ORLEANS — Harwich Selectman Jannell Brown has accepted nine months' pretrial probation in an assault case, admitting no wrongdoing and avoiding a trial by jury. Last November, Brown pleaded not guilty to an assault charge stemming from a domestic dispute with a man who is the father of one of her children. Under the agreement, Brown is ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim other than to arrange ch...

HARWICH — A license plate recognition system is scheduled to replace disposal area stickers on July 1. The town has been running a pilot program for the past several months, using cameras to identify license plates on the vehicles of residents who have paid for disposal permits. Town Administrator Christopher Clark said this week the system is being fine-tuned in preparation for the July 1 start of the program...

HARWICH — A little cooperation goes a long way in the historic Campground section of town, a couple of homeowners found out this week. A month ago the homeowners were wrestling with the Historic District and Historical Commission over demolition of historic structures in the 11-acre site adjacent to Nantucket Sound. The commission issued two one-year demolition delays on structures in the Ocean Grove Campgroun...

HARWICH CENTER — Reconstruction of the historic A. Elmer Crowell Barn at the Brooks Academy site has been ongoing for two years, much longer than town officials had hoped. But there seems to be renewed optimism the work will be completed in the next couple of weeks. The barn was constructed in East Harwich in the late 1800s and was used as the workshop by world-renowned bird carver A. Elmer Crowell and his son...

HARWICH ─ There are many paths to success in life. Now, thanks to the students of Monomoy Regional High School's Alternative Learning Program (ALP), there is a new path at the school, one that leads to a quiet place of reflection, created for students by students. According to ALP student Greg Hastings, the motivation for creating the space was simple. “It looked like a prison,” Hastings said. “Kids said ...

HARWICH—Perhaps Plato got it right. Twenty-four centuries ago the Greek philosopher declared that, “The beginning is the most important part of any work, especially in the case of the young...” Educators and leadership within the Cape Cod Collaborative and the Dennis-Yarmouth and Monomoy Regional School Districts couldn’t agree more. The regional school districts, with the Cape Cod Collaborative, have partnere...

HARWICH — The views along Lothrop Avenue will be changing over the next several months with the completion of a new ground-based water tank that will replace the 172-foot elevated storage tank that has projected above the tree line for more than 30 years. The new tank, which will hold one million gallons of water, will be a lot less conspicuous, rising up only 36 feet. The concrete tank, wrapped with an inner ...

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 ...

HARWICH — The town's plastic bag ban is now in effect. Businesses selling goods, articles, food or personal services to the public will no longer be allowed to use single-use plastic bags with a thickness of 2.5 mils. Voters in town meeting in 2015 promulgated the bylaw and it took effect on June 15. “In simple terms, this bylaw prohibits an establishment from distributing or selling any single-use plastic...

HARWICH — The Saquatucket Harbor landside development concept plan received unanimous support from selectmen Monday night. The plan seeks to improve pedestrian access, improve efficiency of harbor operations and enhance the character and beauty of the harbor for boaters and non-boaters alike. The development concept plan has been in the works for more than a year, with the Saquatucket Harbor development commit...

HARWICH — After more than an hour of discussion on interim and future uses of the Harwich Middle School Monday night, it is clear there is no consensus among the board of selectmen on how to move forward with a long-term plan for the facility. The board did, however, vote to ask Town Administrator Christopher Clark to put together a two-year interim use plan for the structure. The non-binding ballot question s...

HARWICH — The Farmer's Market held each Thursday in the triangle across from Brook Academy on Parallel Street got underway for the season last Thursday. Traffic was a little light on the first day, but the Farmer's Market has become a major attraction in Harwich Center over the past few years.