HARWICH - The town's generation of revenues for fiscal 2022 is on track, Town Administrator Joseph Powers told selectmen, but because of several budgetary "headwinds," he is recommending that salaries and wages and departmental operating expenses be held at current levels for the coming year. Powers issued a financial assessment of the town to selectmen on Nov. 22 to help the board establish a general policy s...

HARWICH PORT — The village will take on an added glow Friday evening as Christmas in Harwich Weekend gets underway with the tree lighting and caroling, a visit from Santa and a host of other events. The shops will be festively dressed and offering holiday sales and specials, businesses will be conducting open houses and music and good cheer will fill the air. The Friday evening Christmas stroll will run from 5...

HARWICH - Firefighter/paramedic Josh Ford was honored as a Firefighter of the Year by Gov. Charlie Baker in the state's 32 annual awards ceremony held in Worcester on Nov. 23. Baker awarded firefighters from 14 fire departments across the state for acts of bravery. Ford was one of six firefighters presented with an Individual Meritorious Conduct Award for his actions a year ago in pulling a man from a burning ...

HARWICH – After failing to come to terms with the town, the board of directors of the non-profit West Harwich Historic Schoolhouse LLC has voted not to pursue purchase of the historic former school building. Selectmen, however, put off a vote on the matter after several members said they continue to support the group's offer. The town has been wrestling with what to do with the historic structure at 5 Bell’...

HARWICH — Zoe Simmons, a student in the Nauset schools, has leveraged the power of her school newspaper to spread environmental awareness. Her good work caught the attention of the nonprofit group CARE for the Cape and Islands, which named her their 2021 Youth Award recipient. When she entered Nauset Regional Middle School as a sixth grader last year, the Harwich resident was looking for a way to put her writi...

HARWICH – The Chamber of Commerce is wrapping up plans for the Christmas in Harwich Weekend on Dec. 3 to 5. The weekend will include a visit from Santa, caroling, tree lighting, music and numerous other events.  The shops in town will offer holiday sales and specials, and businesses and local organizations will be holding open houses, said Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cyndi Williams. Shoppers will...

EAST HARWICH — The various tracts of land preserved by the Harwich Conservation Trust are home to more than just peaceful walking trails, great views and wildlife habitat. They’re a storehouse of naturally downed trees. A new partnership with the Trust, AmeriCorps Cape Cod and the Harwich Council on Aging aims to put some of that wood to good use heating local homes. The project was the idea of HCT Land Stewar...

HARWICH – Between the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the surging price of groceries, many people throughout Cape Cod are struggling to make ends meet as the holiday season ramps up. “It’s crazy this time of year because people are getting laid off, so that bumps the need,” Family Pantry of Cape Cod Executive Director Christine Menard said. “Ten percent of the Cape is food insecure — that’s about 23,000 people, ...

HARWICH – The conservation commission has issued more than $38,000 in fines for two renovation projects at 47 and 52 North Rd. along the Herring River. The health board imposed additional fines on the project. Conservation Administrator Amy Usowski said the property owner is listed as the Janice Leonard Trust, but she has been informed by Thomas Smith of Mashpee that he is paying taxes and owns the properties....

HARWICH – A year ago, the pandemic precluded the traditional Veterans Day ceremony. But this year residents turned out in large numbers on Nov. 11 to honor and recognize the commitment of American service members past and present. Approximately 150 people attended the ceremony held at the Veterans Memorial in Island Pond Cemetery. “President Calvin Coolidge said long ago, ‘The nation which forgets its defen...

In what experts say is likely linked to the highly contagious Delta variant spreading in indoor spaces, COVID-19 numbers are climbing again in most parts of the Lower Cape. The trend does not surprise public health officials, who expected cases to increase as cold weather forces more people to spend time together indoors. But with vaccination levels high and climbing, hospitalization and death rates are expect...

HARWICH – The town is being asked to contribute $100,000 toward the cost of a 62-unit mixed-income housing project in Orleans. Developer Pennrose, LLC filed a request with the community preservation committee to tap community housing funds. Pennrose is seeking support for its Orleans Cape Cod Five project, which proposes to reuse the former bank headquarters and operations center at 19 West Rd. and 10 Skaket C...