CHATHAM — The conservation commission voted unanimously last week to issue emergency certification for dredging near the North Inlet to Chatham Harbor. The vote came after a hearing that was contentious at times. Minister’s Point property owner Gerald Milden told the commission that dredging in the harbor is responsible for erosion of his land and other properties. After Milden made a series of heated com...

CHATHAM – It's pretty obvious that this is New England Patriots country, especially during football season. Even now, however, that devotion can be seen in, of all things, bidding on the Sharks in the Park. One of the art exhibit's five-foot sharks that sports a Patriots theme has the highest bid of any of this year's 60 sharks. In fact, it has the highest bid of any shark in the history of the event. With ...

CHATHAM – Thanks to a wet winter and spring, groundwater levels earlier this summer were at record levels. Although water levels have dropped some during the course of the summer, groundwater remains as high or higher than seen in many years. While groundwater levels are measured by monitoring wells scattered throughout the Cape, anyone can see how high the aquifer is just by visiting a freshwater pond. “Po...

CHATHAM – Along the wall in the newly renovated children's alcove at the Eldredge Public Library are five framed drawings that prominently display the words “Play,” “Read,” “Sing,” “Talk” and “Write.” Those are all factors in promoting early literacy, experts say, and promoting all five is the goal of changes happening in the children and youth section of the historic Main Street library. With grant funding...

CHATHAM – Last Friday the team excavating William and Anne Busby Nickerson’s circa 1664 homestead in Chatham made an exciting discovery – a “ton” of “individual little kernels” of corn and “little beans” dated to the 17 th century. “It’s pretty unprecedented in New England archaeology,” says Craig Chartier, director of the Plymouth Archaeological Rediscovery Project, who is leading the dig. He does not know o...

Retired CG Commander Will Be New Emergency Manager CHATHAM — With peak hurricane season approaching, and with last winter’s severe winter storms still fresh in people’s memories, the town is answering questions about its state of disaster preparedness. Fire Chief Peter Connick told selectmen Monday that the town has hired John Kondratowicz, a retired Coast Guard captain and professor of emergency managem...

CHATHAM — Somewhere over George’s Bank, flitting over the wave tops, there’s a shearwater named Monomoy. And another named Nauset. You could almost pity the one named Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School. The seabirds are part of a number outfitted with radio tracking tags by researchers at the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and named in honor of area middle schools whose students will follow their ...

CHATHAM    —    The conservation commission voted unanimously Wednesday to issue emergency certification for dredging near the North Inlet to Chatham Harbor. The vote came after a hearing that was contentious at times. Minister’s Point property owner Gerald Milden told the commission that dredging in the harbor is responsible for erosion of his land and other properties. After Milden made a series of heated co...

CHATHAM – The town continued its 72-year tradition of summer town meetings Tuesday, with more than 65 summer folks getting a two-hour run-down on the state of the community from selectmen and other town officials. The litany of details provided to non-resident taxpayers included the financial condition of the community, an overview of projects and issues officials have dealt with in the past year and expect to...

CHATHAM – The park and recreation commission is considering expanding the community center's fitness room into the adjacent conference room. The idea is only in the concept stage right now, and the commission plans to survey fitness room users to determine interest in expanding the facility's offerings. “People I've talked to are excited” about the possibility, commission chair Meredith Fry commented at las...

Culminating years of work, lawmakers last week passed legislation that would extend the hotel-motel tax to short-term rental properties, boosting town coffers and raising funds for expensive wastewater treatment projects. But one day after the legislative session ended, Gov. Charlie Baker sent the bill back to committee for more work. Despite the current uncertainty about the bill’s future, most agree that the...

CHATHAM — With erosion of the town’s east-facing coast once again making headlines, the town is moving ahead with a $250,000 study designed to guide management of the shoreline for the next 20 to 30 years. The idea has won the endorsement of the state’s Coastal Zone Management program, which is contributing more than $180,000 toward the effort. Town officials are working with the Center for Coastal Studies a...