ORLEANS – A six-year-old boy has died following an apartment fire on Route 6A Saturday night. The Orleans Fire Department responded to 177 Route 6A at approximately 8:40 p.m. Saturday, the department said in a statement. Upon arrival, smoke and fire was observed from the second floor of the two-and-a-half floor building. One person was unaccounted for, prompting a second alarm from mutual aid from neighbori...

Local officials are warning residents to prepare for what could be historic cold weather later Friday and overnight into Saturday. The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill warning for 10 a.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday. Temperatures are expected to dip to about -4 degrees on Friday night, and northwest winds gusting as high as 40 miles per hour will send wind chill values as low as -26 degrees, acc...

CHATHAM — Crews installing a new sheet pile bulkhead at the fish pier’s south jog have faced a couple of challenges, starting with defective corrugated sheets that had to be replaced. Then new sheets being driven into place hit an unknown underground obstruction that, as of early this week, had slowed progress for the project. Still, town officials are optimistic that the contractor will get the job done befor...

CHATHAM — Voters will get a second bite at the apple when it comes to considering a new home for the council on aging in West Chatham, thanks to property owner Bill Marsh. Last week, the town announced that Marsh had again offered to donate land at 1610 Main St. for a new Chatham Center for Active Living.  On Tuesday, the select board voted to accept Marsh’s gift, contingent on approval of an article at the Ma...

CHATHAM – Why give a hoot about owls? Besides being majestic birds of prey, ranging from the beautiful snowy owl to the diminutive northern saw-whet owl, owls are raptors who are pretty good at controlling pest populations, everything from mice and rats to chipmunks and squirrels. So encouraging owls to stick around areas favored by vermin is not a bad idea. Park and recreation commissioner Kimberly Robbins...

Partnership Aims To Boost Housing Stock EASTHAM — Communities have come to recognize that encouraging homeowners to build accessory apartments is a key strategy for increasing the number of housing units. And while those apartments face unique permitting hurdles, the biggest roadblock is sometimes financial. By partnering with Seamen's Bank, the Lower Cape Community Development Partnership is hoping a new p...

CHATHAM – The Chatham Fund, part of The Cape Cod Foundation, recently awarded $41,500 in grants to seven nonprofit organizations serving the community. The grants support local food pantries and food delivery programs, services for the Alzheimer’s/Dementia community, the development of two new affordable homes, and direct financial support for Chatham residents in need to cover rent, utilities, medical bills, pre...

HARWICH – Selectm a n Donald Howell resigned from the affordable housing trust on Monday night , avoiding a vote on a motion by Selectmen Chairman Michael MacAskill to remove him from the trust. It was a night filled with finger pointing and back and forth over what some selectmen described as dysfunction and the inability of the trust to improve the town’s subsidized housing inventory. Monday night’s ...

HARWICH — It has been a long time in coming, but the Massachusetts Cultural Council last Thursday approved designations for two cultural districts in the town. “It’s like going to the Olympics and winning the gold in two events,” said Harwich Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cyndi Williams. Harwich is the fourth community in the commonwealth to have two districts within its boundaries, joining Barnsta...

Residents Want Brick Sidewalks And Period Lighting HARWICH – West Harwich residents sent a clear message to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation that retention of the historic character of the village is of primary importance in the planned reconstruction of Route 28 from the Herring River Bridge into Dennisport. Approximately 30 people attended MassDOT’s Jan. 24 public hearing on the 25 percent d...

HARWICH – The Seal Pub and Cafe host ed its second annual GI Jive e v ent Jan. 28 , rai s ing more than $1,500 for the Cape and I s lands Veterans Outreach Center in Hyannis. The Outreac h center has been working to end chronic veteran homelessness. Its mission is to provide comprehensive life sustaining services and programs for veterans and their families. “ The event was a celebrat...

BUZZARDS BAY – A team doesn’t always need to be perfect in order to pass a test. Although the Dennis-Yarmouth/Cape Cod Tech/Cape Cod Academy boys co-op hockey team was unable to upend defending Division 4 state champion Sandwich in back-to-back games, the Dolphins proved they belong — and can hang with — the Bay State’s best. Just two days after suffering a 2-1 loss to Sandwich at the Tony Kent Arena, the D...

ORLEANS – It can be difficult for a team to settle into a penalty-filled game. The Cape Cod Furies hardly felt comfortable on Saturday when they suffered a 4-0 loss to Sandwich in a game that featured 12 penalties, with each team receiving six infractions. “In a game that’s kind of choppy like that, it’s really hard to find some rhythm,” first-year Furies coach Zach Wells said. “Especially when you’re fight...

If there was ever any doubt about the Nauset boys and girls swimming and diving programs’ place in the Cape and Islands League, the Warriors set the record straight over the weekend. Following victories over Sandwich on Jan. 26, both the boys and girls earned at least a share of the league’s regular-season titles. The boys finished 6-0 and won the boys title outright with their 86-77 win over Sandwich, whil...

ORLEANS – It didn’t take Zach Wells long to realize the talent Olivia Avellar possesses. As an assistant coach for last year’s Cape Cod Furies, Wells got a glimpse of Avellar’s skillset while she played goaltender for the co-op team. “Obviously meeting Olivia last year, I was really impressed,” Wells said. “We brought in a goalie coach this year to work with her specifically because we saw how much talent s...

     We all remember Peter Pan, soaring around Wendy Darling’s bedroom with Tinker Bell and spiriting children away to Neverland.      But how did Peter Pan become Peter Pan?      Find out the answer as Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre presents “Peter and the Starcatcher,” the backstory of how an orphan boy becomes Peter Pan, Feb. 16 through March 12.      The Tony-winning play tells the story ...