CapeCodToday Blog Chowder

Fire engine to stay; No backpacks at Barnstable Middle School after threatening note; Homeless man found dead; Falmouth drug bust; Harwich fall victim; Possible booby trap in Falmouth woods; Falmouth Police seek bakery robber

Engine to remain in Yarmouth
YARMOUTH - A reversal of plans means an engine will remain in the West Yarmouth fire station #3. The engine had been removed as a result of budget shortcomings but the Times reports Chief C. Randall Sherman has decided to pull the ambulance out of that station instead saying the engine crew can provide medical care until an ambulance arrives from another station. CWN has leanred that the engine never had been pulled as of yet and as of this writing the mabulance is still there. Posted on 12/01 at 6:45 AM; updated on 12/01 at 12:30 PM.

No backpacks allowed after threatening note found at BHS
BARNSTABLE - Students will not be allowed to carry backpacks at Barnstable Middle School Friday. Extra Police will also be on hand after a threatening note was found in the school yesterday evening. Authorities searched the school and found nothing. Parents converged at an information meeting at 8;30 AM Friday morning to learn more about the incident. Posted on 12/01 at 6:45 AM; updated on 12/01 at 12:30 PM.

Homeless man found dead in Hyannis
HYANNIS - A homeless man was found dead in a wooded area near the west end of Main Street in Hyannis. The Times identifies the man as 63-year old John Davis. His death does not appear suspicious according to Cape & Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe. Posted on 12/01 at 6:45 AM.

Falmouth Police make drug bust
FALMOUTH - A man Falmouth Police describe as a major supplier of marijuana on the upper Cape is under arrest after a lengthy investigation by the department's drug task force along with Barnstable and Yarmouth Police. 24-year old Renaldo Andrade (pictured) of Falmouth was arrested on Thursday. Andrade reportedly had 5 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $15,000 on the street in his possession during an apparent motor vehicle stop. He was charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Police also nabbed 25-year old John Andrade of East Falmouth (unknown relationship if any) after he allegedly fled from police. He was charged conspiracy to violate controlled substance laws. Also in the vehicle was 25-year old John Lopes of  Bourne who was charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and possession of cocaine (subsequent offense). Officers later executed a search warrant at Renaldo Andrade's residence on Laura Road and reported seized what police described as an additional large quantity of marijuana, a 40 caliber Smith & Wesson semi automatic firearm with two loaded clips, a stun gun, fiorinal (a class E substance) and an undisclosed amount of cash. Renaldo Andrade was additionally charged with possession of a large capacity firearm without a permit, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a stun gun. Posted on 12/01 at 5:00 AM. Falmouth Police photos.

Man injured in fall in Harwich
HARWICH - One man was taken to Cape Cod Hospital after falling off a ladder in Harwich.

Officials believe the man was cleaning leaves from the gutters of a home on Uncle Venies Way about 1 PM when he fell. His condition was not immediately known.

Further details were not immediately available.

Posted on 11/30 at 9:00 PM. Photo courtesy of Jake O'Callaghan.

Possible booby trap found in Falmouth woods
FALMOUTH - Falmouth Police, Falmouth Department of Natural Resources and Mass Environmental Police are investigating a suspicious find in the woods of West Falmouth Thursday. Someone discovered a flare gun tied with shoe laces to a tree with a 12 gauge shell jammed in it. There was no trip wire but officials believe it may have been some kind of booby trap placed on a path frequented by hunters. Posted on 11.30 at 9:00 PM.

Falmouth Police seek bakery robber
FALMOUTH - Police are searching for the man who allegedly robbed the Pie in the Sky bakery in Falmouth Early Thursday morning. He is described as a white male with short hair and a leather jacket. He was caught on security camera and CWN was able to get an image courtesy of bakery owner Erik Gura. See here for updated article. Anyone with information is asked to contact Falmouth Police at (508) 457-2528. Posted on 11/30 at 9:00 PM.

Links: CapeCodFD     Cape Cod FD's Live Scanner    Cape Cod Live WEBCAMS  
Looking for an old story? Use our archive service  Cape court reports (CCT)
Ptown fireworks forum      Cape Cod Today forecast     Tide Info     Live radar

Quaker Village Cookie Stroll, Packet Landing gateway, Park debate turns nasty, WY Fire Station loses ambulance

     ^{Sandy Neck is walkable today, but wait until next week}

Mid Cape NEWS, November 30, 2006

Cookie Stroll honors Bainbridge Crist By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com Imagine strolling the streets of a Currier & Ives Christmas card. You pass beautiful old sea captains' homes, tendrils of smoke wafting from chimneys, the crisp, fresh scent of winter in the nippy air. Secretly, you wonder what lies beyond the bedecked doors, what stories the lovingly preserved walls have tucked away in hidden passages. Those who dream of a simpler time are invited to live that fantasy Saturday, Dec. 9. Owners of a dozen vintage homes in the old Quaker Village of South Yarmouth will welcome the public into holiday-decorated rooms 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. during South Yarmouth Library's first-ever Holiday Cookie Stroll... [more]

Yarmouth works to create a 'gateway' at Packet Landing By Craig Salters/ csalters@cnc.com If you're an optimist, improvements to Packet Landing in South Yarmouth are taking place slowly but surely. If you're a pessimist, of course, those same improvements are taking place surely ... but slowly. Either way, plans are moving forward and Yarmouth residents could be strolling the landing's new walkways and enjoying the beautiful river view as early as Labor Day of next year. "It's been kicking around for about a decade," said DPW Director George Allaire of the $400,000 revitalization project, which received federal funds in 1996 through the efforts of U.S. Rep. William Delahunt, D-Quincy... [more]

BHS Gospel Choir taps into tradition By Joe Burns/ jburns@cnc.com It's Tuesday morning, but at Barnstable High it sounds like Sunday as 30 hand-clapping, body-swaying students set the music room rocking with a rousing... [more]

Methodist church expands, physically and spiritually By Matthew Belson/ mbelson@cnc.com There's a lot of noise coming from Northside United Methodist Church these days. But the sounds of front-end loaders ripping up old asphalt, buzzing... [more]

Talk of the town By Joe Burns/ jburns@cnc.com To streamline town council meetings and to cut back on what he and others see as disrespectful and self-serving public comments by a small group of... [more]

WY Fire Station will lose ambulance, not fire engine By Craig Salters/ Csalters@cnc.com A fire engine can serve as an ambulance, but an ambulance can't serve as a fire engine. That was the rationale given to Yarmouth selectmen Tuesday night by Yarmouth Fire Chief C. Randall Sherman as he explained the reasoning behind Town Administrator Bob Lawton's decision to temporarily remove an ambulance from the West Yarmouth Fire Station. The move - an attempt to curb overtime costs - is a reversal of an earlier decision to remove a fire engine from the station while retaining the ambulance... [more]

Review process begins for Parkers River Marine Park By Craig Salters/ csalters@cnc.com Ambitious plans for a self-sufficient marine park at the mouth of Parkers River in West Yarmouth drew a large number of residents to a Monday night hearing and left town officials with hope for the project's future. "It went well," said Karl von Hone, director of Yarmouth's Department of Natural Resources and the point man for project. .. [more]

Park debate turns nasty By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com A dispute is emerging in Dennis over how much commercial use should be allowed at Bass River Park. Article 1 of the Oct. 18, 2005 Dennis Town Meeting hearing and left town officials with hope for the project's future. "It went well," said Karl von Hone, director of Yarmouth's Department of Natural Resources and the point man for project. .. [more]

Many still priced out of housing By Joe Burns/ jburns@cnc.com Declining home prices on Cape Cod don't translate into an increase in affordable housing - at least not yet, say experts on the subject. Paul Ruchinskas,... [more]

Around Dennis Three vie for selectman's seat Sean Higgins of South Dennis and former selectmen Wayne Bergeron of Dennis and Heidi Schadt of South Dennis have taken... [more]

Food pantry is a lifeline for many By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com This holiday season, The Register has selected the Hands of Hope Food Pantry in Dennisport and the Salvation Army Food Pantry in Hyannis to receive... [more]

D-Y district reviews special education responsibilities By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com As director of special services for the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District, Gloria Lemerise has a daunting job. In addition to being responsible... [more]

Ezra H. Baker School Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF The final total collected for this year's campaign was $720.68, reported chairwoman Alice Boyle. A big thank you to... [more]

Around Yarmouth Chamber is Toys for Tots drop-off site The Yarmouth Area Chamber of Commerce will serve as a collection point for Toys for Tots donations this holiday... [more]

Airport finances explored in FAA audit By Craig Salters/ Csalters@cnc.com The Federal Aviation Administration's audit of the Barnstable Municipal Airport began Tuesday and should be completed by week's end. "We'll wrap... [more]

A sign of the times That new information board at the corner of Route 28 and Higgins Crowell Road in West Yarmouth is a gift to Yarmouth from the Rotary Club. The message... [more]

Dennis selectmen move ahead By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com Dennis selectmen agreed unanimously Nov. 20 that Jane Otis should serve as chairwoman, replacing Don Trepte, who died Nov. 12. Vice chairman Charlie... [more]

Dennis considers alternate energy options By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com Dennis selectmen will appoint an alternative energy advisory committee to find ways in which the town might encourage the development of solar and... [more]

Yarmouth roads scheduled for sealing The Yarmouth Department of Public Works recently compiled its preliminary list of roads scheduled for "chip sealing" in 2007. DPW Director... [more]

New Dennis Police HQ is on schedule By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com Anyone who drives routinely down Bob Crowell Road in South Dennis knows that construction carries on at the new police station site. What the casual... [more]

School Notes BC High School students earn honors Matthew Anness Davis and Eric J Risley of West Barnstable achieved High Honors for the first quarter at Boston... [more]

Gospel roots and branches With roots in African and African-American traditions, gospel music grew out of the Pentacostal and Sanctified churches to become a prime influence... [more]

Buying and selling The following statistics are for the sales of single-family homes as provided by The Warren Group, publishers of the trade publication Banker & Tradesman. Median... [more]

Rectrix case has Dec. 18 court date
A federal lawsuit brought against the Barnstable Municipal Airport Commission by one of its tenants is due in court next month. The lawsuit, filed... [more]

Read the rest of The Register here, and comment below. 

 

In like a lamb... out like a kitten

2006 hurricane season bows out quietly
Cape Cod and Florida spared any hits in 2006

Cape Cod and even Florida got away scot-free this year defying the predictions. The 2006 Atlantic hurricane season ends today with a whimper rather than a bang without a single hurricane hitting the United States.

Only three tropical storms made landfall, which was a welcomed relief from the previous two years when nearly a dozen hurricanes battered the country.

The mild 2006 Atlantic hurricane season is a stark contrast to the record-breaking hurricane season in 2005 which killed more than 1,500 people and left thousands homeless in New Orleans and along the Gulf of Mexico coast.

Such a sense of quiet was relative, however, because although 2006 might have seemed tame compared with the devastation of 2004 and 2005, the 2006  season's total of nine named storms, five hurricanes, two of them major was actually right at the historical average for the past 150 years, according to data from the National Hurricane Center.

The closest for us was Beryl off  Cape Cod in July

This year was also unusual because no tropical systems formed at all in October. This is the first time that has happened since 1994, according to the hurricane center.

Only three tropical systems affected the United States at all this year. They were Tropical Storm (not hurricane) Alberto which came ashore in Florida's Big Bend region in June, then moved north through Georgia and South Carolina.

It was followed by Tropical Storm Beryl which brushed Cape Cod in July and finally Tropical Storm Ernesto (click here to see a hi-res satellite photo) made landfalls in southern Florida on August 30 and along the North Carolina coast two days later.

Click here to see how close Beryl came to Cape Cod.

Only Alberto hit the Gulf of Mexico this year, which was welcomed news for residents of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast still trying to recover from 2005's one-two punch from hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

We will have to change the Cape Cod Hurricane doggerel to read:

June, too soon.
July, stand by.
August, if you must.
September, REMEMBER.
October, 'twas sober.

Relevant Web Sites

• NOAA Atlantic Hurricane Outlook & Seasonal Climate Summary Archive
• NOAA 2006 Atlantic Hurricane Season Reports
• NOAA El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion
• NOAA's Role in El Niño Research, Monitoring and Prediction
• NOAA Climate Prediction Center
• NOAA: El Niño Makes a Comeback
• NOAA Hurricanes Portal
• NOAA 2006 Storm Event Imagery

SAT Scores Becoming Less Important

 This years' reports on the scores of the high school class of 2006 who took the SAT's reveal a drop in the averages of the reading and math tests which is the largest decline in 31 years.  I guess people thought the average would just go up and up into the strosphere forever. The people from the testing company attribute some of the drop to fewer numbers of students who choose to take the test a second or a third time.  Students can typically add 14 points to a score..  The average gain for a third testing is about 11 points. per section.

These stories about the SAT's give attention to the growing number of small colleges in this country which are known as "SAT optional" schools. Seventeen million Americans are college students and how they acquire this status, whether by tuition money, test scores or alumni connections has an enormous impact on what our nation will look like in the future.

The trend started about 10 years ago at Bowdoin and Bates College in Maine when the admissions people decided there was not much to be learned about potential success in college by examining SAT results. Since then, more than a fourth of the top 100 liberal arts colleges (serving about 250,000 students)  listed by US News and World Report have optional admissions exams. This group includes Mount Holyoke, Middlebury, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

It is estimated that about 700 liberal arts colleges have test-optional policies.    Officials argued that personal interviews, high school grades and activities and admissions essays are more reliable predictors than admissions tests. At Bates college, a 20 year study of the college achievement of admissions tested students versus non tested ones revealed a difference in graduation rates of less than one tenth of one percent.

 

Buzzards Bay man fired for smoking on his own time

Great Scott! Fired for smoking on his own time

by Jaclyn Fitzgerald & O'Ryan Johnson for the Boston Herald

A Buzzards Bay man peed into a cup and lost his job when the Scott Co. discovered he'd been inhaling more than the chemicals he sprayed on lawns - he was allegedly smoking cigarettes - according to a lawsuit he filed.

The employee, Scott Rodrigues, sued the national lawncare company yesterday for wrongful termination, claiming the company violated his civil rights. But company spokesman Jim King said the policy is meant to keep employees healthy and protect their wallets.

Read the rest of the Herald story here and comment below.

More from the Boston Globe here.

Bournes votes no on $13M school overrun, Won't renew SeMass, Sandwich Library rocks

   ^{Its a quiet time of year along the canal in Sandwich}

Upper Cape NEWS, November 30, 2006

Agreement should end litigation By Paul Gately/ pgately@cnc.com Bourne Town Counsel Robert Troy will soon file a stipulation of dismissal with the Massachusetts Land Court, bringing to an end litigation between Bourne and Cape Cod Aggregates, the owner of the controversial sand-and gravel pit off Scenic Highway. Selectmen Tuesday night approved the execution of an agreement between CCA and the zoning board of appeals, the final result of hearings dating to 2002 when neighbors first objected to CCA operations. The agreement places controls on CCA mining and rock crushing related to noise, dust and hours of operation... [more]

One for the books By Silene Gordon/ sgordon@cnc.com Stuart Parsons recalls his first year on the job at Sandwich Public Library as exciting but a bit intimidating. "I was a nervous wreck," says the nine-year veteran, acknowledging that, as a children's librarian, his audience is made up of savvy young customers who could tell a Newbery Award Winner from a mile away... [more]

Bourne won't renew its SEMASS contract By Paul Gately/ pgately@cnc.com The Upper Cape Cod trash train will continue to rumble through Bourne and across the canal twice a day, bound for the giant incinerator in Rochester, but come January it will no longer carry Bourne's trash and garbage. Town Administrator Thomas Guerino said Bourne's $750,000 contract with SEMASS expires in January and will not be renewed. At that point, Bourne municipal solid waste will be collected and buried in the town landfill off MacArthur Boulevard... [more]

Bourne wants answers on rotary project By Paul Gately/ pgately@cnc.com Bourne selectmen are taking issue with state plans to eliminate Connery Circle at the MacArthur Boulevard entrance to the Massachusetts Military Reservation, saying transportation planning should focus instead on fixing - or getting rid of - the Bourne rotary. Selectmen will write to state transportation and highway officials - as well as the town's Beacon Hill delegation - the message that Bourne's major priority is to undertake an overhaul or redesign of the traffic-choked circle at the foot of the Bourne Bridge... [more]

'Holly Days' are here again By Silene Gordon/ sgordon@cnc.com After a successful first run last year with its Holly Days in Sandwich campaign, the Sandwich Chamber of Commerce is bringing back its lineup of holiday... [more]

House plan presents challenge By Paul Gately/ pgately@cnc.com The Bourne appeals board has opted to follow the spirit of a new bylaw rather than the exact wording for a house upgrade at 91 Sandwich Road, Bourne... [more]

Bourne may reverse field and hold 2008 Town Meeting before the annual election By Paul Gately/ Upper Cape Codder Bourne voters in 2008 may conduct Annual Town Meeting business before they go to the polls in the annual election if a recommendation by the Bylaw... [more]

Bourne rejects $13.2 million school cost overrun funding second time By Paul Gately/ Upper Cape Codder Bourne voters for the second time in less than two months overwhelmingly rejected a $13.2 million request Wednesday to fund a cost overrun on a proposed Buzzards Bay elementary school construction proposal for which they approved $26.8 million three years ago. “This whole project was snake bit from the very start,” said an elderly voter from Precinct 3 outside the Bourne Middle School on Wednesday afternoon. “And I didn’t appreciate having to vote on this issue twice.”  The debt exclusion request to override Proposition 2½ and salvage a project years in the design, and for which the town expended much political capital, failed on a 2,336-1,423 vote. .. [more]

Housing prices still out of line By Joe Burns/ jburns@cnc.com Declining home prices on Cape Cod don't translate into an increase in affordable housing - at least not yet, say experts on the subject. Paul Ruchinskas,... [more]

Around Bourne Special election results online The results of the Bourne special election to fund the cost overrun for the new elementary school held Wednesday,... [more]

School notes Texas Hold-em Poker event Tickets are available for the Texas Hold-em Poker Tournament, Casino & Dinner Buffet fund-raiser from 7 p.m. to midnight... [more]

Bourne school notes Savings Makes Sense at BMS Massachusetts Treasurer Timothy Cahill will visit Bourne Middle School Dec. 4 at 8:30 a.m., along with a marketing representative... [more]

Construction debris dumped in bog By Paul Gately/ pgately@cnc.com A major environmental infraction was discovered at Little Buttermilk Bay earlier this month just as the Bourne Conservation Department and Buzzards... [more]

Bourne looks at combining public works, landfill offices Planning is under way to combine the Bourne public works headquarters and landfill division offices in a single building at a location still to be... [more]

Schoolhouse may go on historic register The Cataumet Schoolhouse Preservation Group is pressing the town to have the one-room school off County Road placed on the U.S. Register for Historic... [more]

CPA may help preserve old Bourne records Some vital Bourne history going back to the late 18th century needs attention and refurbishing. The historical commission plans to request Community... [more]

Bourne seeks help on CanalSide issues Bourne selectmen continue to press for professional help in determining how they should deal with CanalSide Commons developer Len Cubellis and perhaps... [more]

State money for Bourne schools delayed The Bourne School Department will have to wait until January to learn if it will receive $500,000 the Legislature set aside to help the town educate... [more]

Bourne landfill could be key in Cape's future waste disposal The Cape Cod Commission thinks Bourne - with its landfill - could be a big player when the region considers its future solid waste disposal needs. Commission... [more]

Bourne may have new food pantry site by 2008 The Bourne Friends Food Pantry may be operating out of a new location by the end of 2008. Bourne selectmen have set a new food-dispensing site as... [more]

Thieves strike in broad daylight Bourne police are investigating a Nov. 21 housebreak at a home on Sanford Lane, Monument Beach. The break and robbery occurred between 1:30 and 2:45... [more]

Turkey Trot tradition continues The 1.3-mile annual Thanksgiving Turkey Trot at Bourne Middle School was successful again this year. "In every race, everyone finished the course,... [more]

Buying and selling
The following statistics are for the sales of single-family homes as provided by The Warren Group, publishers of the trade publication Banker & Tradesman. Median... [more]

Read the rest of the Upper Cape Codder here, and comment below. 

 

"Lo and behold, Cape Cod is safe," US Supreme Court Jutice Stephen C. Breyer

High court hears global warming case
Ponders whether states' case vs. EPA is legally justified

The highly charged debate on global warming reached the US Supreme Court yesterday, prompting the justices to question the impact of auto and truck emissions on the environment, what must happen to rescue the world's coastlines, and whether the Environmental Protection Agency has to help stop the damage.

In the first case of its nature to reach the high court, the justices grilled both James R. Milkey, the top environmental lawyer in the Massachusetts attorney general's office, and Gregory G. Garre , the deputy solicitor general representing the Bush administration, on their views on global warming. The justices also probed the unsettled science of climate change and even weighed foreign policy considerations of the EPA setting limits on carbon dioxide pollution by new motor vehicles.

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia set the tone for the sharp-edged debate when he interrupted Milkey barely two minutes into the hearing. "When is the predicted cataclysm?" Scalia asked.  Global warming hasn't reached a cataclysmic phase, Milkey answered, but is in a stage of "ongoing harm," referring to warming temperatures leading to rising sea levels and erosion along Massachusetts' 200 miles of coastline and shores worldwide. Failure to limit greenhouse gases, he said, was like lighting "a fuse to a bomb," Garre, however, argued that ordering the EPA to regulate carbon dioxide emissions would send the agency into an "extraordinarily complex area of science," with no established or predictable results. He said Massachusetts can't argue that the EPA's regulation of emissions would save specific areas of coastlines, adding that the president and Congress are responsible for setting a policy that has such huge political and economic ramifications...

At the hearing yesterday, Justice Stephen G. Breyer challenged Garre's assertion that any possible action by the EPA would not make a significant difference in slowing down global warming. If others did their part, Breyer asked, and "lo and behold, Cape Cod is safe," should it be unreasonable to ask EPA to do what it can to help?

Justice David H. Souter seemed to agree. "Why is it reasonable to assume there will be no effect" on Massachusetts' shorelines if the EPA enforced the regulations, Souter asked Garre. "Why do [the states] have to show a precise correlation? . . . It is reasonable to suppose that some greenhouse gas reduction will result in some saving of coastline..." Read the rest of this Globe story here, and comment below.

Cape Cod weeklies' parent buys seven more Off Cape newspapers

UPDATE:  The story below about the parent company of the local CNC weeklies this update ran here on Wednesday, and today this appeared in the Worcester Telegram;

Journal Register selling Mass. newspapers to GateHouse Media
Two dailies, five smaller papers go for $70 million

GateHouse Media Inc. announced an agreement Friday to buy The Herald News of Fall River, the Taunton Daily Gazette and five smaller publications for $70 million in cash.

The newspapers are currently owned by the Yardley, Pa.-based Journal Register Co.

Journal Register and Fairport, N.Y.-based GateHouse announced the transaction in separate news releases. Journal Register said the sale price included $2 million in "estimated working capital" in addition to the $70 million cash.

The Herald News has a circulation of 20,932, and the Gazette has a circulation of 9,437. As part of the deal, GateHouse will also acquire three weekly newspapers and two shopper publications in the southeastern Massachusetts communities of Fall River and Taunton.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year. It comes about three months after Journal Register said it was exploring the possible sale of those papers as well as those it owns in neighboring Rhode Island. Read the rest of this TAG story here, and comment below.

______________________________

Gatehouse Media may acquire Fall River and Taunton daily newspapers
Will be added to the 100+ other newspapers they own in Eastern Mass.

By Walter Brooks 

The seemingly ink insatiable Mike Reed of Gatehouse Media may announce the purchase of the Fall River Herald News, perhaps the Taunton Gazette as well, by the end of the week.

As the map from the Gatehouse site on right shows all but a dozen of its 432 newspapers are in the eastern half of the US where Gatehouse added all the former Herald Media suburban dailies and the Community Newspaper Company weeklies and shoppers only a few months ago. 

The presumptive acquisitions became apparent when the Fall River Herald News publisher Dan Goodrich announced he'd resign by the end of this week. Both the Herald News and Gazette are owned by the Journal Register Company whose reputation in newsrooms I know of is not what I would like thought about myself or my companies. JRC recently placed all its MA and RI newspapers on the block, but Gatehouse has only "looked at" these two Massachusetts dailies, and made at least two inspection tours of both properties.

Gatehouse's Brockton daily Enterprise has been circulating a Taunton edition of late, so perhaps Reed will continue to compete that way instead, but the Fall River Herald News'  fate seems sealed. 

The Gatehouse Media group as of of Sept. 30 looked like this:

• 75 daily newspapers with total paid circulation of approximately 405,000
• 231 weekly newspapers (published up to three times per week) with total paid circulation of approximately 620,000 and total free circulation of approximately 430,000
• 117 shoppers (generally advertising-only publications) with total circulation of approximately 1.5 million; and
• over 230 locally focused web sites, which extend our franchises onto the Internet. 
  

 It's now been a few months since Reed bought the CNC including several Cape Cod weeklies, and staff members here report no disturbing changes, so just maybe the "inky" trade has found a savior in Mike Reed. The one thing we do know is that in a few more years the only print newspapers still around will be very local or very nationwide. The "regional " daily is the buggy whip of today's journalism.

See these previous stories about Mike Reed and Gateway here;

• The Mating sounds of Dinosaurs - Part 3 - June 07, 2006
• Cape's weeklies sold again, this time for $225 million - May 06, 2006

__________________________________________
Longtime Boston Herald Editor Ken Chandler leaves
Once said he’d kill himself if he put out a paper as boring as the Globe

As reported in this week's Boston Phoenix, "On Monday afternoon, the Boston Herald announced a major change to the paper’s masthead. Ken Chandler, the combative Rupert Murdoch protégé who’s run the paper since 2004 — and who once said he’d kill himself if he put out a paper as boring as the Globe — is leaving at the end of the year to start a consulting business in New York (named, inventively, ChandlerMedia). His replacement? Kevin Convey, a grizzled Herald veteran who’s currently the paper’s managing editor.

In a Herald story that ran the next day, Convey vowed the paper would respond to major industry-wide challenges — falling circulation, dwindling ad revenues, the rise of the Web — 'like we do everything else. We’ll work our butts off, we’ll work smarter than the other guys and we have a brand that people really like and identify with. We’ve got a cadre of readers that will follow us wherever we go.' Good stuff, if you’re looking to rally the troops. But not necessarily a mindset that will help Convey — who’s held in high esteem by colleagues and competitors alike — reverse the Herald’s precipitous slide... "  Read the rest of the Phoenix story here, and comment below.

MESA reviews, mini houses and piers, piers, piers

   ^{The end of the Earth in Ptown as seen from the Pilgrim Monument. Photo by Jane Booth.}

Outer Cape NEWS; November 29, 2006

Builders urged to learn MESA review process
By Derek Burritt, Banner Correspondent
TRURO - What is a lawn? This is one of many questions surrounding the recent resurveying of Truro by the Mass. Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, which places nearly the entire town in a rare species habitat for 34 plants and animals.   FULL STORY

Retail & rental uses explored for town pier
By Pru Sowers, Banner Staff
PROVINCETOWN - As managers of MacMillan Pier struggle with higher than expected maintenance bills and a shrinking client base of commercial fishing boats, new ideas are beginning to be explored to turn what is arguably one of the prime pieces of waterfront real estate in town into a moneymaking venture.    FULL STORY

Officer cleared in Hill shooting
Family seeks follow-up with independent medical examiner
By Emily Sussman, Banner Staff
EASTHAM - The district attorney's report that cleared a local police officer from wrongdoing after he shot and killed an Eastham man last month concludes that the officer had "eminently reasonable" cause to believe his life was in danger, and acted according to standard police training.   FULL STORY

Arts

Small & tender visions of home
Brown's mini-homes evoke holiday spirit
Gail Brown has been making art on the Outer Cape since the mid-'60s and that work includes oils, watercolors, linoleum prints and ceramics. If that's not enough, she takes a two-month break from those and focuses her attention on crafting miniature houses complete with landscaped yards and dustings of snow.   FULL STORY

Also in the Banner

The storm that damaged some of the floating docks at MacMillan Pier weeks ago also uncovered a potentially serious problem with the outside pilings, which could cost up to $500,000 to solve. One of two fender pilings that broke when a floating dock at the Whydah Museum crashed into them shows significant bore worm damage at the mud line. It is possible that all the other fender pilings, numbering between 150-200, may also be at risk. For the story, see this week's Banner.

In Provincetown: selectmen irked by planning board letter to attorney general; historic district commission to meet with builders to talk about possible changes in requirements; town to require house and unit numbers or owners will be fined; selectmen send letter of disagreement about Seashore dune shack position; Good Templar abutters won't pay drainage correction costs; sewer signup deadline extended to Dec. 8; PBG may seek firehouse #2 for visitor center, restrooms; Land's End hardware for sale; PHS senior play this weekend; Selectman Sarah Peake to resign in March; Cape grant may lead to new wireless network.

In Truro: Warren Falkenburg turns school lunch (and breakfast) into a not-to-be-missed daily taste treat.

In Wellfleet: snow plowing questions answered, for now; town gets grant for seawall repairs by pier.

In Eastham: Schoolhouse Museum begins expansion; liens on old gas station slow affordable housing plans.

In other news: next joint meeting with seashore to discuss over sand route beach closures due to plover nesting coming up.

Read these and other stories in the Provincetown Banner here and comment below.

Developers, church adoptions, flu clinics and football

   ^{The reflecting sun on Chatham Harbor.  Photo by John Fitts.}

Harwich and Chatham news; November 29, 2006

Chatham

Sou'Wester Developer Sent Back To Drawing Board
CHATHAM --- Planning board members sent the proponents of a condominium development at the site of the former Sou'Wester Restaurant back to the drawing board Tuesday, saying the plan as proposed was too dense and too sketchy.   FULL STORY

Monomoy Plan's Draft Goals And Objectives Released
by Tim Wood
CHATHAM --- A draft of the goals and objectives for the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge comprehensive conservation plan, setting broad management parameters for the 7,600-acre National Wildlife Refuge at the town's southern tip, was release last week.   FULL STORY

Chatham Church Adopts African AIDS Orphans
by Tim Wood
CHATHAM --- According to the United Nations, there are currently nearly 40 million people living with HIV.  Almost all of them --- 95 percent --- are in developing nations.   FULL STORY

Marina Owner Recruits Support For Keeping Channel Clear
by Alan Pollock
CHATHAM - At the urging of Frank Facchetti of Outermost Harbor Marine, the waterways advisory committee Monday voted to ask selectmen to investigate the steps needed to keep the Morris Island channel navigable.   FULL STORY

Downtown Road Closures Over, For Now
CHATHAM --- A sigh of relief is in order. Most of the projects that have bedeviled drivers with road closures and detours in the downtown area during the past several weeks are done --- for now.   FULL STORY

No Single Profile Fits Family Pantry Clients
Anyone who doubts there is a problem with hunger on Cape Cod should think about this number: 300.  That's the number of turkeys the Family Pantry gave out last Monday to local families as part of its annual Thanksgiving basket program.  Nearly 100 more were distributed as part of the Pantry's outreach, via home delivery and sharing with other programs.  
FULL STORY

Harwich

Health Officials Seek Safe Environment For December Flu Clinic
HARWICH --- The health department is putting a plan in place to provide a safer environment at the community center as flu shots are provided this year. Last year the rush of residents for a limited number of doses of the vaccine caused a chaotic scene.   FULL STORY

Harwich Town Dock Pilings Giving Way To Age
HARWICH --- The steel pilings that secure boats in municipal slips in the town's harbor are showing their age. Several of them gave way in recent weeks, doing damage to a couple of commercial fishing vessels.   FULL STORY

Parties Reach Accord On Summerwood Housing Appeal
by William F. Galvin
HARWICH --- The board of appeals and Harwich One, LLC have reached an agreement that could forego an appeal hearing before the state Housing Appeal Committee over a challenge to a comprehensive permit for the 32-unit East Harwich affordable housing development known as Summerwoods.   FULL STORY

Parade May Roll Into Brooks Park To Honor Centennial Dedication
by William F. Galvin
HARWICH  ---  Training wheels were attached to a hometown parade for 2007 on Monday night. A dozen residents marched headlong into a commitment to put a parade on the week preceding the Harwich Cranberry Festival.   FULL STORY

Two East Harwich Village Center Planning Sessions Set 
by William F. Galvin
HARWICH --- Residents are being asked to participate in at least one of two planning forums scheduled to seek input into designing the future of the East Harwich Village Center.  
FULL STORY 

Ring In The Season In The Harwiches
by Alan Pollock
HARWICH - It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the Harwiches.  The holiday celebration, sponsored by the Harwich Chamber of Commerce, kicks off Friday with a Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony at Doane Park at 5:30.  For Jeannie Wheeler, who organized this year's event with her husband, John, and Bill Lean, the tree lighting ceremony is her favorite part of the celebration.   FULL STORY 

Editorial

Give Sou'Wester Plan A Chance
Route 28 and Barn Hill Road is a critical intersection for many reasons.  It marks the beginning of the West Chatham business district --- and the village center district, according to the long range comprehensive plan --- and, especially in the summer, it's one of the town's busiest corners thanks to the popularity of Harding's Beach.  For a number of years, however, the appearance of the southeast corner of the intersection has been somewhat less than stellar.   Overgrown and run down, the former Sou'Wester Restaurant makes a rather poor impression, and West Chatham deserves better.   FULL STORY

Sports

Super Bowl Bound
NEW BEDFORD - Cape Tech/Harwich head coach Dave Currid made a preseason vow to his team that if they got to the Super Bowl this year, he'd shave his head into a Mohawk. Time to bust out the buzzers.   FULL STORY

Mashpee Hands Cape Tech/Harwich First Loss Of The Year
PLEASANT LAKE - The locker room, silent and sober, was full of long faces.  The players were sprawled out across the cold concrete floor, some holding their heads in their hands, some hanging them.   FULL STORY

Read these and the rest of the Cape Cod Chronicle's stories here and comment below.