It’s that time of year again—tax season. Need help filing your taxes? The Chatham, Harwich and Orleans Councils on Aging (COA) can help. For those who are ages 50 and over and of low and moderate income, appointments are available with the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide services. The services are free. “This is very popular,” says Debbie Mayhew, Chatham COA department assistant. To be sure you are able to schedul...

We have all heard slogans such as “shop local” on Small Business Saturday, designated as the Saturday after Thanksgiving since 2010. Local businesses often hold sales on Small Business Saturday, or invite Santa in to greet shoppers. In 2021 shopping locally held an additional attraction: You could bring your purchases home with you, and not risk them not arriving by Christmas due to shipping backups. Many p...

Despite the ongoing pandemic and the cold of winter, seniors can still step forward to help people of all ages in our local communities by volunteering through the AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP of Cape and the Islands. The group is always looking for volunteers who must be over 55, says Stefanie Paventy, the local director of AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP, based in South Dennis. Currently, RSVP is collecting items that...

CHATHAM — Driven by the hyper-contagious Omicron variant, COVID-19 numbers are spiking across the Lower Cape, the state and the nation. And with many of those testing positive having already received two or three doses of the vaccine, public health officials are getting back to basics, encouraging or requiring the use of masks indoors. Following the lead of Harwich last week (see related story), the Chatham Bo...

When Norman Katz, 84, was a young man straight out of Northeastern University, he was chosen to work in a clandestine position in the White House Continuity of Government Special Operations Division. In that capacity he was present during the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 and on the day of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963. “I’m the last one left in the world from this whole ...

High school students experiencing mental health issues and substance use disorders often end up suspended from school as part of the school’s disciplinary process. But a different approach calls for targeted intervention for those students, rather than just sending them home. South Chatham-based Behavioral Health Innovators, Inc. (BHI) is the recipient of a $101,000 grant from the New York-based Peter and Eliza...

CHATHAM – When Vera Mazulis retired from her job in Hartford, Conn. in 1975, she and her husband Joseph bought the historic Bow Roof House at 59 Queen Anne Rd. as a “retirement gig.” Forty-six years later — longer than the length of many people’s entire careers — Vera, whose 97 th birthday is Nov. 21, is still running the guest house along with her son David and his family. Joseph died in 1982. The guest h...

Chatham The Chatham Council on Aging is sponsoring the following events. To register or for help with Zoom, call 508-945-5190. The Homeless Prevention Council of Cape Cod will present a proactive housing planning session on Monday, Nov. 15. “Let’s Talk About Tomorrow” will be held via Zoom. The information session is designed to create awareness about senior housing on the Lower Cape, to encourage atte...

There seem to be new headlines every day describing which group of people are now eligible to receive which COVID-19 vaccine. Some people can now get booster shots, depending on their age, health and occupation. There is even talk now about a possible fourth shot for some people, even as public health officials work to get first doses into many arms. Let’s sort it out. Initial doses of the vaccine are currentl...

ORLEANS – It’s the oldest surf shop on Cape Cod, and the name you call it by is almost a marker of your generation. “Nauset Surf or Nauset Sports…you can tell how people know us by how they refer to the shop,” said Molly McIntire. “We love it.” These days, the longboard sign hanging above the big window just off the Orleans rotary at Jeremiah Square ties the shop squarely to its roots: Nauset Surf Shop. But...

Don't Be Afraid To Report Fraud, Officials Urge It began with an innocent online order. Back in late July, the 68-year-old Orleans woman made a rare purchase through Amazon.com, so the next day, when she took a call from a man identifying himself as Amazon security, she believed him. The man asked her if she had purchased a $600 phone, as his records indicated. When she said no, he put his “supervisor” o...

Health officials are sharing encouraging news about COVID-19 case counts, but say it’s too early to loosen requirements for mask-wearing. “The numbers have been going down,” Chatham Health and Natural Resources Director Robert Duncanson told the health board Monday. Twelve cases were reported in the first week of September, then seven and nine cases, and just five cases in the final week of the month. “And tha...