From their earliest days, Cape Codders engaged in the enslavement of human beings. Cape ships and ship captains participated in the “Triangular Trade” which from the late 16th to early 19th centuries carried slaves, cash crops, and manufactured goods between West Africa, the Caribbean, American colonies, and the European colonial powers. This commerce, along with shipping salted codfish to the Caribbean to feed t...

“I’m getting married in the morning Ding, dong, the bells are gonna chime Pull out the stopper, we’ll have a whopper But get me to the church on time.”   Lerner and Loewe included this wonderful, irreverent song as part of the great score of “My Fair Lady.” Eliza Doolittle’s father, Albert, faced with the unexpected burdens of wealth and respectability, decides he needed to be a properly married ma...

Have you ever been driving down Route 6 and found yourself utterly confused about the distance to the next exit? Neither have we. A state plan to renumber the exits on most numbered highways in Massachusetts is on its way. Perhaps before this fall, the familiar exit numbers on Route 6 will be changing to conform with a federal plan that references an exit’s milepost location, rather than its sequence. Getti...

May The Best Location Be Chosen Editor: Chatham COA Director Mandi Speakman gave a report about the COA’s good work to Chatham’s finance committee at its Feb. 18 meeting.  It was very impressive. Chatham residents are fortunate to have these needed services and support.  We all recognize that the COA needs a new facility. They have been waiting a long time. I remember at last year’s annual town meeting when...

The federal government has been likened to a vast ocean liner. Once it’s set a course, it doesn’t easily stop or turn. But last week, the U.S. Coast Guard showed its maneuverability when it comes to policies that matter to citizens. It reversed course on an earlier plan to remove a lighted whistle buoy from the Chatham Harbor entrance. The fate of the “C” buoy might not be on par with the national debate ov...

Clarification Of Cemetery Tree Plan Editor: I wish to correct a statement made in the Feb. 6 Chronicle in the article titled “Meeting Called for Alternative Senior Center.” The article states “Friends of Trees has proposed planting trees along the nearby cemetery property to screen it from the road.” This is inaccurate. Friends of Trees funded the development of a master planting plan by a landscape archite...

We’re journalists, but sometimes words just fail us. That was what it was like when we learned about the brutal attack on Scottie, a 7-year-old Welsh pony, early Sunday morning. Working under cover of darkness, one or more cowardly perpetrators attacked the horse, whose docile nature made him an easy target. The animal’s injuries were unspeakably violent. It’s hard to imagine the hatred that must be in the ...

It’s winter, and time for my life to take a brief hiatus, and a deep breath, except that calming release is now ending instead in a catarrhal cough, not the cleansing exhale for which I’d hoped. Like many of you, due to the evidence of vast tracks of empty supermarket shelves where the tissues once were, I’m ODing daily on Mucinex, having succumbed to an insidious seasonal virus. In spite of this, I cooked supper...

Supports School COA Site Editor: It’s brilliant the superintendent of the Monomoy schools would like to see the COA building on the Middle School property. Let’s all get on the bus come May town meeting and vote for the town-owned school property. There is plenty of room for everyone. Thank you, Fred Crimins. Betsy Abreu Chatham   History Is On Women's Side Editor: Feb. 15 marks the day in 182...

According to a Federal Aviation Administration advisory circular, one of the first tasks local officials should do when beginning the airport master planning process is to create a process for public involvement. The program should be proportional to the airport size, complexity of the plan and the issues involved. The purpose is to encourage information sharing and collaboration among stakeholders. “An effective...

Helping Families Year-round Editor: We have an amazing community! The Harwich Children’s Fund/Friends of Harwich Youth would like to thank the following businesses and organizations who supported our mission to help Harwich youth in need: Art of Charity Foundation, Cape and Islands United Way, Cape Cod Healthcare Foundation, Chatham Candy Manor, Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod, Dunkin Donuts Route 124 in Ha...

If there's one thing Cape Codders care about, it's water. Whether it's groundwater, which comes from our single-source aquifer, or the coastal waters that drive our economy—which the region will spend billions on to clean up toxic nutrient loading—clean water is as important as the air we breath. It's ironic, then, that levels of MTBE, a gasoline additive that may be carcinogenic in high concentrations, was de...