EAST HARWICH — The message was clear Monday night that the town must continue to make short-term adjustments to the Route 39/Pleasant Bay Road intersection while it looks long-term at more substantial improvements. The idea of a roundabout as that long-term solution is gaining traction. Selectmen heard a presentation on the Road Safety Audit report on the intersection conducted by Steven Tupper, a transport...

HARWICH — Illegal drug use has had a major impact on the community, resulting in 20 deaths from overdoses between 2000 and 2015. The problem is not unique to Harwich; Barnstable County has the highest overdose rate per capita of any county in Massachusetts. “This is a serious concern Capewide,” Dt. Sgt. Robert Brackett said this week of the opiate epidemic. “Harwich is no different than other Cape communities....

HARWICH — For the second time in a month and the fourth time since the equipment was installed four years ago, a failed transistor inverter has closed public access to Brooks Free Library. Word of the latest failure came early last Friday morning. This is the second time in a month the town has gone without full access to its public library, and frustration levels are high. Selectmen on Monday night expressed ...

HARWICH — It's almost cranberry harvest time, and Harwich is celebrating this weekend with a parade and a festival of arts and music. The Harwich Hometown Parade is back this year, bringing floats, marching bands and family fun through Harwich Port and Harwich Center. A longtime staple of the Harwich Cranberry Festival, the parade is now an anchor event for the chamber of commerce's Fall for Harwich series. ...

HARWICH — The board of selectmen has altered its decision to reduce the funding for the architectural services associated with the restoration and preservation of Brooks Free Library. The board had voted a couple of weeks ago to cut services, reducing funding for the work by more than $16,000. But the board received some negative feedback from the architectural firm being considered to oversee the project, McG...

HARWICH — When Toni Hollingsworth walked into the community center in June, she couldn't help noticing that the rose garden honoring former resident Thomas P. “Tip” O'Neill had fallen into deplorable condition. Seeing that the garden needed some TLC to survive, Hollingsworth agreed to develop a volunteer program to see to its continued care. In 2002 the town was recognized by The American Rose Society as an...

HARWICH — Plagued by continuing electrical problems, Brooks Free Library is closed again today.  It will reopen with limited service in the building's lobby on Saturday. Library Director Ginny Hewitt reported Friday that the building's emergency light inverter has failed again, the third such failure in the past 10 months. Because the building has no lights or emergency lights, it cannot be occupied. Staff ...

HARWICH — The crush of summertime visitors is over and there are plenty of leaves on the ground, if only because of Hermine. And it's the first big weekend of the season-long Fall for Harwich celebration. Weather permitting, Saturday's going to be the ultimate beach day. It's the Harwich Cranberry Festival's Beach Day at Red River Beach in South Harwich, starting at 11 a.m. (and in case of rain, it happens S...

HARWICH PORT — Immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, artist Pamela Chatterton-Purdy went to her easel to express the deep emotions she was feeling and to try and find spiritual meaning behind the senseless violence. Now, 15 years later, her series of “Icons of 9/11” paintings are once again going on display in an exhibit at the Cape Cod Art Association. “Hard to believe that it has been 15 years...

HARWICH — The Resilient Family Farm is growing faster than a zucchini in the heat of summer, and it has caught the eyes of town officials. Conservation Administrator Amy Usowski last week issued a stop work order on portions of the farm that are within the 100-foot buffer zone of wetlands. The farm is located on 3.14 acres down a shelled driveway at 35 Chatham Rd. Owner Barry Viprino said he has added another ...

HARWICH PORT— The center of this village will see some changes in the near future, with Cumberland Farms planning to begin construction of a new convenience store in Mid-October and major plans for the former Dino's Harwich Port Grille property going before the planning board later this month. Even the United Gas station adjacent to the Cumberland Farms site, owned by Bassil Brothers Trust, got a facelift over...

HARWICH — The board of selectmen was scheduled on Tuesday night to go into executive session to consider the purchase of real estate at 397 Route 28, the former Handler's Auto Parts property that sits at the head of Allen Harbor. There is apparent interest in the purchase of the property, as the town's real estate and open space committee has also been discussing the property. That committee met on Aug. 19 in ...