HYANNIS — New help is available for people with certain types of heart problems, thanks to a new treatment for atrial fibrillation and a new clinic for people diagnosed with heart failure, both offered by Cape Cod Healthcare. Last month, Cape Cod Healthcare announced that a new surgical implant is now available locally for people with a certain type of heart problem, non-valvular atrial fibrillation. The newly...

ORLEANS — Mike and Viviane Dufresne's dream of opening a restaurant in Orleans had turned into something of a nightmare. That's the word Mike used to describe the permitting process that gave them “nothing but trouble since February” when he spoke up at the Orleans Citizens forum candidate night April 26. Fighting to keep his emotions in check, Dufresne decried a time- and money-consuming system in which confli...

ORLEANS — Two of the three men sitting on the stage of the Nauset Regional Middle School auditorium April 26 will be sitting as selectmen after the May 16 election. That may have explained the robust turnout for the Orleans Citizens Forum's candidates night. “We all want the best for the town,” David Currier said in his opening statement. “We need to find things we can all agree on, get those done first, and...

HARWICH — The cost of treating wastewater to sustain water quality was a weighty issue for some homeowners in town meeting on Monday night. After a lengthy discussion, a two-thirds majority vote passed approving more than $11 million to begin the second phase of the town's comprehensive wastewater management plan. The message was clear that if steps were not taken to address wastewater issues, the town would l...

CHATHAM – The Chatham Orpheum Theater will host the opening night of the Cape Cod Festival of Arab and Middle Eastern Cinema tonight, May 4. “Halal Love (and Sex),” a comedy by Assad Fouladkar, will be screened at 6 p.m., and will include a pre-screening reception featuring Middle Eastern hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. The biennial showcase highlights movies by filmmakers in the Arab world, the Middle East ...

CHATHAM -- Two projects will impact roadways in downtown Chatham and on Morton Road beginning Monday. Construction of new water mains along Morton Road will require the closure of the road to through traffic beginning May 1 and lasting several weeks.  The new mains are necessary to serve the new iron and manganese water treatment plant being built off the street.  The road will remain open to local traffic. ...

Unused and unwanted prescription drugs can be brought to police stations in Chatham and Harwich Saturday, April 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. as part of National Prescription Drug Take-back Day. Sponsored by the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency, National Prescription Drug Take-back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general pub...

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...