ORLEANS – The colonial settlement of the town and its post-Revolutionary War incorporation is detailed in three new historical markers unveiled last week outside Snow Library. “There's an incredible, compelling story to tell,” said Ron Petersen, who co-chairs the Orleans Historic Markers Committee with Pat Perry. The new panels speak of the town's connection to famed Mayflower passenger Stephen Hopkins, who...

ORLEANS – Harry Truman famously complained about a “Do-Nothing Congress.” He would have loved the “Do-Everything Special Town Meeting” held Oct. 24. Acting as the town’s legislators, voters approved spending $3,228,200 through June 2017 on water quality improvement projects, $200,000 for engineering work on permits to dredge channels and rivers to increase tidal flow, and $20,000 to hire a land use consultant ...

ORLEANS — Voters at a special town meeting Monday night approved a $3.22M article to advance the town's efforts to protect water quality. The article reserves around $2.5 million for continued planning and engineering, and about $750,000 for implementing adaptive management measures and program management. The initiative passed on a 369 to 98 secret ballot vote, now goes before voters as a Proposition 2 ½ debt...

HARWICH — Jordan J. Fisher of Harwich, 19, was among five people who died in a fiery crash on Route 495 in Middleborough Monday morning, state police report . Fisher was in a vehicle with friends Kraig Diggs of Osterville, Jordan Galvin-Jutras of Hyannis, and Cory Licata of West Babylon, N.Y.  Fisher and Licata were classmates at Becker College in Worcester; Galvin-Jutras and Diggs attended Anna Maria College...

CHATHAM – TD Bank will close its branch at 693 Main St. in January. Customers were informed of the closure in a letter dated Oct. 17. Retail Market President Marion Colombo wrote that the branch office will close on Jan. 27. A call to the branch was referred to the company's corporate offices, which had not contacted The Chronicle as of Thursday afternoon. The letter encourages customers to continue to u...

The closure of Nantucket Sound to shellfishing will continue at least through Nov. 1, Chatham's shellfish warden announced late Thursday. In an email, Shellfish Constable Renee Gagne wrote, "The MA Division of Marine Fisheries has issued an update to local authorities indicating that the current shellfish area closures will continue, at minimum, through Nov. 1.  New information indicates the possible release o...

CHATHAM – The path to the election of Hillary Clinton as the next president will be much easier than that leading to a Trump presidency. The Republican Party continues to decline while the Democratic Party is growing. The two wildcards in the current political scene are the growing number of registered Independents and the Millennial voters who favor neither candidate. There is no indication of major changes that...

CHATHAM – Could the high profile that sharks have assumed here in the past few years hurt the town's reputation as a picturesque, family-friendly community? Perhaps the town should step back and consider the impact the association of great white sharks, bolstered by Discovery Channel Shark Week programs and the popular Sharks in the Park art exhibit, could have on Chatham, including property values, especially...

CHATHAM – A public hearing on a proposal to institute new waterways user fees will be held by the waterways advisory committee next Thursday, Oct. 27, at 4 p.m. at the community center. Under the proposal, all vessels moored or berthed in Chatham, using rack storage or launching from public boat ramps would be required to pay the waterways user fee. Under the proposal, the fee for resident and non-resident tax...

CHATHAM – Reconstruction of the Old Mill Boatyard bulkhead and replacement of floats will begin this week, restricting access to the facility's parking area. The boat ramp will remain open through Nov. 20, but after that will be closed, with the possible exception of some weekends. Officials urge boaters to use the Barn Hill Road ramp as an alternative, since no trailer and very limited single-vehicle parking ...

CHATHAM – Pumpkin People have invaded Kate Gould Park and will greet visitors at this Saturday's seventh annual Oktoberfest celebration, scheduled to begin at the park at 10:30 a.m. The day will feature music, food, games, and a kids' costume parade, all culminating in a 90-minute game of “Zombie Tag.” The event is organized by the Chatham Merchants Association. Entertainment begins at 10:30 a.m. with the C...

CHATHAM – In a wide ranging discussion, officials launched into preparations for the fiscal 2018 budget last week, touching on topics ranging from staffing levels to ways to fund the town's post-employment benefits obligation. If the current fiscal year is anything to go by, Chatham is doing well financially. Overall growth in property values of 3.8 percent plus higher than anticipated revenue kept the tax rat...

HARWICH — The Luce family has operated a charter boat out of Saquatucket Harbor for nearly as long as the municipal harbor has existed, but that will be coming to an end this year based on a vote of the board of selectmen Monday night to uphold provisions in the harbor management plan. Captain Bob Luce had fished from his slip in the harbor for 30 to 40 years and was a well-respected charter captain with many ...

HARWICH PORT — Parking arrangements with the two abutting property owners appear to be the issue standing between Camelot LLC's Harwich Port Plaza project and approval by the planning board. But that could be resolved in the next week. The project calls for the demolition of the four shops in the center of Harwich Port and development of a two-story mixed-use building totaling 12,400 square feet at the former ...

HARWICH — The state Department of Environmental Protection has upheld the conservation commission's decision to allow the reconstruction of the fish house on the Herring River. DEP sided with the commission in an appeal for a superseding order of conditions filed by abutters. Francis and Debra Zarette, trustees of Farm View Realty Trust, purchased the former Lucas fish house about a year ago and have been work...

EAST HARWICH — Residents could see a roundabout at the intersection of Route 39 and Pleasant Bay Road in a couple of years, Town Administrator Christopher Clark told a group of homeowners who live near the intersection during an informational meeting Tuesday afternoon. The purpose of the meeting was to solicit input from residents who live near the intersection as the town moves toward locating a roundabout th...