WEST HARWICH — When historian Duncan Berry heard the West Harwich Baptist Church was for sale, he worried that the history of the church might be lost, and along with it, the history of the village and his own family. He recently decided to share some of that history in a public tour of the church cemetery, poring over old names and all-but-forgotten stories. Suffering from low attendance worsen...

HARWICH – Habitat for Humanity Cape Cod has begun accepting applications for the six homes to be constructed on Murray Lane off Route 28 in West Harwich. The deadline for filing applications is Dec. 1. Habitat will be building four three-bedroom homes and two two-bedroom homes on land to the rear of 93 and 97 Route 28. This is a home ownership opportunity for individuals and families who earn about 65 percent ...

Major Owner Adds To His Harwich Port Property Portfolio HARWICH — Dr. Gravity’s Kite Shop building in the center of Harwich Port has been sold, and owner Peter Hurst is also planning to sell the kite shop business he has operated at the spot for the past 45 years. “It was just time,” Hurst said. The Dr. Gravity building is tightly packed on the lot and has an apartment above the shop. Hurst's family h...

HARWICH — The planning board last week approved site plan permits for the18-hole miniature golf course to be located next to Bud’s Go Karts on the corner of Route 28 and Sisson Road, but there remains an outstanding issue over the hours of operation. The attorney for the course developers said he'll return to the zoning board of appeals, which approved a variance for the project earlier this year, to get an in...

HARWICH — The outbuilding on the former Handler’s Auto Parts property sits on the 50-foot no-build buffer zone line established under wetland protection laws. While the conservation commission last week approved its removal, the foundation slabs will remain to allow potential future development. Jeff Handler was before the commission to provide an update of the remediation project taking place on the 3.14-acre...

HARWICH — Back in 1970, singer songwriter Joni Mitchell sang about not realizing “what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone” when she warned about losing wild places to development. Fifty years later, the words couldn’t be truer. As our paradise-to-pavement consumption of forests, meadows, and other natural lands accelerates, many of us risk never even knowing what we’ve got, never mind waiting until it’s gone. In t...

If you’re a regular reader you know I cope with stress best when I can get outside and give myself some time and space to let things settle and think things through. Others may pour a cup of tea or coffee and read a chapter of inspirational prose or poetry while others put on their running shoes. We all want to get away from the source of our angst and have a chance to regroup. Lately, there have been many c...

e end of her memoir. Every now and then, Farber has a student “in whom I saw my younger self, either with their work ethic, their love for school, or their home situations. They are the reason that I wrote the book and why I wanted to share my story.” She wants to give all kids hope for their future. “More than anything, I just wanted to share my story so that kids know that they are not alone,” Farber says...

Support Ranked Choice Voting Editor: I would like to offer an opposing view to Mr. Beaty's somewhat conspiratorial theory opinions about the ranked voting option on the ballot as Question 2. The League of Women Voters, a non-partisan, non-profit organization with a long history of deep research and dispassionate review of voting rights, supports ranked voting. When they did their research the criteria they ...

The 43 degrees in the outside shower did not deter me enough to skip shaving the other morning. The next day was forecast for 73 so I could tough it out this early October morning. NOAA’s long range forecast for the winter has switched course, calling for a warmer than normal December-January-February. That could push the draining of the shower off until after the traditional date of Nov. 1. Until then, a micr...

President Trump and his minions have done their best to question the legitimacy of and discourage people from voting by mail, even though it's an option the president himself uses. With the nation still in the grip of a pandemic, many people, especially the most vulnerable, will see mail-in voting as their best option. Absent evidence of large-scale abuse, fraud or any other negative the president wishes to apply...

The Blue Economy’s Expedition Blue initiative will be showcased through four “front porch” waystations in Chatham — but the question remains where those waystations will be placed. During its meeting on Oct. 27, the parks and recreation commission is expected again to discuss possible sites for Expedition Blue’s eight-cubic-foot modular cube. The commission rejected Oyster Pond as a site for the cube during it...

ORLEANS — Opinion is divided in the community over retail recreational marijuana sales, so it should be no surprise that the planning board couldn’t agree on a town meeting article allowing such businesses. By a vote of 2 in favor to 3 against, the board decided Tuesday not to support a zoning amendment that would allow two such establishments in Orleans and restrict them to the Limited Business, General Bus...

ORLEANS — In the midst of a pandemic, the Homeless Prevention Council has found another way to connect people in need to resources. As of Oct. 1, the Orleans-based agency is the Lower and Outer Cape outreach partner with the state for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). “We are certainly thrilled about SNAP,” HPC CEO Hadley Luddy said in an interview this week. “We have always helped people...

ORLEANS — DPW parks foreman Cheryl Esty got a boost from the Nauset Garden Club and the Orleans Improvement Association last week when the two groups helped to spruce up the village green. “They’re fantastic,” Esty said of the volunteers who turned out Oct. 6. “I noticed that when they checked in and were assigned jobs, they went right to work. No complaints.” The feeling was mutual. Esty “is a terrific l...