PLEASANT LAKE — Compared to the heavy political, financial and legislative lifting needed for the Cape Cod Tech school building project, hoisting a several-thousand-pound steel beam in place for the traditional topping-off ceremony Thursday was clearly the easy part of the job. State Sen. Julian Cyr spoke about special legislation he pursued with ...

Humane Society, IFAW Beg To Differ Barnstable County officials listened Wednesday morning as general contractor Willy Planinshek of Yarmouthport and Kevin McCarthy of Falmouth, who's worked for decades in oceanographic manufacturing, talked about technology that could divert seals, and thus, they say, sharks, from waters enjoyed by Cape swimmers.   Their acoustic device, now in very early planning stages...

ORLEANS — With the help of Woods Hole Group, the town has completed a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) report for the state and updated its federal Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan (MHMP). Final drafts of both documents are available on the planning department's webpage (town.orleans.ma.us/planning-department), with comments being accepted through May 31 by Director of Planning and Community Development Geo...

  Kenneth Merrill Stetson of West Hartford, Connecticut and Chatham died peacefully on May 22, 2019 surrounded by his family.  He was 91 years old. He was born on March 20, 1928 in Brooklyn, Connecticut, the son of Kenneth Gallup and Miriam (Cornell) Stetson.                Ken attended Brooklyn Grammar School and graduated from Killingly High School in 1946.  He th...

Constance Murphy Gormley, beloved wife of the late James F. Gormley, passed away peacefully in her home on May 23, 2019. She was born on September 29, 1921 in Boston to Dr. George and Mary Murphy. She was the loving sister of Adele M. White. Connie was a dearly loved aunt to many and the great-aunt to many more. Constance was a faithful member of Holy Redeemer Catholic Church. The family of Mrs. Gormley is sin...

Nauset Beach from the parking lot south will be closed to vehicles beginning Friday, May 31 at noon due to unfledged piping plover chicks in the vicinity of the ORV corridor. The town's natural resources staff announced the closure Wednesday afternoon, saying they will continue to monitor the situation daily and open the trails as soon as possible under a state permit that allows vehicle access with escorts on...

CHATHAM – When Monomoy Regional Middle School students want a drink of water, they visit the nearest hallway fountain or turn on the tap. When students in Kenya want a drink of water, they have to walk, sometimes many miles. To help ease their situation, MRMS students are raising funds through their first Walk to Water event with the goal of creating a water station near a school in Kenya. According to MRMS li...

Charter Review Group At Odds Over Allegations CHATHAM – Members of the charter review committee are at odds over an allegation of Open Meeting Law violations, with some members finding the complaint valid while others calling it “garbage” and “preposterous.” “At no point in time has this committee in my opinion done anything except bend over backwards to try to adhere to open public process,” said committee...

Each community in Massachusetts publishes an annual town report, usually about the time of the annual town meeting. The reports cover the previous year and contain a wealth of information and statistics that provide insight into how towns operate, municipal priorities and the people who make local government work. The Chatham, Harwich and Orleans reports for 2018 have all arrived—Chatham was the last one, beco...

YARMOUTHPORT — In 20 years as head of Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod, Vicki Goldsmith of Harwich has seen political and public support for affordable housing ebb and flow. But as she looks forward to her retirement in December, Goldsmith is as optimistic as ever. “There’s been such an upsurge in energy from the towns,” she said. More towns have established housing trusts to help them purchase property when...

CHATHAM — Amid the bustle of the holiday weekend, more than 100 people paused Monday to remember those who died in service to the nation. The U.S. Coast Guard’s honor guard takes its place in Monday’s Memorial Day observance. “This is not just another three-day weekend,” said SPC Ted Miller, U.S. Army, Ret....

SOUTH HARWICH — The Harwich Conservation Trust is asking residents to keep an eye open for eastern box turtles and spotted turtles, two declining local species that face a variety of mostly man-made threats. If you find one, officials are asking you to snap a photo and record some information, all of which will be relayed to the state's Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. The eastern box turt...

HARWICH — The neighborhood dispute between The Port Restaurant and Bar and the abutting Perks Coffee Shop and Beer Garden in Harwich Port is heating up. The attorney for The Port filed has a petition seeking enforcement action relating to an outside bar the owners claim is encroaching on their property and is therefore illegal. The sparing between the two establishments intensified over the winter when Perks m...

HARWICH — Bids for the first of two sewer contracts for phase two of the comprehensive wastewater management plan were opened last Thursday, and while a local contractor, Robert B. Our Company, was the low bidder, the bids were higher than expected. The town received four bids, with the Our Company coming in at $11,368,663 with the next lowest bidder, RJV Construction, Inc., at $11,764,616. Town Administrator ...

Alcohol Service To Require Harbor Plan Change HARWICH — It has not been an easy process for Joseph Griffiths, the only bidder for the 10-year lease of the snack shack at Saquatucket Harbor, but with opening of the Dockside Seafood Shack last weekend made it worthwhile. “He’s been working hard to get ready and he’s done a terrific job and he’s made a significant investment and looking forward to a big year,”...

HARWICH — “For your tomorrow, we gave our today” are powerful words of sacrifice to reflect upon on Memorial Day. Those words are from an epitaph of a fallen American warrior, Sgt. Jeremy Armstrong told a large crowd gathered around the bandstand at Brooks Park Monday. Monomoy Regional Middle School seventh grade students Megan Crowe, Kathryn Neal a...