EXTRA...

We're #1 again; Harwich housebreak trio nabbed in Vermont; WHOI calls to space from deep-ocean submersible; New Bedford wants that casino; Peace March tomorrow

Bitter cold day ahead. 9 degrees at 6 this morning in Hyannis
15-25 mph winds, chill factor to -16 during the day

It began snowing on the Outer Cape from Ptown to Chatham around 6am and it's expected to continue off and on all day with a total accumulation of 1 to 2 inches. It will remain partly sunny today over the Upper Cape but continue blustery and much colder with highs around 14. Northwest winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. Wind chill values will be as low as 16 below, but it was 10 degrees COLDER in Boston.See the details here.
____________________________

First-Ever Call from Alvin Submersible to International Space Station
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has another coup

Students and educators from around the world have been given the opportunity to submit questions to Astronaut Williams and WHOI marine biologist Shank about their research programs, their common and uncommon experiences, and the challenges of working in space and under water. Those questions will be used to guide the conversation between Alvin beneath the sea and the International Space Station. 

WHO:    Timothy Shank, PhD, Associate Scientist, Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)

Sunita Williams, Astronaut and Flight Engineer, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (ISS Expedition 14)
WHAT:     The first link-up between a deep-ocean submersible and the International Space Station (ISS).  Listen as WHOI marine biologist Tim Shank—diving in Alvin on the East Pacific Rise—compares notes on science in extreme environments and on the value of firsthand human exploration with astronaut Sunita Williams as she orbits on the International Space Station.
WHEN:    Friday, January 26, 2007—The call will take place at 2:45 p.m. EST and will be broadcast (tape-delayed) on NASA TV immediately following the conclusion of a space station status briefing. The pre-recorded conversation should air sometime between 3 and 3:30 p.m. (approximately).
WHY:    Tim Shank is co-leader of a National Science Foundation-funded expedition to the famed hydrothermal vent field at 9°N, 104°W, site of an extensive underwater volcanic eruption in 2005-2006.  The unusual life in the extreme pressures and temperatures of
the abyss have provoked interest from scientists interested in astrobiology. 

Through February 4, Shank and colleagues are diving daily in the Navy-owned, WHOI-operated Alvin submersible to survey and sample the vents and mid-ocean ridge system as part of the NSF-funded RIDGE 2000 program.

Suni Williams, as a crew member on the space station, is conducting and continuing
experiments in plant, animal, and human biology in the extreme environment of space. She also deploys and tests technologies and materials for outer space exploration, much as the oceanographers are using advanced technologies to probe Earth’s inner space.
WHERE:    NASA TV is carried on Direct TV (channel 376), the Dish Network (channel 213), and by most cable television providers. Producers wishing to record the conversation can get more information  here.
WEB:  here.   Leave a comment
___________________________

New Bedford will push for casino
Council forms committee to lobby legislators, developers

NEW BEDFORD — The City Council last night made a pitch for casino gambling, unanimously approving a five-member committee to lobby the governor, state lawmakers and would-be casino developers. City Councilor David Alves sponsored the motion to create the Special Committee on Gaming and Casinos. The committee will comprise five city councilors, and will begin meeting within two to three weeks with pro-gambling state legislators to see how they can put New Bedford in the pole position to get a casino if the Legislature approves gambling in Massachusetts.

Mr. Alves said New Bedford is in a "key position" to land a casino because of the city's proximity to Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod and Boston. He urged other councilors to support the measure to increase local revenues for schools and create up to 5,000 new jobs... Read the rest of this Standard Times story here.   Leave a comment
______________________________

Cape Cod again named best place for kids
America's Promise picks Barnstable County for second year

America’s Promise Alliance kicked off its year-long tenth anniversary celebration in a big way this week with the announcement of the 2007 100 Best Communities for Young People.  Mrs. Alma Powell, Chair of the Alliance, joined ABC’s Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts in saluting these 100 communities that have created positive environments for our nation’s youth.

In partnership with Capital One, 100 Best Communities for Young People showcases cities and communities across the country that tackle challenges and demonstrate innovative efforts to deliver the Five Promises that young people need to succeed  – caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, effective education and opportunities to help others.

More than 750 communities from all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, entered the 2007 competition but only these Massachusetts towns or area made the cut;

• Barnstable County
• Bedford
• Cambridge
• Stoughton     Leave a comment

_____________________________

Vermont jewelry robbery arrests lead to Cape housebreaks

ATTLEBORO - A spy in the sky helped land three Attleboro residents in jail in connection with a $140,000 robbery of a Vermont jewelry store.  The suspects were nabbed Wednesday on Elm Street in North Attleboro with the assistance of a global positioning system police had secretly planted on their car in an unrelated criminal investigation.

The device tracked the vehicle, a 1993 Ford Taurus, to Saint Johnsbury, Vt., where three robbers held up Dana Jewelry, escaping with cash, rings and other jewelry valued at $140,000, investigators said.  The vehicle was then tracked back to North Attleboro, where the suspects were arrested about 4:30 p.m. in front of the Elm Street fire station - about four hours after the Vermont robbery...

Suspects in Cape Cod housebreaks

The suspects also are under investigation for several housebreaks on Cape Cod and in North Attleboro, Attleboro and Norton, according to police.  The investigation into the house burglaries is what prompted police to place the GPS device on the suspects' car.

Harwich police working with a police task force on the Cape had earlier obtained court permission to place the device on the vehicle to keep it under surveillance, according to court records and police... Read the rest of the Sun Chronicle story here.  Leave a comment
_____________________________

Groups Head to Capital to Step Up Antiwar Drive
But don't look for anyy DC politicians to join them

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 — Tens of thousands of demonstrators are set to arrive in the capital this weekend for a major antiwar march, staging the first of several protests intended to persuade the new Democratic-controlled Congress to do more than simply speak against President Bush’s Iraq policy.

But do not look for senators to be standing among the protesters on the Mall on Saturday. Despite a consensus building around a Senate resolution to oppose sending more troops to Iraq, even the most liberal Democratic senators do not appear eager to align themselves with a traditional antiwar protest.

So the groups that are organizing the demonstrations against the president’s strategy are also carrying out a sophisticated, well-financed lobbying campaign on Capitol Hill. Their behind-the-scenes efforts are intensifying, relying on tactics deployed in a cutthroat political race...
Read the rest of this New York Times report here or the LA Times report here (no reg./req.).
Read about local Cape plans to attend the protest here.