CHATHAM – Discussions and compromises worked out over the past few months will likely avoid a number of potential controversies in next Monday's annual town meeting. That's not to say, however, that there won't be spirited discussion over some of the 40 articles on the warrant. Specifically, contention appears to be brewing over Article 38, which seeks approval for the selectmen to enter into an inter-municipa...

CHATHAM – The town's insurance won't cover damages being sought in a lawsuit by Skydive Cape Cod. In January, Skydive filed a lawsuit charging the town with breach of contract and civil rights violations for its failure to renew its contract to operate at Chatham Municipal Airport in 2013. The company is seeking $100,000 in damages. In an April 11 letter to the town, Stephen Hall, the attorney for Old Repub...

CHATHAM – A split school committee declined to send a letter to Monomoy Regional High School department heads apologizing for comments made at the group's March 23 meeting. The committee voted 3-2, with one member abstaining, not to send a letter apologizing for what the department heads, in a letter to the school committee, had said were violations of the committee's norms and protocols. The teachers said the...

In an unusual step, Monomoy school officials and local youth advocates are voicing concerns about “13 Reasons Why,” a series on Netflix that may be seen to romanticize teen suicide. Based on a 2007 young adult novel by Jay Asher, the video series follows a series of audio recordings a teen leaves behind for her classmates and peers explaining why she decided to kill herself. Last week, the Monomoy school distr...

Voters go to the polls on Thursday, May 11, to decide a two-person race for a single three-year term on the board of selectmen. Incumbent Seth Taylor and resident Shareen Davis have engaged in a lively campaign for the seat. In the lead-up to the election, we present profiles of the two candidates below, containing their responses to questions posed by The Chronicle. Running uncontested on the annual electi...

CHATHAM – Nominations are open for grand marshal for this year's Independence Day parade. Year-round summer residents who have made a significant contribution to the community, according to parade committee chairman Brad Schiff. Nominations can be made by emailing the committee at chathamparade@gmail.com, or visit its website, chathamparade.com. Registration forms for the parade are also available on the...

CHATHAM — Selectmen joined a handful of other town boards Tuesday in endorsing a local entrepreneur's pilot project to grow sugar kelp, a kind of native seaweed that can be eaten, used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, or converted into biofuel. Jamie Bassett told the board this week about his plans to grow the kelp in two test plots, one just inside the new break in Lighthouse Beach near Outermost Harbor,...

CHATHAM — Acknowledging that the town's water system could be stressed to its limits again this summer without more conservation, selectmen last week adopted a strict set of voluntary restrictions and new regulations that control nonessential water use. As of April 1, 2018, no new turf irrigation systems will be allowed to connect to the town water system if a suitable private well is available. Any existing...

CHATHAM – For the first time in nearly a decade, the Aunt Lydia's Cove mooring basin is being dredged to ensure commercial fishing boats have enough depth to operate at all tides. Early this week the Barnstable County dredge Codfish was pumping sand from the bottom of the Cove some 5,000 feet to the north onto a private beach off Linnell Lane. The approximately $169,000 project is being funded by four private ...

CHATHAM – At any one time, one to two dozen Monomoy Regional School District students are homeless. This school year, 26 students were technically homeless, defined under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act as children “who lack fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.” Currently, 17 students, 1.4 percent of the district's total enrollment, meet that definition. “It does speak to some...

CHATHAM — The town's economic engine is running smoothly, but a few initiatives – like a new focus on providing affordable child care – could provide some high-octane help for local employees and the companies they work for. That was the word from economic development committee Chairman Luther Bates, who told selectmen last week that his group also favors the creation of new events and festivals to boost the v...

CHATHAM — At least for the time being, it's all green lights for the controversial West Chatham Route 28 roadway project. On Monday, regional transportation planners opted to keep the project as part of the current Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), triggering a 21-day public comment period before the Cape Cod Metropolitan Planning Organization takes a final vote. Opponents of the roadway plan soug...