In “Silent Spring,” her 1962 book that started the environmental movement, Rachel Carson presented the revolutionary idea that tiny levels of common household chemicals could cause disease. More than a half-century later, and long after Carson died of breast cancer, the idea has more scientific traction than ever. The Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition (MBCC) and its research partner, the Newton-based Silen...

Albert Francis Young Jr. (Butch) Albert Francis Young Jr. (Butch), 71 passed away unexpectedly at Cape Cod Hospital on September 13. He was a lifelong Chatham resident from generations of weir/trap fishermen.  Known as “Butch” to most, he was a well-established boat builder, building fiberglass work skiffs that are still used around the Cape today. Known as “Young Built Boats” or “Butchie Boats” by the local fish...

John R. C. Lee John R. C. Lee of Petersfield England died peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016. John was survived by wife, Carolyn L. Ross and his daughters, Alison Fernandes and Carolyn Penrose. John had four grandchildren and six great grandchildren. John served in the British Army in North Africa during WWII.

After my kids graduated high school and left to pursue higher education, my wife and I discovered a truth about Cape Cod that its visitors, and some of its residents, have yet to learn: summer is busy – spring is uncertain – winter is long – but autumn is its best season. During our first post-Labor Day vacation in 1992, we learned that its benefits outweigh any drawbacks. Days may be shorter but the sunsets a...

Watching The Waters For All Editor: Friends of Chatham Waterways (FCW) would like to thank the 2016 Chatham Water Watchers for all their hard work during this year's Coastal Water Nutrient Monitoring Program. On five separate mornings this past summer, using various scientific instruments (Secchi disks, refractometers, dissolved oxygen meters and Niskins), volunteers measured water depths, clarity, salinit...

Readers will notice a few new additions to this week's paper. Along with stories focusing on Chatham and Harwich, we're including some additional coverage of the town just to the north, Orleans. There are several reasons for this move, but the most important one is that it's something that residents and businesses in Orleans have been requesting for some time. It's not something we're doing blithely, either. W...

“It’s easier to make an audience cry than to make them laugh,” says Peter Earle, director of Monty Python’s “Spamalot,” running from Oct. 6 to Nov. 13 at the Academy of Performing Arts in Orleans. “Spamalot,” a musical comedy, was adopted from the 1975 film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” a parody of the famous legend of King Arthur. The original 2005 Broadway production directed by the late Mike Nichols wo...

The community is invited to join friends and family on Thursday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. at The Chatham Orpheum for a fun evening to remember local fisherman Tom George by enjoying his favorite movie, “Jaws.” The evening will be an opportunity to honor a man who was known for his humor, kindness, generosity, sense of adventure and love of the sea while raising money for ALS ONE, a local non-profit committed to fin...

The romantic comedy-drama “Musical Chairs” will be screened at The Chatham Orpheum Theater on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m., with proceeds to benefit Adam in Chatham’s youth dance scholarship program Chance to Dance. “Musical Chairs” is a charming variation on the “Boy Meets Girl” theme, following the lives of Armando (E.J. Bonilla), who lives in the Bronx and works in his family’s restaurant, and Mia (Leah P...

This week, for the second time, I heard former pro basketball player Chris Herren talk about his battle with drug addiction. Herren, a former member of the Boston Celtics, spoke about his illness and its toll in a stirring talk at Monomoy Regional High School on Monday. While much of what Herren said struck me, one comment in particular stood out. A question he'd ask if his own kids started using illicit subst...

HARWICH ─ Thanks to an unprecedented display of athleticism, the 2016 Harwich Cranberry Harvest Half Marathon will be one for the history books. Each of the top three men's runners – Jim Spisak, Amos Sang, and Glarius Rop – soundly broke the record for fastest Cape Cod half marathon set in 1991 by Larry Bartholomew. Bartholomew claimed victory in the Hyannis half marathon with a finish time of 1:06:56, which...

HARWICH ─ Though the Monomoy boys golf team didn't clinch the Cape and Islands League crown, they've got their sights set on the South Sectional Championship, and with the team's top three packing a punch on the links, it's possible the team will add another trophy to the high school case. Last week the Sharks suffered a challenging loss to Sturgis West, falling 128-148. But other matches this season have be...

HARWICH — The FY18 budget message presented to Town Administrator Christopher Clark by selectmen states clearly the board's directive to stay within the limits of Proposition 2½, and to assist in doing so, the board is discouraging new hires and increased hours for part-time employees. “I view this as the most important document the board of selectmen votes in the year,” Selectman Peter Hughes said. Selectm...

HARWICH — “It's a complicated dance,” Monomoy Regional High School teacher Richard Houston told selectmen Monday night of opinions in favor and against Question 2 on the election ballot being disseminated in 30 second commercials on television and radio. The ballot question seeks to expand the number of charter schools that would be allowed in the commonwealth. Approval of the question would give the state Boa...

HARWICH — The pet cemetery approved by voters for 2.25 acres of town-owned land along Queen Anne Road is showing a little life, with department of public works employees using a Bobcat to clear brush from the lot. “We trying to get the lay of the land, find out what the topography is there,” Cemetery Administrator Robbin Kelley said of the work taking place last Thursday. Voters approved the use of the land...

HARWICH — Saturday will be a busy day around the Route 124 overpass of Route 6, as state and local officials, together with the Bridges for the Fallen organization, dedicate the bridge to fallen World War II pilot U.S. Navy Lieutenant Junior Grade Ralph Wallace Burns. The 10 a.m. dedication is anticipated to draw a large crowd at the commuter parking lot near the bridge, where the ceremony will be held. With l...