CHATHAM — John Payson, who consistently challenged the town's approach to managing drinking water and wastewater, died last Tuesday after a brief bout with cancer. He was 94 years old, and had been doggedly researching water management issues until just a few weeks before his death, according to his family. Mr. Payson was a regular contributor to the development of the town's comprehensive wastewater managem...

CHATHAM – While there's still a lot of refining to do, options for a new senior center presented to the council on aging board Monday estimated it will cost between $7 and $10 million to build the facility. Three different size buildings, each with numerous program options – including an adult day center – based on needs assessments and demographic studies of the town's population were outlined by Joel Bargman...

Last year, Harwich residents Sarah and Steve Swain considered climbing aboard the 47-foot ketch Steve had restored and, along with their three children, accompanying friends on a months-long cruise along the Atlantic coast. They didn't end up going. “We just weren't ready,” recalled Sarah, a musician and founder and CEO of the Cape Wellness Collaborative. That turned out to be the right decision. Over the w...

HARWICH — The success of the Harwich Cultural Center in the former Harwich Middle School was evident Monday night when selectmen discussed some potential adjustments there. Community Center Director Carolyn Carey told selectmen there is a 21-person waiting list to access space in the facility. Carey said she is working with Facilities Maintenance Director Sean Libby to upgrade the three portable classrooms to ...

HARWICH — Voters will face two separate election ballots when they go to the polls on Tuesday, Oct. 24 for a special election that will determine whether a new school will be built to replace the aging Cape Cod Regional Technical High School. Selectmen voted Monday night to allow a separate, second election. Voters will first act on the Cape Tech school building question on one ballot. Then they will have to r...

HARWICH — The Harwich Cranberry Arts and Music Festival will be in full swing this weekend, with a crafts fair, the CranJam concert, business expo and fireworks all centered around the community center on Oak Street. The move from Brooks Park to the community center, across Oak Street from Monomoy Regional High School, will provide additional space for festival activities and more parking in the vicinity of th...

HARWICH — The was no smoke clouding the message from public safety officials here Monday night during a discussion with selectmen on whether to prohibit or allow the sale of recreational marijuana. “If we bring retail marijuana sales into this community it's going to get worse. It will have a negative impact on the youth of this community, the community itself and pubic safety,” Police Chief David Guillimette ...

HARWICH ─ It took 10 minutes for the Monomoy girls soccer team to find its way onto the scoreboard in their home opener on Sept. 7. From there the battle against Sturgis West was on, with the Sharks playing to a 3-2 victory over the defending Cape and Islands League champs thanks to stellar teamwork. “That was a big home opener,” said Monomoy head coach Jenn Peterson. “I thought the girls responded really we...

HARWICH ─ Last year when the Monomoy football team stepped onto the field at Cape Cod Tech, they left stung by an unexpected 28-20 loss. The Sharks weren't going to repeat that this year and made that clear in their season opener by handing the Crusaders a 21-0 defeat in what new head coach Brandon Perry dubbed “a great team win.” “You saw everybody contribute, and that was the best part,” said Perry after t...

HARWICH ─ The Monomoy boys golf team is officially on par for a stellar 2017 season, especially if they continue with the winning ways seen in their first three matches. The Sharks kicked off their season even before school began, competing against Nantucket on Aug. 31, earning a 116-77 Cape and Islands League victory in which Matt Veary shot two under par. David Van Sickle also had a solid outing. Then, ...

In an era when many women did not possess a driver’s license, over 1,000 women became Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), flying with the U.S. military for two years during World War II. In 1999, when these women’s stories were still little known, award-winning filmmaker Laurel Ladevich wrote and directed the fascinating one-hour documentary “Fly Girls” about WASP. The film is in the PBS series American Expe...

This is an edited version of the full schedule. Go to orleanspondcoalition.org for important details and to attend events requiring registration. All events on Saturday and Sunday are free. Come by Headquarters in Depot Square: 8 to 4 on Sept. 16 and 17 for * Full Schedule Information including maps and late breaking events * Orleans Pond Coalition: information and membership table * OPC’s “Health...

Mini-roundabout Option Needed Editor: At a meeting in 2015, Massachusetts Department of Transportation official Tom Currier promised Chatham Selectman Seth Taylor that there would be two options presented to the town for the Crowell Road intersection and one would include a roundabout. Instead of which a roundabout has been summarily dismissed, despite the view of Keri Pyke, the consultant’s senior engineer...

It was an ordinary August night, my husband and I engaging in our usual somnambulistic and sleep depriving battle of the snores. Duke, the Boston terrier, arose at 3 a.m. for his decade-old ritual of middle of the night leg lifting in the backyard (why is it we continue to share our lives with these mutts?). Groggy spouse staggered to the back door, flipped the light and released the hound. All of this was custo...

With his wide ranging legal and business experience, David Speciale, the new chairman of the Chatham Council on Aging, has brought an important new perspective to the organization, according to Executive Director Mandi Speakman. Speciale, who has been in his new volunteer assignment for little more than a month, is uniquely positioned to help the council focus on its objectives, including pursuing additional spac...