HARWICH ─ Three years ago Dillon Murphy had something of a crisis. Though he loved his job as owner/operator of the Land Ho! in Harwich Port, he didn't love the time it cost him with his wife and children. Longing for a life beyond Cape Cod, Murphy knew it was time to make a change. Fortunately, change can be good. Not only has Murphy's family embarked on a new adventure, but the Land Ho! has found itself an enth...

HARWICH PORT — The board of directors of WE CAN has chosen a new executive director to lead the women’s advocacy group. Cape native Dianne Gauthier is a development consultant with Lower Cape Outreach who worked previously with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts; she is set to begin work later this month. Gauthier will succeed Andi Genser, who will retire later this year. “I am greatly inspired by W...

HARWICH — Town Administrator Christopher Clark has proposed a balanced omnibus budget of $65.4 million for fiscal 2019, which has some modest service increases but otherwise holds the line on spending. The lean budget is one part of a larger plan to help the town boost its bond rating, which could save taxpayers millions when it comes to building a sewer system. Clark’s plan includes a $23.8 million operatin...

HARWICH — Sam Hein’s father was a missionary in Africa, traveling from village to village teaching tribal elders to read and write. He told all of his pupils the same thing: when you’ve mastered the language, pass on those skills to another person. As principal at Harwich Elementary School, Hein draws a parallel between his father’s experience and his own 12 years of mentoring educators. “When they can do it...

HARWICH — There is a fairy name Finley who hangs out in the community center, and she has 11 additional friends who will be coming to town and taking up residence in other town buildings across the community. With school vacation approaching, the folks at the community center are hoping people in town, especially kids, will help seek out the fairies to mark the center's 18 th birthday, director Carolyn Carey ...

HARWICH — Selectmen will be putting two articles on the warrant this spring related to the Pleasant Bay Resource Management Plan, including the establishment of an intermunicipal agreement for a regional watershed permit with the towns of Chatham, Orleans and Brewster. Pleasant Bay Alliance coordinator Carole Ridley has been before selectmen a couple of times in the past few weeks defining the steps the town m...

HARWICH — In a 3-2 vote, selectmen approved a change in the Monomoy Regional School District agreement designed to streamline the decision-making process on grade configuration of the two elementary schools. Opposition to the proposal centered on concerns that the voice of residents was being removed from the process. “This language is negating the process of public involvement and putting it in the hands o...

HARWICH — Whether it’s a quick sandwich or a sit-down meal, the renovated Saquatucket Harbor waterfront will likely offer visitors some kind of dining option. In a prolonged discussion at Monday’s board of selectmen’s meeting, the debate continued about whether a snack shack should be included in the plans, or a 60-to-100-seat restaurant, or whether voters should be given the chance to opt out of either choi...

HARWICH — The Monomoy Regional School District's proposed FY19 budget of $39,908,354, a 4.7 percent increase, is money well spent, Superintendent Scott Carpenter told members of the board of selectmen and finance committee Monday night. He based the statement on student growth percentiles from MCAS testing between 2011 and 2017, with only one area in the 2017 tests where the score was below the state average. ...

HARWICH — Selectmen sent a message to the community preservation committee last week that they are looking for the committee to be part of a team seeking to address the important needs of the community that cannot be funded through the town budget. CPA funds are raised through a 3 percent surcharge on property taxes and a match from the commonwealth to assist with housing, historic preservation, open space and...

HARWICH — Former interim town administrator Robert Lawton was on the job once again on Monday, this time serving as an interim assistant town administrator. Lawton will serve in that capacity through the annual town meeting. Town Administrator Christopher Clark said bringing Lawton in to serve as his assistant will allow Assistant Town Administrator Charleen Greenhalgh to focus on her new position as town plan...

HARWICH — If ever there was an icon who deserved the recognition of “Town Father,” James Marceline is that person. He served his country; had great respect for Democratic institutions; always put community first, especially the education of children; and assisted families in need of housing long before government adopted the term “affordable housing.” Word of his passing early on Sunday morning spread fast, wi...