CHATHAM — Even as loved ones gather today to remember Matthew Amsler as a friend, a son, a husband and a father, questions remain about how his remains went undetected for months, just feet from where he was last seen alive. On July 30, a crew from Coast Guard Station Chatham was practicing a law enforcement boarding on the retired CG44301, a rescue boat on display on the front lawn, when they found Amsler's...

CHATHAM ─ Utter the word “planking” to a millennial and they'll immediately conjure up images of a silly internet photo fad. Utter the word to wooden boat enthusiasts such as Woody Metzger at First Light Boatworks and he knows you're talking about the latest addition to a new vessel being built at the shop, a 34-foot double-ended ketch. For the landlubber, planking is the careful process of affixing long pla...

CHATHAM — Investigators say foul play is not likely a factor in the death of a man whose decomposed remains were found inside the rescue boat on display at the Coast Guard station Sunday. But they're eager to learn more about the death, and how it apparently went undiscovered for months under the noses of officials at the most visited, photographed site in town. On Monday, the Cape and Islands District Attor...

CHATHAM — Though it's too early to know what it might look like, or even where it would be located, a new senior center is in its earliest design stages. Officials have hired an architectural firm to calculate how much space would be needed in a new council on aging building, and the firm will also present some conceptual floor plans to generate discussion. It remains to be seen whether the existing site on...

CHATHAM ─ The Taste of Chatham returned this week after a year's hiatus and for its excited patrons it was well worth the wait, with a number of attendees buzzing under the tent about how fabulous the 2017 event was. The annual gathering brings together local eateries, breweries, coffee companies and more for an evening of food tasting and great fun, all to benefit Monomoy Community Services. Popular fare in...

CHATHAM – Summer residents will hold their 71 st annual summer town meeting next Tuesday, Aug. 8. It may be the longest-running event of its kind on the Cape, and is evidence of the healthy relationship between year round and summer residents. That's also shown by the fact that Chatham has one of the region's only official, town meeting-approved advisory committees composed entirely of summer residents. “I...

CHATHAM – As expected, the break in South Beach created on April 1 has been a boon to boaters this summer. Boat traffic in the area has increased considerably now that there's a more or less direct route from Nantucket Sound to the Atlantic. But that route isn't without its problems. To get to the ocean from Nantucket Sound, boaters must first pass between Morris and Monomoy islands. According to Harbormast...

CHATHAM – In the five years since the first commercial film in 25 years was shown on the town's Main Street, the promise of the Chatham Orpheum Theater has been more than fulfilled. That was evident on a recent rainy morning as a steady stream of moviegoers – heavy on youngsters – came in and out of the theater for the morning matinee. “This is our kind of day,” said John “Kim” Doggett, seated a table in th...

CHATHAM — The Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office has confirmed the discovery of a decomposed human body inside the rescue boat on display on the lawn of Coast Guard Station Chatham. Shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday, Coast Guard personnel notified police that they had discovered what appeared to be a decomposed body in a closed compartment of the boat. “Preliminary investigation has not revealed any ev...

CHATHAM — Yet another shark sculpture from the Chatham Merchants' Association's “Sharks in the Park” display has reportedly been pilfered. The association reported Sunday that the sculpture, painted by artist Tilda Bystrom and sponsored by Pine Acres Realty, was stolen at around 11:15 Saturday night. A reward is being offered for tips that lead to the return of the shark, and the association reports that there...

CHATHAM – On a small island situated on the elbow of Cape Cod, thousands of piercing cries from birds can be heard virtually any time, day or night. This is Monomoy Island, a bird sanctuary monitored and maintained by the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. Monomoy is currently home to around 11,700 pairs of birds – that’s 23,000 individual birds, and the number just keeps growing. “We’ve been increasing tern...

CHATHAM – Someone really doesn't like some of the trees bordering the town's Seaside Links Golf Course. Several trees near the eighth green were recently discovered to have been “girdled” – the bark removed around the entire circumference – probably with a chainsaw, an action Park Director Dan Tobin said was “very intentional.” “Somebody knew what they were doing in terms of killing these trees,” he told th...