Chronicle readers will be forgiven for feeling a bit of Helping Neighbors overload, given that our campaign to help the Family Pantry was featured in the last seven editions of 2022. But now that the fundraiser has successfully concluded, we can’t miss a chance to start the new year with some happy news. We reported last week that the drive had reached its goal of raising $100,000, but at the time we didn’t kn...

The Cape Cod Chronicle this week announced the addition of our newest staff member. The 14-week old kitten, playful and affectionate, fills a void we’ve been feeling since the death of her predecessor some time ago. Rescued from a no-kill shelter, she’s gray, or in printer’s lingo, a kind of halftone. In that way, she breaks with tradition; our previous office cats – Buddy and Trigger – were (naturally) black ...

Support EV Charging Stations Editor: Phrases like “putting the cart before the horse” and “if you build it, they will come” came to mind as I read the letters over the last two issues on the electric vehicle (EV) charging stations that apparently are being discussed for Harwich Port. While these EV charging stations probably won’t see the light of day in 2023, it is a concept that really should be followed ...

It's always sobering to look back and realize how many friends and acquaintances left us during the past 12 months. From town officials to community volunteers, neighbors and folks who made important contributions years, sometimes decades ago, its astonishing to realize the extent to which we rely on the time and talent of people to make our towns function on all levels. It is with sorrow, but also with gratitude...

Please Make The Donuts  Editor: Our family comes to visit Chatham once or twice a year and one of highlights of our time in Chatham is going to Chatham bakery and getting their delicious donuts. These donuts are exceptionally good and we love their perfectly crispy outside and their soft inside. These may be the best donuts we’ve ever had. Our family was concerned when we heard that the bakery is changing own...

It's been a sobering year in many ways, with dramatic developments locally, nationally and internationally. The war in Ukraine, the Jan. 6 committee findings, the mid-term elections, and the growing disparity on Cape Cod between housing and the cost of living for workers and still-escalating real estate prices driven by the second home market combined to create a challenging environment for Cape Codders. Housi...

Hate Crimes Spike In State Editor: It was recently reported that hate crimes in Massachusetts spiked 31 percent in 2021. Former President Donald Trump certainly added fuel to that fire, so to speak, not only in Massachusetts but nationwide by recently trashing Jewish leaders for displaying a "lack of loyalty" over his hosting of a dinner for two Hitler loving, Holocaust denying anti-Semites. Donald Trump...

We note with sadness the passing of Ira Seldin, member of the parks and recreation commission and husband of the late Dr. Florence Seldin. Mr. Seldin was an involved citizen who had thoughtful opinions about the topics that matter to Chatham. He was a voice of reason and often advocated common sense. And he had a playful sense of humor. In covering sometimes mundane town hall news, The Chronicle’s reporters oc...

We’re firmly in the holiday season now. The Thanksgiving leftovers are mostly a memory, Santa Claus has arrived on the Lower Cape by boat, fire truck and helicopter, and we’re rapidly approaching the time when “last minute gift ideas” become appealing. That means that we’re in the thick of our annual holiday Helping Neighbors campaign to support the Family Pantry of Cape Cod. And happily, you and other readers...

Don't Bite That Hand! Editor: The article by Ryan Bray covering the Orleans consideration of a tax discount for certain year-around residents is both inequitable and illogical. While allowed under the Commonwealth statutes, it allows one class of property owners to stick it to another. Such selective discounting of property taxes for year-around residents is now in place in other towns such as Provincetown,...

Other Expenses Are Priority Editor: As far as I can tell, nobody except one person approves of renaming the old Harwich Middle School, previously the Harwich Cultural Center, to 204 Sisson St. Now we are told by The Chronicle that a $1.9 million upgrade proposed for 204 Sisson is necessary.  Increased revenues from hopefully $214,00 programming fees are expected to cover the taxpayer's expenses. I am l...

To paraphrase a former president, who knew housing could be so complicated? Well, just about anyone who's tried to buy, build or otherwise secure housing in the current market. It's a cumbersome, difficult, frustrating process whether trying to buy a starter home or find a simple rental. And the situation gets even more complex when housing is being pursued by a municipality. We don't have to get into the d...