CHATHAM -- The Mitchell River Drawbridge will be closed through Thursday while final painting is completed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The same detours will be used as were in place during the two-plus years that the bridge was under construction.  The bridge is closed to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The work is expected to be completed on Thursday,  The drawbridge span will...

HARWICH — Plagued by continuing electrical problems, Brooks Free Library is closed again today.  It will reopen with limited service in the building's lobby on Saturday. Library Director Ginny Hewitt reported Friday that the building's emergency light inverter has failed again, the third such failure in the past 10 months. Because the building has no lights or emergency lights, it cannot be occupied. Staff ...

It's a tale of unspeakable evil, unbelievable tragedy and unforgettable heroism. And, 15 years after 9/11, it's a tale that needs to be told again and again by people like Rob Franz. Best known in Chatham as one of the organizers of the annual Memorial Day and Veterans Day commemorations, Franz was recently featured on the front page of the New York Times for his work as an interpretive ranger at the Flight 93...

CHATHAM – For the second year in a row, the historic Avis Chase cottages in the heart of the Old Village were vacant this summer. “It's sad that they're not being used,” neighbor Ken Miller said of the cottages, two of which overlook Mill Pond. Ownership of the homes – which have a combined assessed value of nearly $6 million – is currently tied up in a court battle between the former YWCA of Philadelphia, ...

It provided an interesting diversion for throngs of Labor Day weekend beachgoers and sightseers, but the storm called Hermine left the Lower Cape virtually unscathed. First a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, Hermine emerged in the Atlantic as a tropical storm but quickly lost its tropical characteristics, earning it the unwieldy title of “post-tropical cyclone.” It caused sustained winds of less than 50 mph, g...

For a number of years now, local boaters have been able to renew their mooring permits online. While the system has worked, in a limited way, for the public, for staff on the back end of things, it's been a nightmare. “We have not realized the efficiencies we had hoped for on the staff side,” is how Robert Duncanson, director of the department of natural resources, which includes the harbormaster's department,...

Great white sharks continue to prowl the shores of the outer Cape, with several alerts issued in the past week for sightings close to shore. Alerts were issued through the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy's Sharktivity app for sharks seen off beaches in Wellfleet, Orleans and Chatham. At one point Wayne Davis, the spotter pilot used by the Conservancy and the state division of marine fisheries for their sha...

CHATHAM – Town officials met last week with representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in ongoing talks to work out a solution to the dispute over the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge's western boundary. The agency has proposed that the two parties enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) calling for joint management of some of the resources within the western boundary area, which enc...

CHATHAM – Scaffolding went up over the front facade of the First United Methodist Church last week in preparation for a major restoration project on the historic Main Street structure. Work was scheduled to begin this week to remove old vinyl siding, replacing it with more durable material, and install a new front entrance on the 1849 building. The project was funded by $226,000 in community preservation funds...

HARWICH — The crush of summertime visitors is over and there are plenty of leaves on the ground, if only because of Hermine. And it's the first big weekend of the season-long Fall for Harwich celebration. Weather permitting, Saturday's going to be the ultimate beach day. It's the Harwich Cranberry Festival's Beach Day at Red River Beach in South Harwich, starting at 11 a.m. (and in case of rain, it happens S...

HARWICH PORT — Immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, artist Pamela Chatterton-Purdy went to her easel to express the deep emotions she was feeling and to try and find spiritual meaning behind the senseless violence. Now, 15 years later, her series of “Icons of 9/11” paintings are once again going on display in an exhibit at the Cape Cod Art Association. “Hard to believe that it has been 15 years...

HARWICH — The Resilient Family Farm is growing faster than a zucchini in the heat of summer, and it has caught the eyes of town officials. Conservation Administrator Amy Usowski last week issued a stop work order on portions of the farm that are within the 100-foot buffer zone of wetlands. The farm is located on 3.14 acres down a shelled driveway at 35 Chatham Rd. Owner Barry Viprino said he has added another ...

HARWICH PORT— The center of this village will see some changes in the near future, with Cumberland Farms planning to begin construction of a new convenience store in Mid-October and major plans for the former Dino's Harwich Port Grille property going before the planning board later this month. Even the United Gas station adjacent to the Cumberland Farms site, owned by Bassil Brothers Trust, got a facelift over...

HARWICH — The board of selectmen was scheduled on Tuesday night to go into executive session to consider the purchase of real estate at 397 Route 28, the former Handler's Auto Parts property that sits at the head of Allen Harbor. There is apparent interest in the purchase of the property, as the town's real estate and open space committee has also been discussing the property. That committee met on Aug. 19 in ...

HARWICH ─ The return of students to area high schools also means a return of student athletes to their chosen sports, many of which get underway this week, including at Monomoy Regional High School and Cape Cod Tech. So what can fans expect this season? At Cape Tech, coach Bill Reilly is looking to breathe new life into the girls volleyball program, while at Monomoy, teams are getting set to start competing ...

Some people don't enjoy talking about what they do for a living. Tom Daley, Director of Public Works for the Town of Orleans isn't one of them. He loves his job and he'll happily tell you why. It has just a little bit to do with the ability to get things done. Since graduating from UMass Lowell in 1986 with a Civil Engineering degree, Daley has made it is goal to get things done, beginning with his first job w...