The high school seniors who crossed the stage to receive their diplomas during ceremonies in Harwich and North Eastham last Saturday have a lot to be proud of. Graduating high school is in and of itself a feat; but doing so after spending half of your high school years adapting to the uncertainty engendered by a pandemic is an accomplishment that will give these young people a unique perspective and set of skills...

We are lucky to live in Massachusetts. Our state has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, Massachusetts has the lowest rate of gun ownership in the country and the second lowest gun rate death at 3.7 per 100,000 residents (second only to Hawaii). Gun owners are required to keep firearms locked away when not in the owner's immediate control and must pass a sa...

What Is Wrong With Us? Editor: Can someone please explain why using each other for target practice has become an acceptable form of behavior? Politicians state ad nauseum, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families” while simultaneously supporting gun lobbyists. People, including our youngest and most innocent, are shredded by bullets (the reason DNA is needed to identify victims) eve...

When school committee members start to worry about the lack of housing impacting the ability to hire teachers, it's a signal that housing has become a crisis that threatens the very institutions that we rely on as a society. And it isn't limited to schools, although members of the Monomoy Regional School Committee expressed similar concerns when discussing giving up school property along Stepping Stones Road i...

Backs Moderator's Decisions Editor: If the list of warrant articles to be voted on altogether is taken out of the very capable hands of the town moderator, by anyone, I will stand up and say no to each and every article. Betsy Abreu Chatham   Voters Listened To Debate Editor: Thanks to all the voters at Chatham Town Meeting for participating in and listening to the long debates on two importa...

The most disappointing development at Chatham's annual town meeting Saturday was the failure of two affordable housing-related articles. And what's even more maddening is that both had a majority vote but not the two-thirds required by what seems more and more like an outdated state statute. The proposal to use four acres of town land along Middle Road for housing and put a perpetual conservation easement on t...

Nature Needs Small Steps Editor: Mary Richmond’s “Giving Nature a Chance” column (May 5) is sound advice for seasoned gardeners and rookie planters alike. She is right about the importance of recognizing the potentially dilatory effects of “endless poisons and fertilizers” on our front lawns, shrubs and bushes. It’s understandable that we don’t realize the collective impact of chemicals which we routinel...

Amid the many important measures on the 63-article warrant for Saturday's annual town meeting in Chatham are four that bring to a head controversies that have been engulfing the town for several years. Two deal with Chatham Municipal Airport, a hot-button issue for nearly a decade now, and two address the future of town-owned open space off Middle Road. Groups both pro and con have conducted slick and extensive c...

We're sorry to see Chatham Select Board member and current chair Peter Cocolis step down. He has been a moderate, level-headed influence on the board. In the May 19 annual town election, we support returning incumbent Jeffrey Dykens, whose long history in town, financial expertise and – like Cocolis – level-headed approach to issues is much needed in town right now. For the open seat, we endorse J. Michael Schell...

Harwich voters will go to the polls on May 17 to select a new town clerk. Jannell Brown, Shelagh Delaney and Emily Mitchell are vying for the job. Each of the candidates has experience in town government and is capable of performing the tasks of town clerk. However, in our view, one candidate stands out as the person who would be the exemplary keeper of the records for the town: current Council On Aging Director ...

Monomoy After Prom Thanks Community Supporters Editor: The Monomoy Regional High School After Prom Committee wants to thank the many businesses, organizations, and individuals that contributed to a successful After Prom event for the MRHS Class of 2022. This event allowed students to continue celebrating in a safe manner following their senior prom on April 14. Many thanks to the following for donating fo...

Voters at next week’s annual and special town meetings in Orleans are staring down an 83 article warrant. That’s not a misprint. The count makes the spring session one of the most voluminous the town has seen in years, and according to Select Board Chair Mefford Runyon, there’s valid reason for it. Over the past two years, Orleans and other towns across the Cape and Islands have put forward truncated town meet...