in adjacent residential neighborhoods. Residents who live in and around Harwich Port are especially concerned about the increased volume of music emanating beyond the business district. Ov...

HARWICH — The cemetery commission this past week voted to return the 2.25 acre parcel that had been approved for a pet cemetery on Queen Anne Road to the board of selectmen. That action puts to rest the year-long battle among factions in town over whether a municipal government should be involved in such an enterprise. There has been considerable debate about whether the town did due diligence in developing a ...

HARWICH – It's been a winning run so far for the Monomoy girls softball team, though not without a little worry thrown in for good measure. The Sharks defeated Wareham 3-2 in the first round and Bellingham 2-0 in the quarterfinals. The Wareham Vikings gave the Sharks pause on June 6 when they struck first in the first round game of the MIAA Div. 3 South Sectional playoffs, but Monomoy remained determined and c...

ORLEANS – In an otherwise scoreless outing, a two-run homer made all the difference for the Orleans Firebirds, who won their Cape League home opener against Bourne on June 10 with a final score of 2-0. The first game of the 2019 season got under way promptly at 7 p.m. at Eldredge Park with Orleans southpaw Adam Seminaris taking the mound for the home team, quickly striking out Bourne's leadoff batter Ernie Yak...

CHATHAM – Alana Lojko wasn't sure about the snacks on the plate in front of her, an assortment that seemed to be something out of a horror film: Mexican-spiced mealworms, taco seasoned crickets, and sour cream and onion crickets. But rather than a freaky moment in a B-movie, the bugs were actual edibles, and could soon become a food staple, one with myriad benefits, according to scientists. Bringing the edible...

David Mamet’s 2009 play “Race” doesn’t waste time sidestepping difficult topics—almost immediately posing the question, “What would you say to a black man about the subject of race?” Even though the legal drama is 10 years old, its subject matter is highly relevant today. The fast-paced, 90-minute story focuses on Charles Strickland (Bill Mootos), a wealthy, middle-aged white man who has been accused ...

Creative Arts Center Celebrates 50 th Anniversary The unassuming building at 154 Crowell Rd. in Chatham hides what is perhaps the most vibrant, active arts center on the Lower Cape. If it weren't for the brightly colored sign out front—recently given a new, brilliant color scheme—The Creative Arts Center could easily be mistaken for a real estate or doctor's office. Which, over the past half century, have ...

The story of life on the Lower Cape is, and always has been, about water. Years ago, our waterways sustained generations of fishermen, whalers, merchant seamen and others, and they still fuel the economy today. People come to the Cape to be near the water, and that drives the visitor industry and the real estate market. The surge of residential development that began in the 1960s and continues today is undercu...

Harwich Faces Serious Traffic Problems Editor: As a Harwich resident using Route 124, Route 39 and Oak Street, I am reminded daily of two intersections that need to be monitored and supervised. Oak Street is heavily traveled through out the year. The volume and speed of traffic turning onto and off of Oak at Route 39 pose problems in terms of traffic flow and, more importantly, safety. Consider that this...

It really is almost summer. As much as we relish its positive virtues, we dread the perils: endless streams of traffic and never-ending supermarket register lines. Live here for a few years, you learn how to cope; right turns only, and shop early morning or late at night. We’ve traded constant winter road construction for seemingly suicidal clusters of colorfully clad cyclists. But there is one road hazard...

The nominating period for the Age Forward Employer Awards has been extended to Monday, July 1, says Laura H. Roskos, senior community services employment program director with Elder Services of Cape Cod and the Islands (ESCCI). For the second time this fall, MassHire Cape and Islands Workforce Board and Career Center, in partnership with ESCCI, will give awards to workplaces that are senior friendly. The Age F...

EASTHAM – When Benten Niggel first came to Cape Cod, it was as a timid three-year-old recently adopted after several years in foster care. On June 8, Niggel, president of Nauset Regional High School’s Class of 2019, became one of 240 graduates of the school, grateful for the journey that saw him through his formative years and which will encourage him to soar as he heads to Harvard University in the fall. “The...

ORLEANS — Maybe this would be easier if Orleans had never split from Eastham in 1797. Instead, two boards of selectmen rather than one will meet again at the Eastham Public Library, on June 24 at 5:30 p.m., to try to find a way forward on dredging Nauset estuary. The shoaled-up estuary is a hazard to recreational and commercial navigation, almost as problematic as two captains trying to steer the same ship. ...