Cancelation of the midnight fireworks due to high wind and rain didn't dampen the celebratory atmosphere of Chatham's First Night Monday. Buttons sold out by mid-day and a huge crowd filled Veterans Field for the evening fireworks. This year's country and western theme permeated the event, from pony rides to performers decked out in cowboy gear.   ...

CHATHAM – The home of the most famous surfboat crew in the history of the Coast Guard is no longer a surf station. As of Dec. 10, Coast Guard Station Chatham's designation was changed from a surf station to a heavy weather station. That means crews can only respond if surf on the bar is under eight feet, said Senior Chief Petty Officer Carlos Hessler, the officer in charge of the station. “That's the only c...

CHATHAM – The historical commission may consider calling on the Cape Cod Commission to protect a 300 year old house if the owner decides to go ahead with a demolition proposal. The original section of the house at 68 Shell Dr. was built in 1700, reportedly by the son of Chatham founder William Nickerson. Enlarged considerably over the years, it sits on more than three acres of land on Pleasant Bay and is being...

CHATHAM – Beginning Jan. 1, residents will be asked to recycle newspapers separately. Newspapers were previously included with mixed paper, all thrown in together into two large containers at the recycling area at the town's transfer station off Sam Ryder Road. The decision to ask people to separate newspapers from other paper stems from recent changes in the recycling industry, said Department of Public Works...

CHATHAM – The year began with a roar and maintained a sustained level of activity and news over the course of the next 12 months. There was joy and tragedy, music and fun, no balloons at band concerts and a new configuration of the town's shoreline. This year saw substantive discussions about the demographic makeup and future of the community, as well as concern that high profile shark attacks and growing seal po...

FIRST NIGHT UPDATE Dec. 31, 2:30 p.m. CHATHAM — Due to anticipated rain and wind, tonight's midnight fireworks have been canceled.  The fireworks at Veterans Field after the 6 p.m. Noise Parade will go off as planned.  Main First Night story: With button sales just starting to pick up momentum, people are gearing up for the town’s famous First Night celebration on New Year’s Eve. The pieces are in ...

Even before it's finalized, the fiscal 2020 Monomoy Regional School District budget is projected to run a deficit of nearly $1 million. Superintendent of Schools Scott Carpenter told the school committee last week that the preliminary budget is up 5.25 percent over this year's $39 million spending plan, but because of several factors, the assessments to Chatham and Harwich will increase by 6.09 percent. The in...

CHATHAM — By order of selectmen, town groundskeepers will no longer use glyphosate, the active ingredient in herbicides like Roundup, to control weeds in parks, athletic fields, mulch beds and along walkways. The board’s vote Monday came at the request of Laura Kelley of the group Protect Our Cape Cod Aquifer (POCCA), who has argued against the use of pesticides that might contaminate the region’s shallow gr...

CHATHAM – A video of a sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck in its nostril has galvanized Monomoy Regional Middle School students to work toward eliminating straws in the school's cafeteria. Members of the school's garden club and animal rights club recently brainstormed ways to increase awareness among students of the pollution caused by plastic straws as well as convincing school officials to replace plasti...

CHATHAM — Finding health insurance coverage isn’t just expensive, it’s confusing. And with news headlines about challenges to the federal Affordable Care Act, it can be all the more confounding. Adding to the stress, there’s a deadline of Jan. 23 for Massachusetts residents to enroll in a new plan or to change plans. There’s a new resource for local families who are trying to get coverage or change plans dur...

CHATHAM — When the state funeral was held for President George H.W. Bush recently, a man with Chatham roots helped provide a proper military tribute. Carlton Eldridge serves with the U.S. Army as part of the Third U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard; one of the unit's key duties is to fire artillery salutes at funerals. “We fired a 21-gun salute for his state funeral,” Eldridge said. “The last sta...

CHATHAM — With more coastal flooding virtually certain in the weeks and months ahead, residents of the Little Beach neighborhood are asking for federal help. On Friday, they will make the case that the neighborhood should be designated a disaster area. In late November, the officers of the Little Beach Association sent a letter to Gov. Charlie Baker asking for a disaster declaration, acknowledging the rep...