When it comes to downtown shopping district, there's no doubt – and we'll admit to being biased here – Chatham has the best on the Cape. And perhaps beyond, an opinion we apparently are not alone in sharing. Lsst week USA Today released its “10 Great American Shopping Streets,” and sharing the list along with shopping districts in Columbus, Ohio, Delray Beach, Fla., Pasadena, Calif, and Denver, Colo., was litt...

CHATHAM — By a healthy margin of 1,289 votes to 706, Shareen Davis unseated Selectman Seth Taylor in Thursday's annual town election. The unofficial election results were released shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m. The selectmen's race was the only contested one on the ballot. Davis thanked her supporters and election volunteers, and said the series of meet-and-greet events she held during the campaign ga...

Col. James J. Freda, USA (Ret.)           Hopewell Township, N.J. - Col. James J. Freda, an old soldier, faded away on April 27, 2017, at the age of 99 due to pneumonia. Born April 8, 1918, to parents Domenic and Eugenia (Caputo) Freda, in Rochester, N.Y., James, called at various times Jim, Jack, Jake, and Giacomo, was an only child who exhibited enormous talent. He attended the Eastman School of Music in ...

Ralph Everett Pape , 91 of Chatham, passed peacefully on Saturday, May 6 th 2017 at home.              Ralph was born September 11, 1925 in Cambridge, the second son of Harry C. and Piedad (Piña) Pape.  His grandfather, Henry Pape, was a close associate of Richard Hellman and family history always involved mayonnaise.  Ralph grew up in Tenafly, N.J., served in the Navy as an aviation storekeeper during WWII ...

CHATHAM – In last-minute ads, fliers and emails, incumbent Selectmen Seth Taylor is criticizing comments made by challenger Shareen Davis regarding the retail sale of marijuana in town. At the League of Women Voters candidate forum April 20, Davis said the town should not dismiss the retail sale of marijuana outright. Taylor also said the subject should be addressed “rationally” and that people should “not get...

CHATHAM – In the past, summer workers could count on finding a room in one of the town's many dormitories or rooming houses, many of which were located in the Old Village and downtown. Today, those locations represent some of the town's priciest real estate, and places like the Hawes House and the Epicure dorms have given way to private residences or upscale condos. But with the scarcity of workforce housin...

CHATHAM — State officials came to town last week to hear from small business owners about what the commonwealth can do to encourage job creation and business growth. What they heard was pretty clear: when it comes to government intervention, less is more. The May 5 session at the community center was led by Carolyn Kirk, deputy secretary of housing and economic development, with help from the Cape Cod Chambe...

CHATHAM – Voters at Monday's town meeting decided that being good neighbors – and having clean water – was more important than any shortfalls that might be contained in an inter-municipal wastewater treatment agreement with Harwich. By an overwhelming vote of 220 to 61, voters endorsed the inter-municipal agreement (IMA) that calls for up to 300,000 gallons per day of sewage from East Harwich to be treated ...

WELLFLEET — Lifeguards routinely put themselves in harm's way to save people from drowning. But if a swimmer is attacked by a shark, should a lifeguard enter the water to try and help? “It's a tough one,” Orleans Natural Resources Manager Nate Sears said. Current protocols indicate that lifeguards should attempt a rescue as soon as the shark has left the area, “but who's to say when the shark has left the ar...

CHATHAM – The two candidates for selectman raised nearly the same amount of money in the weeks leading up to today's election, with Seth Taylor's total exceeding Shareen Davis' by less than $100. Taylor spent more money than Davis, however, by more than $2,500, according to campaign finance forms filed last week. Davis campaign treasurer Deborah Connor reported receipts of $9,774 between Jan. 1 and May 1. E...

HARWICH — Aquacultural Research Corporation will go before the conservation commission next week seeking approval to place a shellfish upwelling system in the recently shored-up fish house on the Herring River. ARC has been working with the owners of the fish house, Francis and Debra Zarette, for more than a year to place a shellfish nursery in the structure. The Zarettes last year filed a notice of intent wit...

Harwich voters go to the polls Tuesday, May 16 to decide a three-person race for two three-year terms on the board of selectmen. Below, candidates Larry Ballantine, Don Howell and Rob Mador answer questions posted by The Chronicle. The polls at the community center will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Name: Larry Ballantine Age : 72 Occupation : Semi-retired; own several rental properties How long ...

HARWICH — There is some movement on permits the town is seeking from the Army Corps of Engineers for the dredging and reconstruction of docks and floats at Saquatucket Harbor, with the agency putting out notice that it is accepting public comment on the work. The town had hoped to have the project underway this past winter, but ran into permitting problems with the ACE. The permitting problems were twofold: On...

HARWICH — Voters will face a lengthy ballot when they go to the polls on Tuesday for the town's annual election. They will choose two new selectmen from the three candidates vying for those positions, and will be asked to act on 15 questions, seven relating to funding issues, seven charter amendments and one non-binding referendum relating to Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant. The ballot is three pages long, with th...

HARWICH — Town meeting members made it clear last week they want to retain the West Harwich schoolhouse in its present location. Selectman Peter Hughes told the board this week the message he took away from the vote was for selectmen to be stewards of the historic structure. Sally Urbano, who has been active in the Captains' Row Historic District initiative along Route 28 in West Harwich, offered a positive mo...

HARWICH — While town meeting provided strong support for the $3 million landside improvements to Saquatucket Harbor, there were a couple of ancillary votes in last week's session relating to the harbor project and its funding. On the second night of town meeting, voters debated for an hour the sale of town-owned land on Bank Street. The land, 2.08 acres, contains the former fire station, which has been used fo...