The Mitchell River drawbridge will be closed to traffic during the daytime Thursday, April 27, and Friday, April 28. Representatives of the bridge contractor, SPS New England, will be on site to make adjustments to the new bridge. Officials noted problems with the span locking because of swelling. Work each day will begin at 7 a.m., and the bridge will be reopened to traffic at the end of each day. ...

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...

CHATHAM – Balancing the student population between Chatham and Harwich elementary schools will likely require changes in the Monomoy School District's regional agreement. Despite efforts to attract more Harwich students to the Chatham school in order to bolster its numbers, there will be one fewer kindergarten class in Chatham next fall, and one more class in Harwich. The adjustment will maintain equitable ...

CHATHAM — Selectman Seth Taylor and challenger Shareen Davis underscored their different visions and leadership philosophies during a League of Women Voters debate last Thursday. The two are vying for a single seat on the board of selectmen in the May 11 annual town election. Taylor stressed his experience on the board and his public sector work for the state Department of Youth Services and in the Peace Cor...

CHATHAM — Though some practical questions remain, selectmen in Orleans and Chatham have taken steps to prevent a possible closure of a popular stretch of Nauset (North) Beach to off-road vehicles this season. In a joint meeting in Chatham Monday evening, the boards voted unanimously to extend the current intermunicipal agreement for an additional year. Earlier this year, Orleans selectmen sent the Chatham bo...

HARWICH — Two calves that have been on the lam for the past two months, spending much of their time at Cranberry Valley Golf Course, were captured early Friday morning. But they didn't surrender without a little protest. “I didn't know cow wrangler was in my job description,” Cranberry Valley Golf Course Superintendent Shawn Fernandez said a few hours after wrestling a male calf which refused to be led from th...

HARWICH — Wastewater funding will be the big issue when voters gather at the community center on Monday as voters face 54 warrant articles in the annual town meeting. Voters will be asked to approve an annual budget for FY18 of $61,050,421, which contains a request for $24,787,671 to fund the town's share of the Monomoy Regional School District budget, including debt services on school buildings, and another $...

HARWICH — The conservation commission continues to work through issues relating to the agricultural use of land associated with Eldredge Farm. The farm is located in Brewster with a segment operated over the Harwich town line. There remain outstanding questions regarding the ownership of the Harwich land. The town's assessing department does not recognized the ownership claim made by Jeff and Laura Eldredge, w...

HARWICH — Voters will be asked to approve more than $11 million to fund the beginning of phase two of the town's comprehensive wastewater management plan in Monday's opening session of the annual town meeting. The major focus of the funding is to design infrastructure and provide wastewater treatment for East Harwich. Town officials last Thursday pitched the plan to about 35 members of the East Harwich Communi...

HARWICH — Recognizing local firefighters' dogged determination to save lives, a national animal rights group has decided to throw them a bone. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, has awarded Compassionate Fire Department Awards to the Harwich and Brewster fire departments for their rescue of a dog from a house fire on April 15. The two-alarm blaze on Standish Circle caused around $100,00...

HARWICH ─ In a pitcher's duel, someone eventually has to win, and in the case of the Monomoy baseball team's game last Wednesday against D-Y, in spite of stellar pitching from Owen Cottle, the Dolphins prevailed with a 2-0 victory after seven innings. “The good news is Owen Cottle pitched probably his best game of the year,” said Monomoy head coach Steve Wilson. Cottle pitched the full seven innings, and ...

HARWICH ─ Don't let the scoreboard fool you. While the D-Y Dolphins eked out a run in last Thursday's pitcher's duel against Monomoy, the D4 Sharks held their own against the D2 Dolphins in the 1-0 outing. Monomoy pitcher Mollie Charest continued her stellar season with 14 strikeouts in seven innings of game play at Potters Field, while teammate Hannah Potter went 2-for-3 at the plate for the Sharks. The ...

SOUTH YARMOUTH ─ A little more time on the clock might have made the difference in the Monomoy boys lacrosse team's vacation week battle against the Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins, who played to a 15-9 victory in South Yarmouth on Thursday. After trailing significantly at the break, the Sharks seemed to regroup a bit in the game's second half, chipping away at the D-Y lead on goals from Connor Santoni and Elijah B...