A bright light went out in Wellfleet when Steve Durkee died on June 11, at noon. He died peacefully, quickly, painlessly and at home; this was exactly what he wanted and how he wanted. He was born in Salem and lived for most of his life in Framingham and Wellfleet. Steve was an amazing, unique guy who affected everyone he knew. He was a devoted husband to Nancy, his wife of 50 years, a great father and was bel...

At about seven every morning at this time of year, Timothy J. Kent, owner of Timothy J. Kent Landscape Company, arrives at his business in Commerce Park in South Chatham. During the next half hour or so his crew of 12 men and women, ranging in age from 25 to 56, will arrive. By 8 a.m. the crew has dispersed into nine trucks, each with its own assignment of lawns. Before the end of the workday, each crew will have...

Norman Jones, Jr., Norman Eldredge, Francis Doane, Freeman Howes and Willard Nickerson, Jr. surf fishing at Monomoy Point, October 1938. Photo Courtesy of Peter Taylor

CHATHAM – Police were called to Monday night's airport commission meeting after the chairman determined the audience had become too disruptive. Chairman Peter Donovan said he asked Airport Manager Tim Howard to summon the police after an audience member took the podium against his direction and refused to sit down. The commission had just voted to approve a financial interest disclosure from Howard when the...

HARWICH PORT — More than 150 people came together Monday evening to comfort one another, to reflect, and to pray for peace in the wake of the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando early Sunday. The pews were full at Pilgrim Congregational Church for the nondenominational service, which was organized by members of the Harwich Clergy Association. It was a time of healing and an opportunity to openly ...

CHATHAM – You aren't likely to see it going 88 miles per hour down Main Street, but a 1982 DeLorean is taking many people in town back in time this week. The car, a reproduction of the time machine in the 1985 film “Back to the Future,” is in town as part of in a series of fundraisers centered on the popular movie trilogy benefiting the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. A near-exact copy o...

CHATHAM — The summer of 2017 will be tasteless. For the first time in nearly 30 years, the Taste of Chatham is taking a one-year hiatus. Organizers at Monomoy Community Services (MCS) are getting the word out that a new and improved version of the signature summer event will return in 2017. Theresa Malone, executive director of MCS, said the event has been going strong for 28 years and needs a bit of a “fac...

CHATHAM – Although there's no evidence of great white sharks having arrived in local waters yet, beachgoers and boaters are on the lookout. Late Sunday afternoon, passengers aboard the Rip Ryder charter boat spotted a six-foot-long shark on the west side of North Monomoy Island. The shark was swimming in the area of seals and then beached itself, arching its back and wriggling back into the water before swimmi...

CHATHAM – Get your shark on Saturday at the second annual FINomenal Fest at Kate Gould Park. Sponsored by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and Mass Audubon's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, the free event features shark-themed games for kids and families, shark information and other shark-related activities. Things begin at 10 a.m. with a free screening of “Great White Shark” at the Chatham Orpheum Th...

CHATHAM – Chatham Municipal Airport is holding its third annual open house on Saturday, June 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. With the theme "Planes, Trains,  Automobiles,” the event includes general aviation aircraft displays, working model railroad displays by Nauset Model Railroad Club as well as antique and collectible cars from Model A Club of Cape Cod, Alfa Romeo club, and many local collectors.  Additional part...

EAST HARWICH — Increasingly, it's possible for youngsters to grow up on Cape Cod without spending any time on the water. It's a trend that Pleasant Bay Community Boating is hoping to reverse. Last week, third graders from Chatham and Harwich clamored aboard PBCB's Flying Scots and took spins around Pleasant Bay, as part of the organization's “First Sail” outreach program. The goal, Executive Director Charlie S...

CHATHAM – Asserting that the former bowling alley building at 45 Chatham Bars Ave. has been used consistently over the years and has never been abandoned, Chatham Bars Inn has appealed a town order to stop all use of the structure. It was only after the town decided it wanted the property for public parking that officials decided the structure was abandoned, the appeal states. The appeal calls the town's claim...

Whether on the water for business or fun, boaters in and around Chatham know one thing for sure – nothing about these beautiful salty waterways stays the same for long. Hoping to learn more about the current condition of local waters and harbors as the boating season begins, more than 150 people turned out for Saturday’s Harbor Updates at the Chatham Community Center. The event, sponsored by the Monomoy Yacht ...

CHATHAM – If you're used to getting your gas or snacks at Cumberland Farms in the wee hours of the morning, you're out of luck this summer. Even though the former Cumberland Farms store at 849 Main St. was open 24 hours a day during the summer months, the new store at the downtown rotary won't have around-the-clock hours. Citing the new store's proximity to a residential neighborhood, the planning board rej...

CHATHAM – The opening of the Mitchell River Bridge has been pushed back a week to Monday, June 20. Officials from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation told selectmen last month that the opening of the new drawbridge to traffic was anticipated on June 14, but warned that the date was tentative. Coastal Resources Director Ted Keon said Tuesday that the agency requested that the opening be moved back a ...

CHATHAM — With the contentious West Chatham traffic plan now all but decided, a group of citizens is thinking about landscaping, lighting and other features of the new streetscape. The $3.47 million roadway redesign, which includes the elimination of the center turning lane and the construction of roundabouts at the Route 28 intersections of George Ryder and Barn Hill roads, includes a limited amount of landsc...