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It's time once again for our weekly Cape Cod Times news roundup. On the Cape Cod Times website, find coverage of the groundbreaking of the Independence House expansion, a story about a new memorial bench and plaque honoring a local club owner and musician, and a final look at a beloved five-and-dime that is closing its doors.

On the Cape Cod Times sports page, we have game coverage of local high school baseball and lacrosse, plus photos of all the action, including softball.

If you're looking for something to do, we have an advance look at the upcoming Northeast Parrot Head Convention at the Margaritaville Resort Cape Cod in Hyannis starting May 1.

Here are the most popular stories on the Cape Cod Times website this past week.

Chatham Ben Franklin store to close this summer

After 23 years under current ownership, the Ben Franklin store in Chatham is closing its doors. The once one-stop shop for all your needs has had a difficult time adjusting in recent years.

"It doesn't make sense to keep it open anymore," said co-owner Patrick Doherty. A mix of things is causing the Ben Franklin store to close, including rising rent and competition from larger retailers.

"The last seven to ten years, we've been kind of just breaking even ..." added Doherty. "Pretty overwhelmingly everybody is bummed out about it."

What does Ben Franklin's remaining time look like, and what will replace it? Click the story link to read more.

State bows to federal law over extra residence on one lot in Cape Cod National Seashore

Can extra residential units be allowed on private lots within the Seashore in Wellfleet? That's the question at the center of a growing debate between Cape Cod National Seashore officials and Truro officials.

Truro allows one accessory dwelling unit per buildable lot in any of its seven zoning districts, including the Seashore zoning district. But Seashore regulations prohibit them, according to a federal legislation passed in 1961.

“Truro has a bylaw it will implement, and we’ll work out issues with the Seashore in a way that it feels is necessary,” Truro's representative Michael Fee said at an April 7 Seashore Advisory Commission meeting.

What will happen next, and how does the Affordable Homes Act factor into this? Click the story link to read more.

Closed assisted living facility in Harwich to open as apartments

The former Royal Harwich Village Assisted Living facility in Harwich has been converted into a new apartment complex called the Dylan James Apartments, featuring 26 units in two side-by-side buildings.

The assisted living facility closed in 2019 and was vacant for roughly two months. The renovation process began at the end of 2022 and includes hardwood flooring, kitchens with granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances, and tiled bathrooms.

"We don't have anything set through the state as listed as affordable housing, but we do accept all forms of payment and vouchers," said Marketing Coordinator for Newman Properties Kevin Leech.

How much does rent cost for these units, and what else can you expect from them? Click the story link for all the details.

Cape Cod retreat to help grieving families heal after death

After the tragic loss of their child William, the Shaw family launched William's Be Yourself Challenge, a nonprofit that benefits grieving families. In December 2024, William's parents, Nicholas and Susie, also started fundraising for The Green House — a planned sanctuary on Cape Cod which will provide respite to families that either lost a child or a parent.

The Shaws found that travelling helped them during their grief, and because travelling is not always an accessible option for every family, the Green House will provide grieving families with free week-long peaceful retreats.

"It's critical to have the preservation of family after tragedy," said Susie, who grew up in Falmouth. "The odds are stacked against you. It's not a given you are going to make it."

Click the story link to learn more about the Shaw family, their son William, and how he is being remembered.

Looking forward to eating seafood by the water this summer? One waterfront restaurant on the Cape is the best in the country, according to a recent ranking from USA Today 10BEST Readers' Choice Awards.

The annual 10BEST awards highlight the best in travel, food and lifestyle, and winners are chosen by a public voting poll after being nominated by industry experts. In the best of food awards, highlighting restaurants, markets, food tours and more from across the country, Beach House Grill in Chatham took first place in the best waterfront restaurant category.

Here's what to know before eating at the top-rated restaurant down the Cape.

Beach House Grill voted No. 1

One of five restaurants at the iconic Chatham Bars Inn, Beach House Grill is a casual seafood restaurant on an outdoor patio overlooking Chatham Harbor. USA Today calls the restaurant "the perfect setting for all ages," complete with "a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean" and "live entertainment on weekend."

Beach House Grill's menu is filled with local seafood favorites, including clam chowder and lobster rolls, as well as creative seaside specials, such as swordfish tacos, lobster nachos and a variety of freshly-harvested salads from the resort's eight-acre farm.

The rich seafood and soft ocean breeze can be enjoyed with a variety of signature beachy cocktails, such as the Cape Rose Sangria or the Daysailor. Throughout the summer, Beach House also offers a private clambake experience on the beach below.

How to eat at Beach House Grill

The Beach House Grill will open for the season with dinner on May 15, weather permitting. Once the restaurant is open, reservations can be made by using OpenTable or by calling 800-527-4884.

Beach House Grill is part of Chatham Bars Inn, located at 297 Shore Rd. in Chatham.

What other restaurants made the list?

Here is the full list of USA TODAY's top 10 waterfront restaurants in the country:

Three Cape Cod businessmen are finding out what kelp — seaweed to its friends — can do for them.

Richard Curtiss, Carl Douglass, and Jamie Bassett hope a 50-acre "plot" of ocean off Harding Beach in Chatham will yield enough to generate a lot of green.

The three men started Chatham Kelp in 2018, and while the business has had its ups and downs, the men believe they are onto something.

Writing for the news website Civil Eats in 2024, Alexandra Talty, a Pulitzer Center journalist, said one report estimated the value of the edible seaweed industry to be $1.87 billion in the U.S. Two million pounds of kelp were harvested from U.S. waters during the 2022-2023 season, and experts predict that number will grow.

So far, Chatham Kelp has partnered with several companies to craft kelp-inspired products: Craic Sauce in Lowell (Kelpie hot sauce), Atlantic Soap Company in Falmouth (lip balm and soap), Hog Island Beer Company (Chatham Kelp Stout), and Little Bay Beard Supply Company (beard balm).

And most recently, High Limb Cider in Plymouth came out with “In the Weeds,” a hard seltzer made with Chatham kelp and watermelon.

“We’re really excited about this one,” Curtiss said in an interview on May 7. “It tastes almost like a Jolly Rancher! Not too carbonated. A great summer drink.”

Chatham Kelp began working with High Limb Cider about six months ago, Curtiss said. They plan to sell the hard seltzer in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Hampshire, Maine, and North and South Carolina. In the works are Texas, Colorado, California, and Florida.

Farming kelp in Chatham

It took years to get permits from the town, state, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, state Division of Marine Fisheries and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association to grow sugar kelp in Chatham waters, Curtiss said. Finally, they received permits for 350 200-foot grow lines. The horizontal lines are anchored at each end, held up with buoys, and lie six to eight feet beneath the surface of the water.

Kelp spores attached to those lines are provided by GreenWave, a nonprofit whose goals include supporting farmers, planting regenerative ocean crops for economic gain and climate resiliency.

Sugar kelp is a winter crop in the New England area. Lines are laid in November or December and harvested around April. Curtiss said they get about six to 10 pounds of kelp per foot. Kelp is dried in fields for agricultural products like fertilizer, and in greenhouses for food-grade products.

Kelp, generally, is used in salads, smoothies and chips. It can be made into textiles, packaging, biofuels, and fertilizer. Kelp absorbs carbon dioxide and removes nitrogen from the water columns, according to researchers. One company, Sway, makes packaging and outdoor gear out of seaweed. Another, Keel Labs, makes a bio-based fiber from seaweed for the textile industry.

Challenges exist

Unfortunately, kelp farming hasn’t done particularly well on the Cape, according to Joshua Reitsma, a marine program specialist who holds a joint position with the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension Service and WHOI Sea Grant. He's been researching kelp for the last seven years.

“It’s been tough in Massachusetts,” he said in a May 6 interview. “Maine is doing better. We're trying to figure out why. Maine has cooler waters with nutrient-rich big tides. We have a lot of estuary type environments; they have a rocky shoreline.”

But kelp has been found to remove excess nitrogen, and it is being studied for use on the Cape. Reitsma has been working with sites in Falmouth Harbor and Popponesset Bay in particular.

Kelp is a regenerative crop that sequesters carbon, reduces ocean acidification and could save our seas, according to Talty. She estimates that about $380 million has been invested in the industry since 2017.

Collaboration with local partners

Atlantic Soap Company owner Caroline Laye has been working with Chatham Kelp since 2020. Her Chatham Kelp Beauty Bar is made with a blend of dried, ground kelp, seaweed extract, a blend of oils and filtered sea water. The bar is one of her best sellers, she said in an interview May 9.

“People love it,” she said. “They like that it's from Chatham and that it's a great bar of soap.”

Curtiss reached out to Jeremy Quaglia, owner of High Limb Cider, who was intrigued by the idea of making a beverage using kelp. The men decided to create a hard seltzer. After months of trial and error with kelp and watermelon puree, In the Weeds, was introduced. Quaglia is getting the word out about the new product through his distributors in seven states.

Brian Ruhlmann, owner of Craic Sauce in Lowell, created Kelpie hot sauce after a persuasive presentation by Bassett. Ruhlmann made a sauce using a mixture of sugar kelp and fermented peppers. This year he is tweaking the recipe by using different peppers and aging the product in a whiskey barrel. The sauce is being sold at outlets throughout the Cape, including Chatham Squire and Three Fins Coffee Roasters, he said in a May 9 interview.

"We're sitting tight on the expansion of our farm," Curtiss said. "We're waiting for the market to come."

Denise Coffey writes about business, tourism and issues impacting the Cape’s residents and visitors. Contact her at .

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