Father Time, often synonymous with the Grim Reaper in appearance and philosophy, is off the hook until next year, having just transitioned us into 2018. The guy never fails…I’m not convinced the tradition of handing the New Year over to an infant is such a good idea. Would we give a baby the car keys? But the old wise guy is no fool – he’s gettin’ out while the gettin’s good. Throw enough fireworks, liquor and ...

Chatham Selectman Shareen Davis was right when she said that proposed general and zoning bylaws prohibiting the sale of recreational marijuana, as written, are too broad. The same can be said of similar bylaws that will go before voters in Harwich and other Cape towns. As Davis said recently, nobody is advocating opening up a pot shop on Chatham's Main Street. Rather, she wants to preserve the ability of local...

When the Rev. Thomas Leinbach was growing up in Greenwich, Conn. in the 1950s, his father told him one day that he had “the perfect personality to be a pastor.” Decades later, on Christmas Eve 2017, Leinbach retired after serving for over 11 years as pastor of the First Congregational Church of Harwich in Harwich Center. “If you told me in my early 20s where I’d be today, I wouldn’t believe it,” Leinbach sa...

ORLEANS — Uncle Harvey's sick, and those who care are discussing what to do about it. The 7.5-acre pond south of Pochet Road has been flagged for harmful algal blooms by the state Department of Environmental Protection, and the state Department of Public Health has issued advisories to avoid contact with the water. Since the turn of the century, volunteers have been monitoring water quality in Uncle Harve...

ORLEANS — Jon Fuller believes he's had his turn at the tiller and won't run for reelection to the board of selectmen in May. “I've already done six terms,” he said. “That's enough.” Fuller, a leading proponent of downtown sewering, noted that he's been working on wastewater issues for the past 14 years. “Finally we've got some pipe in the ground and are moving forward,” he said of the Main Street sewer work ...

Click here for a First Night Chatham photo gallery.

SEE A GALLERY OF STORM PHOTOS HERE. Friday update: The Little Beach and Morris Island areas were the focus of most emergencies during yesterday's storm.  As of Friday morning, the intersection of Morris Island Road and Starfish Lane remains flooded, cutting off most vehicular access to Little Beach, Morris and Stage Islands.  There was significant flooding of homes in the Little Beach area, and many h...

CHATHAM – For the second time this year, a nation-wide bank is closing a local office. The Bank of America financial center at 168 Old Harbor Rd. will close March 27. The bank's ATM kiosk at 908 Main St. will remain open. Employees at the branch will be transferred to the bank's Orleans office. A handout given to bank customers directs them to locations in South Dennis and Orleans. “We constantly adapt o...

CHATHAM – There are very few local residents who didn't benefit from Carl Olson's passion for chowder. The town's self-proclaimed “Chowdahman” stopped counting the number of servings of his creamy concoction he gave away at more than 7,000. A Chatham High School graduate, long-time teacher and real estate broker, Mr. Olson passed away Dec. 31. Friends and colleagues remembered Mr. Olson for his sense of hum...

CHATHAM – The Shoe Salon, an iconic business that has been a familiar presence on Main Street for over a half century, will close its doors this Friday after a sale offering discounts of 80 percent and more on merchandise and on all store fixtures including chairs, clothing racks and lights. “It’s a sad time for everybody,” says manager Patty Garber of Eastham, who has worked at the store at 521 Main St. for 1...

CHATHAM – Town meeting voters will address two measures aimed at prohibiting the retail sale of recreational marijuana in town. Selectmen voted last Tuesday to endorse general and zoning bylaws banning retail pot sales and to place them on the warrant for the May meeting. The vote was not unanimous, however. Selectman Shareen Davis voted to oppose the general bylaw because she thought it was too broadly worded...

CHATHAM – Saying she was not able to give the job the time it deserves, Amanda Love resigned from the board of selectmen Tuesday. In a Jan. 2 letter to Chairman of Selectmen Cory Metters, Love said to be an effective board member, “one needs to devote many, many more hours than I am able to give as one who works full time and who is also enrolled in continuing education.” She said she was resigning “with regre...

HARWICH — The appeals board wants more information on the storage of materials associated with the National Grid gas pipeline project now underway. The board was asked to issue a temporary change of use permit for land off Route 39 to allow the storage of materials but is seeking additional feedback from the health board and conservation commission after a neighbor raised the possibility that asphalt storage c...

HARWICH — Several steps have been taken in recent months that may resolve a lawsuit against the conservation commission and pave the way for development of a home on the west bank of Saquatucket Harbor. Efforts have been underway for more than 45 years to gain access to a 2.56-acre parcel consisting of wetlands and hillside running down to the harbor. A subdivision plan was granted in 1971 to Winslow C. Grulle...

HARWICH — Town Clerk Anita Doucette has released the 2018 town election calendar with the dates for obtaining and filing nomination papers for the May 15 annual town election. There is only one selectman position on the ballot this year, and the incumbent says she is not running. Selectman Jannell Brown's three-year term expires on election day. She said she will not seek a second term, mostly for financial re...