In Harwich, the Brooks Academy Museum, built by Sidney Brooks in 1844 as Pine Grove Seminary, needs a new foundation. The question before the town is whether to place a basic foundation underneath the historic structure at about $570,000; put in a foundation plus a partial basement at $900,000; or a foundation plus a full basement for about $1.2 million. The building is certainly important historically and aes...

This week marks the 400th anniversary of what is being called “The Turning Point.” After an arduous 10-week voyage across the Atlantic, the passengers and crew of the Mayflower sighted land – most likely the Nauset highlands somewhere around Orleans or Eastham – and headed south toward the Hudson River Valley, their destination. However, the Pollock Rip shoals east of Monomoy, soon to become infamous for their sh...

These are unprecedented times; not only the past four years, but the past few days and weeks. There's simply nothing in American history that could have prepared us for what we've just been through. As we write this, voters are still going to the polls and the outcome of the 2020 election won't be known, in the best case scenario, until late Tuesday or early Wednesday. More likely, the final result, at least i...

Time To Renew Masks Commitment Editor: Chatham residents and guests have been, for the most part, exemplary with their mask wearing. The images we see around town and in local media reflect well on our collective choices. From time to time, however, we see things that cause concern. Like the picture that appeared in the Oct. 22 Chronicle on page 47 regarding a pumpkin carving and pizza party on Little Beach...

“Mr. [Stephen S.] Foster kept his feet and held the crowd at bay, showing our religion to be falsehood and hypocrisy, when [Captain Stillman Snow], a member of the orthodox [Congregational] church, who had just come from his meeting (and it was said from the sacrament), leaped like a lion onto the platform. His eyes flashed fury if not fire; his teeth and his fists were clenched, and he seemed a spirit from the p...

Harwich town officials have known of Chris Wise’s plans to construct a 100-unit residential complex on 12.27 acres off Route 137 in East Harwich since July of last year, when the developer went before the affordable housing trust to discuss the concept. As the project has become more defined and Wise works toward shaping an application for a 40B comprehensive permit to build 75 market rate and 25 affordable housi...

Help Save Sand Pond Woodlands Editor: Thank you for the recent article about the “race” to save the Sand Pond Woodlands. Susanna Graham-Pye’s description of its “magic” and Don Schall’s exploration of the extensive variety of plant and animal species captivated my heart. As a washashore who values the special places on Cape Cod, especially in Harwich where I live, I encourage everyone to contribute whatever...

Time With Sharks Well Spent  Editor: A big Shark thank you to Detective Brackett of the Harwich Police Department! Detective Brackett was kind enough to have a Zoom meeting with me that also included students in my seminar classes at Monomoy High School.  He answered students' questions about policing, about the problems our country has seen this year in policing, and about our local police departments' rel...

“Just a closer walk with thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to thee. Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.”   We live in the age of wonder with so many resources as close as our computer. In this case I am referring to all that is available to us on YouTube. A great number of my musical favorites have died and most of the rest are no longer able to perform at the level they once coul...

We've editorialized in the past about our belief that Barnstable County Commission incumbent Ron Beaty should not be returned to office. We haven't changed our tune; we want to reiterate, two weeks before election day, that the county commission race is the most important local contest on the Nov. 3 ballot, and removing Beaty is critical for the continued function of county government on Cape Cod. Of the four ...

Support Ranked Choice Voting Editor: I would like to offer an opposing view to Mr. Beaty's somewhat conspiratorial theory opinions about the ranked voting option on the ballot as Question 2. The League of Women Voters, a non-partisan, non-profit organization with a long history of deep research and dispassionate review of voting rights, supports ranked voting. When they did their research the criteria they ...

The 43 degrees in the outside shower did not deter me enough to skip shaving the other morning. The next day was forecast for 73 so I could tough it out this early October morning. NOAA’s long range forecast for the winter has switched course, calling for a warmer than normal December-January-February. That could push the draining of the shower off until after the traditional date of Nov. 1. Until then, a micr...