After the anthrax scares that followed 9/11, local towns developed plans to open emergency dispensing sites to quickly vaccinate their citizens; those plans have now been in place for years, and have been routinely reviewed and certified. Towns practice them by staging routine flu vaccine clinics.  But during the pandemic, those plans have been shelved by state officials who favor using large mass vaccination ...

CHATHAM – Whales will return to Kate Gould Park for this summer's Chatham Merchants Association and the Chatham Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Art in the Park display. Last year's popular Oars in the Stores scavenger hunt will also return. Whale cut-outs from Stello Construction will be ready for distribution on March 10. Oars for the Oars in the Stores scavenger hunt will be ready for delivery on March 10 as w...

CHATHAM — The Barnstable County dredge Sand Shifter is living up to its name as it works to clear the Stage Harbor entrance channel, nourishing eroded south-side beaches at the same time. The dredge began operation on Feb. 3, but adjustments had to be made to the newly rebuilt booster pump, which is stationed on Harding's Beach. The booster relays the sand-and-water slurry churned up by the dredge to another...

State Opens Registration To People 65+, But Supply Still Lags The state’s COVID-19 vaccination roll-out is now focused on senior citizens, but local and regional leaders are crying foul, saying the effort isn’t bringing needed doses quickly enough to serve the aging population of Barnstable County. “Cape Cod clearly is being left behind here in the Commonwealth’s vaccine roll-out,” said State Sen. Julian Cy...

CHATHAM — The select board Tuesday unanimously threw its support behind the idea of using 19 acres of town land off Middle Road to create affordable and attainable housing. Town officials say two parts of the property, 5.2 acres on the west site and 3 acres on the east, are suitable for building. The western side of the parcel could sustain units with a total of between 20 and 25 bedrooms, with another 12 to...

Harwich's share of the Monomoy Regional School District budget has risen steadily over the past several years while Chatham's has dropped, a consequence of plunging enrollment due to a lack of young families, mainly in Chatham. There's no quick and simple fix to that problem, but there is a short-term solution to the financial inequity that has resulted in the district's two elementary schools, and Harwich offici...

CHATHAM – Marcellus Eldredge was born and raised in Chatham. At the age of 14, he moved to Portsmouth, N.H., where his father ran a shipping company. In 1858, at the age of 20, he became a clerk at a small Portsmouth brewery. Within a few years he was general manager, and his 1870, he and his father Heman bought the brewery and renamed it “H. Eldredge and Son.” What eventually became the Eldredge Brewing Company ...

CHATHAM – Year-end statistics gathered from town departments bear out some of the anecdotes about the way the pandemic impacted the community during 2020. More people stayed in town longer in the fall, water department usage figures indicate. There's also been an uptick in the number of residents and registered voters. However, other figures showed slowdowns that may be indicative of less activity due to th...

Plans For Reuse Are Still Developing CHATHAM — Twice before, the town of Chatham declined opportunities to take ownership of the historic Coast Guard Boathouse that once watched over Stage Harbor. Members of the select board weren’t about to turn down a third opportunity, vot ing Tuesday to accept the donation of the building and effectively saving the structure from demolition. It appears feasible tha...

CHATHAM – The historic business district commission last week cleared the way for the demolition of five buildings on the former Monomoy Theatre property, but the owner said that none of the structures will be razed until town boards issue final approval for six single-family homes on the 2.7-acre parcel. Chatham Productions plans to divide the land into two separate properties. The 776 Main St. parcel will in...

It’s simple math: the county is typically receiving just under 1,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine each week. There are an estimated 10,000 Cape residents aged 75 and older, and each will need two doses of the vaccine. Unless the supply of vaccine increases markedly, it won’t be until June that all 20,000 doses are administered and the vaccine can begin going to seniors 65 and older. “It’s a system that pits e...

CHATHAM – Recognizing that more resources need to be put into securing affordable housing, the community preservation committee endorsed a $1 million contribution to the town's affordable housing trust fund, $200,000 more than town officials requested. The committee recommended voters approve seven other requests for community preservation funds. Those requests, as well as a dozen other community preservation ...