Electric car charging stations, proposed as part of a makeover of the parking lot at the Chatham Town Offices, would be an appropriate, far-sighted addition to the downtown infrastructure. Chatham has been proactive in taking advantage of renewable energy opportunities, with solar arrays at the former landfill, police and annex buildings, and having facilities for electric vehicles – more and more of which will b...

When we received Barnstable County Commissioner Ronald Beaty's press release last week announcing “Targeted, localized shark hazard mitigation strategy proposal,” we gave it a quick read and set it aside. We were on deadline and didn't see the announcement as big news, and having dealt with Beaty in the past, we did not take his idea of culling sharks by hooking and shooting them seriously. Alas, others did. ...

Tech School Project Moves Ahead Editor: On behalf of the Cape Cod Regional Technical High School, I would like to extend my appreciation to the boards of selectmen from the towns of Brewster, Chatham, Dennis, Eastham, Orleans, Truro and Wellfleet for their unanimous approval of our school's building project. In the coming days and weeks, we hope to garner similar endorsements from the remaining five towns. ...

Restore Labyrinth Space Editor: Having heard so much about the Chatham Labyrinth, I was excited to be in its presence and experience the serenity it offers. When I arrived my attention was immediately drawn to a Trump sign on a garage facing the labyrinth. The owners of which have every right to do so on their property. But I ask why would you want your only audience to be those that seek solitude, healing...

Ground Control to Major Tom Ground Control to Major Tom Your circuit’s dead there’s something wrong Can you hear me Major Tom   David Bowie was a English singer and actor well known for his creativity. Bowie created a full-blown character for Major Tom, a fictional astronaut complete with space suit and helmet. Ground Control orders Major Tom to exit the spaceship for a walk outside and, of cour...

Simply put, we are blown away. The response to our first-ever summer Helping Neighbors fundraising campaign to benefit the Family Pantry of Cape Cod admittedly got off to a slow start. We had doubts that a planned matching grant of $50,000 could be met. But as that matching pool of money grew, so did the donations coming in from both year-round and summer residents. This week the Pantry announced that the c...

It wasn't surprising to learn that a white shark killed a seal in Chatham Harbor last week. It was bound to happen, since sharks tend to be present where their favorite prey is located, and there are plenty of seals in the harbor. What was a little surprising was the debate that was sparked when we shared photos of the predation on our Twitter and Facebook accounts. The images were bloody and graphic, and were...

Town Deserves Explanation Editor: When vacationing in your lovely town at the beginning of August, I read and watched on TV the discovery of a the body of a young man missing for nine months, found in a decommissioned USCG boat within sight of where he was last seen. I was shocked to see the cold response by the Police Chief of Chatham upon finding their missing person 100 feet from where he disappeared. I ...

Although the bugs were out, the show above was, as usual, thrilling. Windless on the Oyster Pond, its surface like glass – no, molten glass or perhaps liquid chrome – our boat, Tilikum, made a track slowly past the channel buoy. Oddly, a cloud of wood smoke met us there, drifting up from the marshes to the southwest. Before I recognized the smell, I looked at the motor to be sure that the extra oil I put in th...

Would Chatham still be Chatham without its iconic Independence Day parade? Sure. Would the absence of the event make the July 4 holiday just a little bit duller for a whole lot of people? For sure. The recent resignation of all five members of the Independence Day parade committee, however, leaves a large void that needs to be filled. No doubt, it's a lot of work putting together the event, which has ...

Overpass For Harwich Port? Editor: All summer long, we encounter interminable traffic delays driving through Harwich Port center due to frequent pedestrian crossings, resulting in 10, 20, even 40 cars burning gasoline to allow one pedestrian to cross the street.  I would  propose one or more overpass walkways in the center of Harwich Port, thus allowing people to cross safely and quickly, and making for ...

To say I was swept or blown away by the recent events at the old “vintage” Harwich Middle School does not do justice to the transformations occurring there. Those words almost connote a violent action or a negative removal. It was, more accurately, a case of being “spirited away” to another dimension, a world of imagination, creativity and flight of fancy. Not only was the event the second appearance of Bu...