Robert Donald Vessels Saratoga Springs – Robert Donald Vessels of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and Chatham died peacefully in Chestnut Hill on July 3, 2018. He was 91.             Born in Long Beach, Calif., on March 8, 1927, he was the son of Frederick and Berniece Vessels. As a boy Bob grew up with a healthy mix of body surfing and manual labor, and learned to love nature at places like Big Bear Lake a...

Jack W. Swenson           Jack W. Swenson, 85, passed away on July 14 th 2018 at the Cape Cod Hospital. He was born on June 8, 1933 Walpole and was the son of Carl and Naemi (Storm) Swenson. He was the husband to Deborah (Mahoney) Swenson of Chatham for 48 years.           He is survived by his son Christopher F Swenson, Moultonborough, N.H. and daughter Maggie Swenson, Abington. Also survived by gra...

H. Donald Lockhart H. Donald Lockhart of Harwich Port, formerly Walpole, was born to eternal life July 13, 2018 surrounded by his loving family at the age of eighty-five. He was born on December 4, 1932 in Boston and grew up in Hyde Park. Don was a devoted husband, father and proud grandfather. Don and his wife Betsy were married in 1957 and recently celebrated their 61 s...

SOUTH CHATHAM - The Barnstable County dredge Codfish began work clearing shoals from Mill Creek in South Chatham last week, pumping the recovered sand to Cockle Cove Beach. Beach nourishment is underway at Cockle Cove Beach, #SouthChatham . pic.twitter.com/pmJj9gXubk — Alan Pollock (@CCCAlanPollock) July 12, 2018 The sand is a dark color at first because of organic material, but quickly bleach...

CHATHAM – In the past decade, the town has served as a location for two movies – the small, independent production “The Golden Boys” and Disney's big-budget recreation of the Pendleton rescue, “The Finest Hours.” This week Chatham will serve as the setting for a much smaller, more intimate film, a student short entitled “Man of War.” In a sense, the film may be the closest of all to the spirit of Chatham. “...

CHATHAM – For the second year in a row, the Friends of the Eldredge Public Library is holding its “Passport to Savings” fundraiser. The Friends are selling “passports” – small, blue booklets that look just like a U.S. passport – that contain special offers and discounts from 79 local businesses. Purchase of the $20 passport also provides entry into four “special giveaways” for overnight stays, dinner and lunch...

CHATHAM – The antique house that is at the center of the documentary “Starboard Light” is on the market. Located at 154 Champlain Rd., where the waterfront street bends north, the late 18 th century house overlooks Stage Harbor and includes beachfront south of the roadway. The one-and-a-half story three-quarter Cape was said to have been moved to the site from Nantucket. Appraised by the town's assessing de...

One hundred years ago, during World War I, the only attack on American soil by the Germans took place on Nauset Beach in Orleans when U-boat 156 fired shells that hit the beach. That attack was soon answered by seaplanes from the Chatham Naval Air Station, which dropped dud bombs on the U-boat. It was July 21, 1918, a hot and hazy Sunday, when U-boat 156 lurked in the waters just off Orleans. According to o...

CHATHAM – “Little rocket man.” “The dotard.” Prior to the summit in Singapore last month between North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, the pair exchanged insults. Is this good diplomacy? No, said Gov. Bill Richardson, a part-time Chatham resident, during a talk Wednesday. “I’m a traditional diplomat, I’m a dull person. I just don’t believe in insults,” Richardson said. “Diplomacy i...

CHATHAM – One of the longest-serving members of the finance committee in recent memory is stepping down. Roslyn Coleman opted not to be reappointed after 18 years on the finance panel, said Moderator William Litchfield, whose is charged with appointing finance committee members. “Roz served with great dedication and devotion over the course of six terms on the finance committee, which is at least a modern d...

CHATHAM — Several residents of the Riverbay neighborhood say they’re afraid to walk to the mailbox or have their grandchildren play outside after a longtime resident was attacked by a neighbor’s dog last month. On the morning of June 7, Joan Maloney had gone outside to retrieve her morning paper, and struck up a conversation with neighbor Jeffrey Howell, who was walking his dog. Ernie, the 45-pound lab mix, ...

CHATHAM — When a series of coastal storms inundated Little Beach early this year, it was the first time in recent memory that rising water left people stranded in vulnerable neighborhoods. And with the barrier beach eroding and the sea level rising, officials predict it’ll happen again. When it does, the town will be ready to deploy its new high-water rescue vehicle to get rescuers into flooded areas and to ...

HARWICH — Paperwork for calling a special town meeting was issued this past week to Tom Birch, an outspoken opponent of using a 2.25 acre parcel of town land on Queen Anne Road to establish a pet burial ground and crematorium. Birch said on Tuesday he is looking at the options of calling a special town meeting to reconsider the town meeting vote in 2016 giving the cemetery commission custody and control of the...

HARWICH — The town will be taking a close look at its compliance with the Americans With Disability Act through a $30,000 planning grant that will evaluate handicapped accessibility in public buildings, parks and beaches. Town Administrator Christopher Clark said the grant was the work of the town's accessibility rights commission, which put in for $50,000 for a municipal self-evaluation from the Massachusetts...

WEST HARWICH — The planning board will conduct a site plan special permit review for the lot along Route 28 on the east corner of Grey Neck Road, which for a long time held sheds for the Mill Store operation on the opposite corner. The Mill Store is no longer in business and both the store and the 40,810-square-foot lot on the east side of Grey Neck Road are for sale. Allen Harbor Marine Service is planning to...

HARWICH — The weather and the warmth of the Cape Verde community made for a wonderful day in Brooks Park on Saturday, with music, dance and food defining the island's culture of the Second Annual Cape Verdean Festival. The Cape Verdean community here has long been an instrumental part of the town. Selectman Ed McManus said he is proud of the part its played, including early contributions to the fishing and cra...