HARWICH —  Sixteen-year-old Isabelle Santamauro, a Pony Club member and riding student at True North Farm in Harwich, recently competed  as a member of the Central New England Region  in the Research Project Competition at the 2019 United States Pony Clubs Equine Symposium in Stamford, Conn. Santamauro was awarded second place nationally with her project, which involved the exploration of solu...

Fishery Managers Look At Bigger Picture Fishery managers on the West Coast were already being updated about what was happening in the broader ecosystem, not just fish stocks. Then something made those reports very much in demand: the Blob. The Blob, named after a 1950s horror movie creature, is a gargantuan swath of warm water created by climate shifts that caused a cascade of environmental horrors, devasta...

The proposal that prompted the controversial letter from Beverly Nelson last December – town-funded childcare vouchers for Chatham families with young children – has taken a back seat to an alternate plan to add $30,000 to the town's existing childcare voucher program, which will go before voters at the May annual town meeting. Undoubtedly this will help a number of local families, but it doesn't go far enough. ...

What Is A 'Protected Class?' Editor: I have a question that I feel the need to ask your readers for them to ponder over, and hopefully come to their own respective conclusions about.  Relative to anti-discrimination statutes, since a “protected class” is a group of people qualified for special protection by law, do you believe persons with such a “protected status” in essence are unfairly given more righ...

Every day I post a photo or video from here to social media. Practically every day. It’s often a doughnut from Chatham Bakery or a slice of pie or muffin from Chatham Village Market, set against the landscape of Lighthouse Beach or the Oyster Pond or the lifeguard stand at the end of Bank Street. Growing up here, you get used to having friends from away whom you might see only in the summer. Maybe just for ...

From 10-pound terriers to Newfoundlands that weigh well over 100 pounds, Hope Fraser of Orleans has walked them all. Fraser, 26, owns Walks & Wags Dog Walking Cape Cod, a small dog-walking business. The idea for the business came a few years ago when Fraser was living in Belmont and working as a nanny. Being out of the house all day, she was forced to put her own yellow lab, Mia, into day care all day, ...

Child Care Number One Need, Survey Says ORLEANS — The selectmen reviewed draft warrants for the May 13 annual and special town meetings totaling more than than 70 articles last night (March 20). The community's to-do list ranges from building the full downtown wastewater collection system, a treatment plant, and disposal area infrastructure to acquiring conservation restrictions and public access to Sipson Isl...

ORLEANS –  The town is covering up something in the watershed – but that's a good thing. Within the next couple of weeks, “as soon as the frost is out of the pile,” as DPW Director Tom Daley puts it, the water department will begin shaping a tall and long pile of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) that was trucked in a few months ago. Then a tarp will be placed over it. “We presented (the situation) to the ...

PLEASANT LAKE — A teacher working with students on the grounds at Cape Cod Tech was injured this morning in an accident involving an all-terrain vehicle. Boston MedFlight was requested but was later cancelled; the victim taken to Cape Cod Hospital by ambulance. Cape Tech Superintendent Robert Sanborn said the person injured is a member of the school staff and that he suffered broken ribs.  The accident is unde...

ORLEANS — Firefighters from Orleans, Eastham, and Brewster knocked down a brush fire this morning (March 15) behind 55 Bridge Rd. “I thought it was snowing out,” said nearby resident Gib Craig. “I saw ashes going by my window. The flames were 20 feet high.” Joyce Flach, owner of the 55 Bridge Rd. property, said she called the Orleans Fire Department to confirm that today was a “burn” day. Deputy Chief Geof ...

              Allyne B. Conner, 90, of Harwich, passed away on March 7, 2019.             Born and raised in Worcester, Al was a passionate woodworker, chef, snowmobiler and family man.  He worked at Allen Harbor Marine for a number of years before opening his own marine mechanic business, Al Conner’s Marine Service.  In the late 60’s and 70’s he was a lieutenant on the eng...

CHATHAM — Calling it a new approach to create housing for year-round residents, selectmen this week threw their support behind a zoning bylaw amendment that allows the creation of accessory dwelling units (ADUs). The board voted unanimously to recommend approval of the amendment, which will be put before voters at the May 13 annual town meeting. The bylaw is designed to allow no more than 20 property owners ...

CHATHAM – The number of new homes as well as additions and renovations to existing houses increased in 2018, but last year also saw a decrease in the number of demolition permits issued by the town. The estimated value of both new homes and additions and renovations also increased substantially last year. According to the community development department, 1,060 building permits were issued in 2018, a 16.6 p...

CHATHAM — As they do each April 1, a stalwart group of Chatham firefighters will lead a frigid swim in Nantucket Sound to raise money for a worthy cause. This year’s beneficiary is the family of Michele St. Aubin of Brewster, who is battling advanced pancreatic cancer. Hundreds are expected to attend the swim, which happens at Harding’s Beach at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, April 1. Donations of any amount will be a...

CHATHAM – While towns to the north look to upgrade cell phone coverage and install call boxes at beaches this summer in response to safety concerns in the wake of last year's fatal shark attack in Wellfleet, local safety officials say they are as ready as they can be for such an event and aren't planning any major initiatives despite the remoteness of the town's outer beaches. The most significant effort being...