CapeCodToday Blog Chowder

Make A Little Cash, Do A Little Good

The Sagamore Bridge CITGO station was robbed tonight...
this time two kids, one with a tire iron, the other with the jack.

 "Crackheads," said the attendant. "I actually chased these ones, but I'm pretty old, and smoke a pack a day. These kids were amateur punks."

The kids took off in a beaten-up goldish compact wagon with the license plate bent up to obscure the ID number. They'll probably get a good 15-45 minutes of crack smoking from their ill-gotten gains.

"Sh*t, I'll give them a station of their own to run if they need crack that badly,"  said Santuit Oil founder Regan Jason.  " What a couple of cowards."

"The last thief was more calm, and the robbery was actually relatively pleasant," said the attendant.  "This time, I thought I was getting a tire iron to the head until they left."

"They're probably already back in Plymouth, shooting their heroin," said the cop...who most likely hadn't considered that kids from Plymouth wouldn't know of the hidden road behind White Glove Furniture Delivery that these kids used to escape onto Sandwich Road a safe 200 yards away.

The first robbery of this station brought about a dozen policemen, two SWAT guys, and a K-9 officer. This time, there was one cop...another one who popped in and then left, and a Statie who drove by and waved.

Sometimes, you have to skirt the edges of the law, hope Tim doesn't follow my column, and engage in a little Mob Rule.

East Of Boston is offering $5000 to whoever coughs up these two clowns. No questions asked,  no bothersome IRS shenanigans.  Once the attendant has ID'd them, the money's yours... and we'll handle the rest. The bounty goes up to $7500 if you bring them directly to us. You can contact me at Monponsett@aol.com.

Just in case any would-be thieves are reading this.... the Colonel may or may not have given the attendant some weaponry for the station. They need it, because about 10 minutes passed between when the 9-11 call was placed and the first cop showed up.

"I dialed 9-1-1, then chased the kids," said the attendant. "Then I went back in and talked to the dispatcher (it wasn't Tim Caldwell). Then I went out to the street to flag down the cops when they arrived. When they didn't arrive, I went back in and called my boss. Then I went back out to wait for the cops. Then I called Bourne Police directly, and FINALLY a cop showed up. Once they were there, the cops were cool... but that dispatcher should have risen no higher than Pizza Delivery with her skill set."

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Since it seems that I won't be sleeping (I'm very, very upset) tonight, may as well fill you in on what else has been going on in Smurfistan.

First.... we've had a week-long battle with the Skill Crane at the Friendly's, on the safer side of the Sagamore Bridge.

It started off innocently enough, with us wasting a dollar to win a stuffed Big Bird while the girl was scooping our Sundaes. Then- with a synchronicity that explains why the Colonel and I never fight- we both became fixated on a sweet Batman doll.

We must have spent $5 trying to get the Dark Knight. The Colonel tried to Skill Crane him around the head to pull him out. I was trying to get one of the hooks into his Bat-utility belt. Both strategies failed, and we gave it up for lost.

Still... last Friday WAS a nice day for ice cream.... and Shea and I were driving by again... and before you knew it, we had dropped another Fiver- one quarter at a time.

Once, I actually had the SOB in the air, but his cape snagged on a Elmo doll, and he ripped right out of my mechanical hand. I had just decided to crucify Bruce Wayne's other half if I won him when our ice cream was served.

As funny as that was... you should have seen the Colonel after about 5 tries at Batman. As I tell you this story...keep in mind that I'm 5 feet tall. I look OK near a child's toy. The Colonel has about a foot and a half on me, and he was as out of place at the Skill Crane as a white guy on the Globetrotters.  It was even funnier that, as he lost, he got angrier and angrier.  I just wanted to see him go insane and smash his fist through the machine.

So... last night... Tuesday night... whatever..... Eddie, Candace and I decided to take all the kids out for an Ice Cream. Turns out they were hooked, too... although Candace wanted the Big Bird. I tried to hide my sorrow when I saw that some SOB had won my Batman doll, but the waitress- a nice girl from Alabama-  knew what I was thinking, and told me that some kid won it...he was maybe 6 years old.

I was going to issue a Bounty on the kid, but then a nice big Cookie Monster doll caught my eye.... and the cycle begins anew.

Who shot Scusset Beach seal; How Cape Cod almost got renamed Cape Kennedy; 2 Cape men sentenced

      ^{How America looks to a "real" Cape Cod Kennedy citizen (Art by Rafio)}

Spaced out: Name change fuels history lesson 101
Or how Cape Cod almost got renamed Cape Kennedy

Ole Daddy let me know right away of his discovery with an e-mail and gentle reminder that said: "Honey, I am proofreading again. Oops, there's no Cape Kennedy in Florida. However, we do have (John F.) Kennedy Space Center . . . your sister works there."

Everyone was A-OK with the Launch Operation Center on Merritt Island being named after JFK. But most Floridians got their panties in a wad over Johnson changing the name of Cape Canaveral to Cape Kennedy because it had been on historic maps as Cape Canaveral since 1530 when it was first plotted by Spanish explorer Veconte de Magglio.

And, believe it or not, Kennedy wasn't the most popular president among Floridians even when the rest of the country wanted to canonize him after his death. As it turned out, Florida residents petitioned Congress to rename Cape Cod as Cape Kennedy because it was in Massachusetts and had no historical value to them, and to leave Cape Canaveral the heck alone.

It only took 10 years of government bureaucracy after Johnson's name-change announcement for the Florida State Legislature to get the Department of the Interior's Board of Geographic Names to restore the name back to Cape Canaveral... Read the rest of this Asbury Park Press story here.  Leave a comment
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Green says Port of New Hampshire not put to best use
Local Rep wants to see a ferry service to Cape Cod

PORTSMOUTH — The scrap metal and salt operations at the Port of New Hampshire are not the best use of the property, according to Pease Development Authority Executive Director Dick Green.  "There are some of us that feel there's a higher and more appropriate use than what it's being used for," Green said Tuesday.

If a majority of the board feels the same way as Green, some combination of container cargo, ferries or cruise ships could replace the industrial uses at the Market Street terminal in the coming years...  (State rep Laura) Pantelakos, a vocal critic of port operations, said she is thrilled by the potential change in direction at the port.

"I think that's certainly going to help a lot of people. It will create jobs," the Portsmouth Democrat said.  She said she would like to see a ferry service started to Cape Cod and said without the salt or scrap there would be a lot of "laydown area" for cargo.. Read the rest of this Foster's Daily Democrat story here.  Leave a comment
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Authorities seek person who shot seal
Head shot off by shotgun on Scusset Beach

BOSTON - For days, she frolicked on a boat ramp in Plymouth, napped in the sun, and waddled into the sea whenever the harbormaster would clap his hands. On the beach, she rolled in the snow, looking like a cannoli coated in powdered sugar, as her silvery fur picked up a dusting of white flakes.  Hundreds of children, accompanied by their camera-toting parents, came to admire the blubbery, doe-eyed pup with her white whiskers, wet black nose, and shy, playful antics.

Then last week, the year-old Canadian harp seal turned up dead on a beach in Sandwich. Federal agents said someone had taken aim with a shotgun and peppered the pup with birdshot. Conservationists said yesterday they were stunned that someone would intentionally target the docile, 4-foot, 55-pound mammal.

"It's a really audacious, pretty cruel act," Tony LaCasse , a spokesman for the New England Aquarium, said at a news conference yesterday. "This was not any great hunting. This was somebody who took aim, probably from a relatively short distance, at an animal who had no fear of people."  Read the rst of this Globe story here.   Leave a comment
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Boat refugees rescued Off Cape Cod
14 Senegalese men were trapped in 30-foot waves

NEW YORK -- Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection officials met a freighter off the Brooklyn coast on Wednesday to question 14 African men who had been rescued at sea.  Customs officials said the men, who range in age from 23 to 43, were on a British registered yacht about 800 nautical miles east of Cape Cod when they called for help due to weather and sea conditions.

A Hong Kong registered freighter called The Melbourne rescued the men, who left their 50-foot vessel adrift back on January 28. The Melbourne's captain then called ahead to Coast Guard officials who met the boat this morning as it approached shore.  "This shows the joint cooperation between two Homeland Security agencies in providing border security," said Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman Lucille Cirillo... Read the rest of the WNBC-TV story here.    Leave a comment
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Inherit the Wind
The Gulf Coast is littered with the carcasses of unused oil equipment. Now those structures are being repurposed to build the first offshore wind farm in the United States.

IBERIA, LA - Wind energy is the most promising carbon-free, nonnuclear alternative to fossil-fueled grid power. But regions with enough space and breeze for land-based wind farms—mostly in the Midwest—are far from coastal population centers; the cost of running transmission lines between generators and users is a major disincentive. That’s why wind-power entrepreneurs have set their sights on coastal waters. In the Atlantic, off Cape Cod, the 450-megawatt Cape Wind installation has been in the works for five years.

But that project is mired in NIMBY activism and has yet to pass its initial federally mandated environmental review. (Ironically, a cabal of local property owners, including green-energy backers like US senator Edward Kennedy, are leading the fight against Cape Wind for fear it will mar the environment off Martha’s Vineyard.) Another project proposed for New York’s Long Island Sound has run into similar difficulties, and plans for wind farms off California have foundered on the expense of sinking pilings in the deeper Pacific coast waters... Read the rest of this WIRED story here.  Leave a comment
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Two Dennis Men Sentenced for Tax Evasion Conspiracy
ThomasStillson and Stephen Twombly workes scheme at West Harwich Sunoco

BOSTON - Two Dennis men were sentenced today in federal court for conspiracy to commit tax evasion and tax evasion arising out of a scheme to defraud the government at West Harwich Sunoco.

United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan and Douglas A. Bricker , Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation in New England, announced today that Thomas P. Stillson, age 51, and Stephen A. Twombly, age 64, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge George A. O'Toole. Stillson was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 6
months and a $3,000 fine and Twombly was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 4 months and a $2,000 fine. Both were also sentenced to 2 years of supervised release to follow their respective terms of imprisonment.

Ringleader Edward Varjabedian dies awaiting trial 

Stillson and Twombley previously pleaded guilty on October 4, 2006, each to one count of conspiracy to commit tax evasion and three counts of tax evasion. At the earlier plea hearing, the prosecutor told the Court that, had the case proceeded to trial, the Government's evidence would have proven that commencing at a time prior to June, 1991 and continuing to approximately July, 2002,  Stillson and Twombley and others participated in an extensive conspiracy led by co-defendant and station owner Edward Varjabedian to under-report income generated by West Harwich Sunoco by, among other things, skimming cash and hiding proceeds. The total amount of tax loss as a result of the scheme exceeded $300,000.

Mr. Varjabedian died prior to trial which had been scheduled in September, 2006. A third co-defendant, William Macker, has also pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing. The remaining co-defendant, Diana Varjabedian, is scheduled for trial in April, 2007. The case was investigated by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. AttorneyLori J. Holik in Sullivan's Economic Crimes Unit.

Hyannis industrial accident; Bourne gas station robbery; Explosive find in Mashpee; Truck knocks down wires, Harwich crashes

Man pinned by gate in Hyannis
HYANNIS - A man was rushed to Cape Cod Hospital after being discovered apparently pinned by a gate. The victim was found at Cape Cod Winwater Works at 174 Airport Road around 6 AM. Officials say a large gate on a truck he was unloading plastic pipes off of apparently cane down on him. Another worker used a forklift to relieve pressure off 54-year old Dean Hatch of Granby. He was extricated by Hyannis Fire and taken to CCH. The Occupational Safety and Health Adminsitration is being called in to investigate the incident. Further details were not immediately available.

Gas station robbed in Sagamore
BOURNE - Police are looking for two men who allegedly robbed the Citgo gas station on Sandwich Road in Sagamore Wednesday evening. An undetermined amount of cash was taken after the clerk was reportedly threatened with a tire iron. One suspect was reported to be wearing a gray hoodie, the other a red and black checked jacket. They fled in a tan vehicle. Its the latest in a series of gas station robberies in the area but its not clear if this one is related to the others. 

Officials respond to apparent crash in woods in Sandwich
SANDWICH - State Police and Mass Environmental Police are investigating an incident along the power lines about a half mile off Route 130 in Sandwich around 6 PM Wednesday. Sources say one person was in critical condition but no further details have been released as of press time.   

Explosives found in New Seabury neighborhood

MASHPEE - An explosive discovery makes for some tense moments in a New Seabury neighborhood. Late Wednesday morning contractors were installing a seawall here on Triton Way when one of the workers found what appeared to by dynamite in a drilled out hole in one of the boulders they were using. The area was evacuated and bomb squad technicians called in. They removed the material to South Beach where it was safely detonated. No injuries were reported. Posted on 1/31 at 4:00 PM. Image courtesy of microsoft local/live.

Truck takes down wires behind Mall
HYANNIS - Traffic behind the Cape Cod Mall was slowed for a time early Wednesday afternoon after a truck took down some wires on Corporation Road around 12:45 PM. No one was injured. Firefighters and police are seen here standing by waiting for the utility company to arrive. Posted on 1/31 at 5:00 PM. Photo courtesy of  Ryan Somerfield.

Two injured in Mashpee crash
MASHPEE - Two people were injured after a crash Wednesday afternoon in Mashpee. Reports say one of the vehicles rolled over after the crash on Pimlico Pond Road. Mashpee Police are investigating the crash. Further details were not immediately available.

Harwich crash closes Route 6
HARWICH - No serious injuries were reported in a crash that briefly closed Route 6 during the morning commute. The crash happened near the Dennis town line. A Cape Wide News reader who passed by the scene reported seeing several vehicles that may have been involved and a dead coyote in the road. State Police are investigating the incident. Further details were not immediately available.

Community policing a focus for new Barnstable Police chief

BARNSTABLE - Acting Barnstable Police Chief Paul MacDonald is reportedly a big fan of community policing. Since he took over the department increasing visibility has been a major theme. From the cleanup of the Fresh Holes Road neighborhood to increased foot patrols on Main Street which is seen as a way to curb crime in the downtown Hyannis area. High enforcement traffic operations are another operation seen as a way to keep the roads safe. This was the scene yesterday on Old Stage Road at Skunknet Road in Centerville as officers pulled over numerous vehicles for violations such as speeding or being distracted. Photo courtesy of Frank Paparo/NEVN.

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That allegedly one-sided conversation

In launching her presidential bid last week, US Senator Hillary Clinton vowed she would conduct more of  a "conversation" than campaign, based on the apparent belief that the less she says the better.

"So let's talk, let's chat, let's start a dialogue about your ideas and mine. Because the conversation in Washington has been just a little one-sided lately, don't you think? And we can all see how well that's worked." (emphasis in the original)

"... just a little one-sided lately ..." Huh?

With all due respect, Senator, what on earth are you talking about? Far from our political discourse being "one-sided," it looks remarkably robust, at least to this observer.

If Clinton's assertion is true, how was it possible for Democrats to regain control of Congress?

Of all the dubious claims made by Democrats since they became unhinged when Bush became president, this one is high on the list -- their incessant caterwauling that they aren't getting heard.

As if those opposed to the war cannot assemble by the tens of thousands in Washington on any given weekend, or anywhere else, anytime they want, to boisterously air their views.

As if vociferous criticism of Bush in Congress has not been commonplace for years, along with denunciations of the commander-in-chief during a time of war in letters to the editor, blogs, talk radio, the workplace and private conversation.

Language always gives you away, George Carlin once observed, and Clinton's claim is a classic example. This dutiful hall monitor of a senator sniffs in disdain at the state of political discourse, failing to recognize or appreciate -- oh the irony! -- its diversity of expression.

To Clinton, the conversation will remain "one-sided" until all taking part voice their opinions  -- preferably with lots of passionate to mask lack of substance -- but with only  negligible, nuanced differences between these views and those held by Clinton.

That, Senator Clinton believes, based on long experience in political echo chambers, would be a real conversation.

(photo credit, cnn.com)

The war comes home; Schadt wins in Dennis; Under-developing Route 28

   ^{_{War clouds seem to hover over Grey's Beach this week as a son of Cape Cod died in Iraq}}

Mid-Cape NEWS, January 31, 2007

Iraq War comes to Cape Cod
A memorial fund has been set up for Army Sgt. Alexander Henry Fuller, who became the second Cape Codder to die in Iraq when he was killed last Thursday while leading a convoy outside Baghdad. (the couple's wedding photo on right)   [more]

Read the rest of The Register here. 

Cape Cod can learn from Brooklyn; Harwich patrolmen earn top medals; A Pentagon protest is next

   ^{Harwich shellfishermen are still scratching for crabs in Muddy Creek in January. cctoday photo.}

Harwich NEWS, January 31, 2007

Harwich patrolmen earn top medals
By Douglas Karlson
Disregarding the danger posed by gasoline gushing from a ruptured fuel tank, three Harwich police officers came to the aid and helped save the life of a stricken motorist in December. For their actions, they received medals in a rare ceremony at town hall Monday.   [more]

Harwich backs ‘In From the Streets' effort
By Douglas Karlson
Every winter, dozens of chronically homeless people from all over Cape Cod end up outdoors in Hyannis.  They go there, typically, because that’s where the brunt of social services agencies is located. Some use those services, and some still freeze to death.  According to street outreach worker Tom Naples, homelessness in Hyannis isn’t just a Hyannis problem – it’s a Cape problem. Harwich selectmen agreed, and on Monday approved a donation of $1,500 for Barnstable County’s Operation in From the Streets.   [more]

Pentagon protest is next
By Douglas Karlson
Harwich's John Bangert, organizer of the town's No Place for Hate effort and a member of Cape Codders for Peace and Justice, returned from the peace march in Washington last weekend and hardly took a breath before planning another protest in the capital - this time at the Pentagon, in March.   [more]

‘Felony stop' prompts police to draw guns
Harwich police drew their guns after pulling over a car with three alleged armed robbers inside early Tuesday morning.  The stop was made on Route 28 near Sisson Road. Dennis police had earlier reported that a taxi cab driver was robbed at knife point and assaulted in East Dennis.  [more]

Cape Cod can learn from Brooklyn
According to the latest edition of the travel guidebook Lonely Planet, Brooklyn is now among the top 10 places in the world to visit. Cape Cod was not among them.  As a Brooklyn-born washashore I have mixed feelings about the rankings. On the one hand I feel a certain amount of pride that the borough of my birth has been so honored... Calling Brooklyn a better vacation spot than Cape Cod sounds like the biggest where-to-go misdirection since Girlfriend magazine named Jackson, Miss., more lesbian-friendly than Provincetown.  [more]

Delahunt outlines agenda for energy independence
U.S. Rep. William Delahunt, Democrat of Quincy, called for a national agenda to promote energy independence at a forum hosted this week by the South Shore Chamber of Commerce.   [more]

United Way funds three Harwich groups
Three Harwich-based organizations are recipients of the Cape and Islands United Way 2007 Community Impact Grants.   The Harwich Ecumenical Council for Homeless received $33,069, WeCan received $29,000 and the Harwich Early Childhood Advisory Council got $14,700.  [more]

Air Force vet navigates retirement
By Douglas Karlson
Col. George "Hank" Henry has been retired from the Air Force since 1983, but this self-described "professional volunteer" is anything but grounded.   [more]

Sapsucker is the culprit
Dear Bird Folks,
We stacked our annual cord of firewood today and found a very interesting log. The log is covered with holes that I assume were made by a woodpecker. However, this woodpecker must have been some kind of neat freak because the holes are perfectly aligned, one after the other, forming several orderly rows. The log looks like the underside of a Lego. In fact, we saved the log and have nicknamed it the "Lego Log." What would cause a woodpecker to be so methodical? Did the bugs just happen to be living in rows or was the bird just being weird? -Helen, Middlebury, Vt. 
   You are right – those holes were caused by a woodpecker, but it was no ordinary woodpecker. It was a sapsucker – a yellow-bellied sapsucker, to be exact. Yes, there really is a bird with such a name. I know it sounds more like a punch line from an old vaudeville routine, but it's a real bird, honest. And the bird really does eat sap and does have a yellowish belly.  [more]

Sock Hop benefits scholarship fund
The Harwich Chamber of Commerce's School/Business Partnership Committee will host a Sock Hop on Saturday, Feb. 10, at Harwich High School from 7 to 10 p.m. It promises to be a fun evening for all ages.   [more]

Police Blotter
The following is a record of Harwich Police Department activity for the period of Jan. 22 through Jan. 28 as edited by this newspaper.   [more]

Read the rest of the Harwich Oracle here and comment below.

Wind energy and the environment

To the Editor:

To those who think that the installation of a wind plant, whether it be 4 turbines or 40, in  what will become known as "formerly the beautiful seaside resort town of Eastham, Gateway to the Cape Cod National Seashore" will cut down on the carbon dioxide load, please think again.

According to an investigation by the New York Times (12/28/06), wind power generates a big problem: it is unpredictable and often fails to blow when electricity is most needed, for example, on the hottest days when there is peak demand for air conditioning.  According to Williams Bojorquez, director of system planning at the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, "power plants that run on coal or gas must be built along with every megawatt of wind capacity." That is because, when the winds don't blow, the grid must buy electricity from the next cheapest source of power, otherwise there would be rolling black-outs.  Frank P. Prager, managing director of environmental policy at Xcel Energy, which serves eight states from North Dakota to Texas and states it is the nation's largest retailer of wind energy, says that the higher the reliance on wind, the more an electricity transmission grid would need to keep conventional generators on stand-by - generally low-efficiency plants that run on natural gas or coal and can be started and stopped quickly.  A study by Elfam, Denmark's largest utilities company,  in March, 2005, found that wind plants had not reduced the country's carbon dioxide emission levels, because it has to be backed-up by conventional energy. A report by the Royal Academy of Engineers in Britain around the same time suggested that a conventional power station produces higher emissions when it is turned down to make room on the grid for wind-derived energy, and then ramps up when the wind power is insufficient.

In other words, to date, it is simply not proven that wind -generated power is actually reducing carbon dioxide and other noxious gas emissions into the atmosphere.

Add to that the harmful effects to the bio-sphere of clear-cutting forested areas and the concomitant loss of wildlife habitats, let alone the visual despoiling of whatever natural beauty we have left in remote and unpopulated (by humans) regions, and noise pollution, one has to wonder why we are in such a rush for wind turbines.  This is a highly complex issue and one that deserves to be duly considered by people before they agree to a permanent wind plant installation.

In another New York Times report of 12/30/06, it is noted that cutting emissions of carbon dioxide from electrical energy use provides little help, since only 3 percent of electricity comes from the burning of oil. The far bigger problem we have are emissions from  cars, trucks and airplanes. They computed that the number of pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year by powering a home with wind energy vs. conventional as equal to the number of pounds per year produced by one car driving 46 miles a day.  Yet the government refuses to impose any emissions regulations on the auto industry, and in fact, companies are being given tax incentives to purchase SUVs.  In still another report (1/25/07) the U.S.' increasing appetite for energy is charted by the Energy Information Administration as soaring, while investment by the government alternative fuel technologies research remains pitifully low. In fact, the National Renewable Energy Research Lab's budget of $200 million is nothing compared to the cost of one B2 bomber or aircraft carrier.

That leaves much of the "research" in the hands of corporations, whose own interests cannot be discounted in research, development and impact studies.  GE, for instance, one of the world's largest supplier of industrial wind turbines, is, also, Washington's most prolific lobbyer, having spent $118.4 million between 1998 and 2005, more than any other company (The Washington Examiner, 1/26/07). 

No one doubts that our search for alternative energy sources, along with conservation measures, are imperative. But should we be trading one form of pollution for another?  Have we not yet learned the lesson that an unbridled market-driven approach to the delivery of the basic necessities of life may not have turned out so well? Everywhere on our planet we see the sad results.  The generation and distribution of energy that we need for a comfortable life should be a societal responsibility, and we should have well- thought-out policies governing things like water and energy resources, without which, none of us could live.

Our towns should not have to sell out the residents in order to cover financial needs like paying for education, police and fire protection, and the health and welfare of the town employees.

Francie Williamson
North Eastham, MA

Ms. Williamson is a member of Eastham Residents for a Safe Environment (ERASE the turbines).

Wellfleet crash; Hyannis fire; Car vs house in Centerville; Harwich crash; Cabbie robbery; major heroin bust; Route 6 rollover

Wellfleet rollover crash traps driver
WELLFLEET - Wellfleet Police are investigating a rollover crash on Route 6 by West Road about 1:15 Wednesday morning. Rescuers from Wellfleet and Eastham spent about a half hour freeing the female driver from the wreckage of the Ford van she was driving. She was taken to Cape Cod Hospital with what were believed to be serious but non life-threatening injuries. Further details were not immediately available.

Two injured in head-on crash
HARWICH - Both drivers were taken to Cape Cod Hospital after a head-on crash in West Harwich Tuesday evening. The crash happened about 8 PM on Route 28 at River Road. Route 28 was closed while the crash was investigated by Harwich Police and the wreckage was cleared. Police say a vehicle driven by 60-year old Denton Miller of Hyannis apparently crossed the double yellow line and collided with a second vehicle driven by 63-year old E Joseph Harrison of Orleans. Both drivers were reported in stable condition at Cape Cod Hospital. Police reportedly expect to cite Miller. Posted on 1/30 at 10:00 PM. Photo courtesy of Jake O'Callaghan. 

Fire damages Hyannis home
HYANNIS - A fire damaged a Hyannis home this afternoon. Crews were called to Straightway Road about 3:50 PM to discover a fire on a second floor deck that had burned up the outside to the third floor. Bystanders had knocked down most of the flames with a garden house. No injuries were reported. Fire officials believe careless disposal of smoking materials caused the fire. Posted on 1/30 at 4:00 PM. 

Car hits house in Centerville
CENTERVILLE - A car struck a house in Centerville Tuesday afternoon. Rescuers were called to 1211 Craigville Beach Road about 2:45 PM. The driver 89-year old Robert King of Osterville was not seriously injured but was taken to Cape Cod Hospital to be checked out. The home was unoccuppied at the time and no one else was hurt. Barsntable Police plan to cite King for failing to stay in marked lanes. He reportedly told officials he may have fallen asleep at the wheel. Posted on 1/30 at 3:30 PM. Photo courtesy of Frank Paparo/NEVN.

Three arrested after cabbie robbed in Dennis
DENNIS - Three men were arrested in connection with the alleged robbery of a cab driver at knifepoint in Dennis. A John's Taxi driver came into the Dennis station about 11:30 to report the robbery while trying to pickup a fare on Seaside Avenue further stating one of the suspects had punched him. He gave police the description of a red Toyota Camry and its license plate. A Harwich cruiser spotted a vehicle matching the description about an hour later on Route 28. 20-year old Jesse Germaine, 17- year old Jordan Sweeney both of Yarmouth and 17-year old Andrew Pitts of Hyannis were all charged with armed robbery while masked, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (knife) and assault and battery. They were due to be arraigned in court this morning. Posted on 1/30 at 1:00 PM.

Drug raids net $100,000 in heroin
BOURNE - A series of raids in Bourne led to several arrests and nearly $100,000 worth of heroin and a large sum of cash being seized. The Upper Cape Codder reports officers from the Cape Cod Drug Task Force, the Sheriff's department as well as Bourne, Barnstable, Yarmouth, Falmouth and Wareham police department hit three locations in Buzzards Bay within minutes of each other Monday evening. At a Perry Road home Faelinda Brade and Kevin Brooks were charged with possession of class B & D substances. At the Eastern Inn 36-year old James Barnaby of Plymouth, and 21-year old Andrea Boyle of Middleboro were charged with possession of class B,D & E substances. The hotel had reportedly been the scene of two ambulance calls recently for overdoses. And at 53 Deseret Drive 25-year old Joseph Guarneri was charged with trafficking in class A (heroin), improper storage of a firearm and possession of a firearm with the serial number defaced. Posted on 1/30 at 1:00 PM.

Driver escapes multi rollover crash
BARNSTABLE - A driver was lucky to escape with only minor injuries after a crash on Route 6 eastbound between exits 6 & 7 sometime around 9 AM Tuesday morning. A Cape Wide News reporter was traveling up the highway at the time and reported observing the vehicle roll over several times before coming to rest in the median. The vehicle was totalled but the driver apparently walked away with only minor injuries. State Police are investigating. Further details were not immediately available. Posted on 1/30 at 1:00 PM. 

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Looking for an old story? Use our archive service  Cape court reports (CCT)
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Recipe Box and Apple-Cranberry Casserole

It's hard sometimes to picture that warm summer beach with the bright sun and hot sand under foot, when you are looking at single digit temperatures and blowing snow out the front window. So sometimes we need special treats to help warm us up while dreaming of those days that won't get here soon enough.

While visiting my father a few weeks ago, I began rummaging in the kitchen cabinets and came about a recipe box. After my curiosity became peaked I ask Dad if this is what I thought it was, and he confirmed it was my Mother's recipes. Where in the world had this been and why did I not know about it?

What a world of treasured treats and delights from appetizers to desserts, from veggie dishes to entrees. Time tested, goodies that I have longed for, for so long now at my finger tips, recipes I remember from house to cottage and back again. These are memories of growing up and my childhood. My time spent with my Mother in the kitchen helping her, learning from her and totally enjoying the fruits of her labor. Cooking was relatively easy for Mom as Dad and I would try just about anything at least once.

So whether cooking at home in a full kitchen or in a small kitchenette in a cottage Mom was able to try new things without fear that Dad or I would not at least give it a chance. So with all that, here is another recipe from that box, the only thing is I don't know where she got it, it was on a 3 X 5 card with no notation of where it came from or when she got it. But we have all enjoyed it over the years. So bake some up and get toasty inside when you try this treat warm from the oven.

Apple Cranberry Casserole:

2 Cups     Cranberries
3 Cups     Sliced peeled & cored apples
1 Cup       Sugar
1 T.           lemon juice
1/4 tsp.  salt
1 Cup       packed light brown sugar
1 Cup      quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup  all purpose flour
1/3 cup   butter (softened)

Combine first 5 ingredients and turn into shallow 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Combine brown sugar, oats and flour; and cut in butter. Spoon over cranberry mixture. Bake in a slow oven ( 325 ) for 1 hour. Serve warm, topped with vanilla ice cream if desired. Serves 6

Keep the fire stoked, the candle lit and keep looking forward to those warmer months when we walk those beautiful beaches that line Cape Cod.

Contemplation of a snowflake or two

I'm not alone in this thought tonight. 

There are more than just a few hopeful kids out there dying to christen new, still-in-the-box uninflated snow tubes and other coasting paraphernalia, peeking out the window to see if it's started coming down yet.  Conflicting Mid-Cape forecasts are predicting anywhere from 2 - 8" of the white stuff by tomorrow mid-day.  Panicked parents are now wondering if they want to use a sick or personal day tomorrow should school be called off.......or maybe a friend who has Wednesdays off might take the (snow-hyper) kids for the day?

I remember well that fluttery almost jumping out of your skin excitement as a kid.  It would begin on the bus ride home, everyone talking about the big storm heading our way, discussing the previous winter's adventures and wipeouts.  As soon as you got home you were on the phone or over at the neighbors making plans for the Big Hill the next day.  Growing up in Western Massachusetts, I lived on this amazing hill that the plows didn't even dare go up or down, leaving us tree and car-free sliding.  We didn't even call it sledding, in our neighborhood it was sliding.  Now that I think of it, it was probably because partway down this treacherous mini-mountain, you were sliding down completely out of control and sled-less.  A day or two later when the road would finally be cleared and mail delivery would resume we had to resort to the hills in back yards, over retaining walls, through pricker bushes and into trees.  Although, these split-lip and small concussion inducing obstacles did not deter us, in fact we subjected ourselves to even greater risk.  We would build death-defying Evel Knievel snow ramps and then ice them over with hot water. 

Before going to sleep, snow anticipation would place my little gray transistor radio's wrist strap looped over a bedpost pre-tuned to WHYN.  Amazing, how on a normal school day my parents would have to literally peel me out of my bed at 7:30 am.  But not if there was snow!  Some internal primal snow clock within me would wake me exactly as the first cancellations were being announced at 6am.  Making snow plans the night before with siblings and friends kept you from homework, baths and regular bedtime.  Wow, our parents really must have loved us!

Just looked outside.  No snow yet.   Snow dances, chants, and incantations were what we tried when we were younger, especially if there was a spelling quiz the next day.  That changed when I was 8 or 9  and my Aunt Ruth (the artist aunt) taught me how to make snowflakes.  These were not the boxy 4-sided ones, like those taped to our classroom windows.  They were beautiful, magic snowflakes that always lured flurries from the heavens.  I must admit I still make them and have every winter since.  Every time I need snow, I start snipping.  It's never failed yet.