CapeCodToday Blog Chowder

Mills stabbing; Crashes

Top story: Man stabbed in Marstons Mills

     ^{Barnstable Police are investigating a stabbing at this residence in Marstons Mills}
MARSTONS MILLS - Sometime late Friday morning a stabbing occurred at 539 River Road in Marstons Mills. The victim was apparently driven to the Centerville, Osterville, Marstons Mills fire station and then taken by COMM ambulance  to CCH with injuries described as serious but not life threatening. Barnstable Police tell CWN that when they went to the residence a SWAT unit was called in as a precaution. When the search was made no one was found and the scene was secured. A County Investigation Officer (CIO) was called for pictures and the SWAT team left. Two marked BPD cars were posted at the intersection of River Road and Wakeby Road during the incident. Barnstable Police detectives are continuing to investigate. (Story and photos by Frank Paparo/CWN).

One person seriously injured in Yarmouth crash
YARMOUTH - One person was seriously injured in a bizarre crash in Yarmouth Friday evening. A Lincoln sedan apparently lost control and struck trees off Wood Road behind the State Police barracks. The driver 59-year-old Patricia Slawski of Yarmouth was taken to Cape Cod Hospital. She'll face charges of operating under the influence of alcohol, operating to endanger, operating without a license and marked lanes violation. Meanwhile in a related story, State Police plan to charge another driver with operating under the influence of alcohol after a  single-vehicle crash early Saturday morning on Route 6 westbound in West Barnstable just before the Oak Street overpass. That driver was taken to CCH for evaluation after the crash. (Photo by R. Copley/CWN).

Crashes slow afternoon commute
MASHPEE - Two crashes slowed traffic along major roads during the afternoon commute. In Mashpee two vehicles collided on Falmouth Road (Route 28) by the Honey Dew Donuts just before 4:30 p.m. A Cotuit ambulance helped out at the scene. The injuries were not believed serious but traffic was heavily backed up. Then a short time later a UPS truck and a car collided on the Yarmouth Road section of Willow Street. One person was evaluated and again traffic backed up. Both crashes are under investigation-TC.

Two-vehicle crash in Falmouth
EAST FALMOUTH - Two vehicles collided in Falmouth around 4 p.m. A Toyota Camry appeared to have turned left from northbound Central Avenue into Hanson Circle in front of a Ford Escort wagon that was unable to stop before striking the Camry in the passenger side.

The driver and lone occupant of the Ford declined medical assistance or transport but said he was going to take himself to the hospital. The driver and lone occupant of the Camry stated that he was uninjured. Falmouth PD are investigating the cause of the crash, while Falmouth Fire cleaned up  fluid on the roadway.
(Story and photos by Eric Tinglof/CWN).

Two injured in Cotuit crash

COTUIT - At 2:45 p.m. Friday Barnstable Police and Cotuit Fire responded to a two-vehicle crash at Newtown Road and Route 28 in Cotuit. When they arrived they found that a Chrysler sedan had been broadsided by an Isuzu truck. Cotuit rescue called for mutual aid rescue from Centerville, Osterville, Marstons Mills (COMM) fire. Two people were taken to the hospital by ambulances. The scene and traffic were tied up for an hour and a half for investigation and cleanup. (Story and photos by Frank Paparo/CWN).

Giant retirement community clears hurdle; Y makes strides toward $9M goal; More

News from the Mid-Cape, November 30, 2007

   ^{Mercy Otis Warren on the lawn of the Barnstable County Courthouse. cctoday photo.}

Headlines from the Barnstable Patriot:
Schools lost out on state funding for building work
- If plans move forward to renovate elementary school, it will have to be done without state funds
Giant retirement community clears its first hurdle
- Planning board endores conceptual plan
Public hearing on charter set by commission for December 17th
- First public hearing set for mid-December
Hyannis principals educate public about their schools
- Being on the ground floor of starting a new school is exciting
Giving without getting is theme of Market
- Cape Codders giving gifts here and around the globe
Discharge duty
- Discharge duty among concerns at recent public meeting
Villages mark season with spirited celebrations
- Residents ready for annual yuletide celebrations
Historic church looking sharp in museum makeover
- Spring opening planned for Zion Union Heritage Museum
Circut City hearing rerouted to January
- Commit discusses affect on rotary and Route 132 in Hyannis

Read these and other stories in the Barnstable Patriot here. 

_______________________

Headlines from the Register:
BARNSTABLE
If not for Noah
- Shelter was his lifeline
'Y' makes strides toward $9M goal
- Groundbreaking to take place in December
Bragging rights return to Barnstable
- Barnstable football takes home Selectmen Trophy after Thanksgiving Day win
DAs/Cape Task Force add to Gravy Bowl Domination
- Annual flag football game
DENNIS
Reading for research
- Ezra Baker Elementary students take part in read-a-thon
Bittersweet
- Focus and commitment result in a record-breaking season for D-Y football
This land is your land
- Dennis seeks public input for open space and recreation plan
YARMOUTH
He's cleaning up
- Yarmouth Port man tidies up town
Yarmouth receives Cape Wind check
- $25,000 as a host community agreement
Police search for armed robbers
- Officers searching for four men involved in Hyannis Sav-On robbery
Yarmouth firefighter receives award
- Christopher McMahon receives the Richard N. Bangs Award

Read these and other stories in the Register here. 

Hipsters vs. Healthcare: Insurance Without Borders?

Where you live may affect your health

1. Describe, using diagrams where appropriate, the healthcare options available to 20-somethings in Rhode Island and Massachusetts who make less than $20,000.00 or so per year.

It would be a lie to say that as a Rhode Island resident I have no options when it comes to insurance. Since I'm still enrolled full time at Boston University, working on my Bachelor's, I piggyback on my parent's medical insurance--which includes eyecare and dental, a big bonus since I am blind as a bat. And if I weren't going to school, or my parents didn't have insurance, or were Evil, I could always go to work at Whole Foods or Starbucks, two corporations with great medical coverage* and convenient locations every five feet or so throughout this great land. BU even provides coverage, which, although I couldn't afford it outright, I could buy with my student loans--not a great option, but better than nothing. When I graduate, though, my options will shrink: parental coverage won't be an option, school won't pay for it, and if I don't immediately get a full-time corporate job, I might just go uninsured. Which is why I've recently begun scanning Craigslist for apartments for rent in Massachusetts.

*Whole Foods coverage is actually free for full-time employees after 800 hours of service. "Coverage" includes a holistic expense account of $300 to $1,800; domestic partner coverage (which does come at an additional cost); dental and vision; and lots of other great stuff that makes me bitterly resent my waitressing and writing jobs. I won't talk about the Starbucks package, because it's boring and has a hokey name: "Your Special Blend." It is pretty comprehensive, though, and you can pick your benefit package based on your needs and full- or part-time status. Sweet, huh? Or not, depending on how you like your latte.

My own political ideology straddles the thin line between Libertarianism and Socialism--and by "thin line," I of course mean "Huge, Gaping Hole the Size of the Grand Canyon." I'm a personal responsibility fanatic and more Republican than Republicans when it comes to small government, more Liberal than Liberals when it comes to education and healthcare. I believe our taxes should pay for the privilege of living in a free society administered by a government that provides, in exchange:

• Free healthcare for all citizens, including dental and vision.
• Free education.
• Free local public transit, and affordable national transit ($17 for a one-way Amtrak ticket from Providence to Boston would be a thing of the past).
• Free utilities. Yeah, that's right, I said it. What? (Seriously, though, the plan is simple: you get X amount of Y utility per month, per individual. Use more? Pay more. Use less? Tax rebate.)
• Free militarized defense (and an all-volunteer army).

Other than that, I want the government out of my family (marriage would no longer be a legalized institution, although if you want to file taxes jointly, go nuts); out of my uterus; out of my hookah (abolish ancient and unsupported drug law--can you imagine the revenues if cannabis was a legalized and taxable substance?); and out of my apartment building (goodbye Section 8, for one thing).

But back to the matter at hand.

Massachusetts has already taken a great first step with the whole healthcare thing. The Boston Phoenix recently ran an article on feisty (read: dumb) citizens refusing to sign up for the plan, even though it's affordable for people with my kind of lifestyle: if you make about $15k per year, you pay no premium and have a minimal copay; if you make what I make, around $18k per year, you pay $35/month with a minimal copay. I can afford that, and if you can't, you need to buy fewer CDs or go to fewer underground hipster shows at dive bars (to paraphrase the article, found here).

The other major problem is dental coverage, and this is why I put the big asterix in my Venn diagram--both MA and RI seem to be pretty bad at caring for our molars. I became interested in the problem when I visited the AAA-affiliated Delta Dental RI website--which is awful, confusing and poorly designed--to look at their rates. $43/month and only 70% of procedure costs covered (cleanings and diagnostics are free)? Delta Dental can go take a hike, since I know no one among my peers who can afford that kind of thing. It was suggested that anyone needing a dental procedure contact a dental school, in hopes of getting free services in exchange for donating your mouth to science. Although it sounds freaky, it might not be such a bad idea when compared to the available options: sell your first-born child on the black market to pay for dental coverage, or let all your teeth fall out.

I assumed that Mass, with its progressive healthcare stance, would have something more affordable available--but when I did an internet search, I found nothing helpful, just a jumble of government and health advocacy websites that led nowhere. I assume the state-wide medical coverage doesn't include dental or vision, but I might be wrong (and if anyone knows, I'd love to hear more about it). Seriously, Googling dental insurance was like falling down the rabbit hole.

Free clinics are always an option for those with minor medical issues. Having a uterus helps; I can get a pretty good deal on The Pill and health services through Planned Parenthood or one of the several Providence-area health clinics. If I get knocked up, I can even get free dental services, and so can my kids--but my boyfriend? Nope. Although I understand the value in keeping babies and their moms healthy, and one must prioritize when you operate with thin grant money and volunteers, the idea makes me cringe. If I decide to go ahead and have a baby--which would be a huge, awful, terrible mistake at this point in my life, a burden to the state without a doubt--there are myriad health services available to me. Meanwhile, the guy who fathers my child can't get his cavities looked at?

As a Libertarian myself, I understand the argument against the new Mass healthcare--why should the government force us to buy a service? And the system is, of course, still flawed, although if one abandons political idealogy and rhetoric you see that the system is affordable and fair. In other words, for now, quit your whining. The argument for universal health is simple and has nothing to with empathy, or wanting people to live healthy, full lives, or butterflies and puppies: it's a matter of money. It's unethical for a state to let you die, plain and simple (ambulances do come when called, last time I checked) and so someone (a donor, an institution, a private foundation, the taxpayers) always foots the bill for medical costs if you cannot. Not acceptable.

You can jump in front of government-subsidized busses all day long if you want, but you'd better have health insurance, or there will come a time when the penalties will affect more than just your tax returns. In the meantime, we might need a Doctors Without Borders right here in New England.

Obama appearing at Dec. 2 fundraising rally in Boston

In what is likely to be one of his final appearances in Massachusetts before the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 8, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is due to appear at a fundraising rally in Boston that starts at 6 p.m. on Sunday Dec. 2.

The event will be held at the Park Plaza Castle, 130 Columbus Ave. Tickets cost $23 and can be purchased by following this link. Attendees are asked not to bring bags, signs or banners due to security concerns.  

(photo credit, msnbc.com) 

 

Whiskers of Passion

Today in Cape and islands history: "Jaws" actor dies of heart attack on Vineyard

On this day in 2000, Chris Rebello, a popular football coach at Martha's Vineyard High School who had appeared as an extra in the1975 movie "Jaws," died while deer hunting with friends in Aquinnah.

At age 12, Rebello played the older son of Police Chief Martin Brody in the movie "Jaws," which was filmed on the Vineyard in 1974 and became the biggest grossing (in more ways than one) movie within three months of its release the following year.

 Rebello, a 37-year-old father of three, also worked as a groundskeeper on the island.

As shown in the photo at right, Rebello had just witnessed a fatal shark attack on a man in a rowboat who'd been trying to help him. It was this incident that prompted his father, portrayed by the actor Roy Scheider, to hire the shark hunter Quint and accompany him in his search for the monstrous great white.

The "key moment" in the movie, as described by director John Singleton, whose films include "Boyz N the Hood," came "when Brody looks out at sea after one final shark attack at the beach, one that nearly cost his own son his life."

"He looks at the ocean and he's afraid, he can't swim, but he has to face it," Singleton told the DGA Quarterly in the spring of 2006, describing the visceral impact of  the film and its influence in his work. "It's classic heroic art."

(photo credit, findagrave.com)

Cape Wind to build Westfield plant; Coast Guard assists damaged freighter

The Coast Guard assists the RSCL Express about 150 east of Cape Cod, Mass. The 350-foot vessel from the Pacific Marshall Islands was damaged during a storm. (Coast Guard Photo by BM2 Michael J Schneider, CGC Dependable)

Coast Guard assists damaged freighter south of Cape

The Coast Guard reports that it is assisting a damaged freight vessel today about 150 miles southeast of Cape Cod after the vessel's master requested permission to enter Boston to repair damage sustained during a storm.

Coast Guard Sector Boston received the call around 5 p.m., Wednesday, from the vessel RSCL Express, a 350-foot vessel registered in the Pacific Marshall Islands.  The Coast Guard Cutter Dependable, a 210-foot cutter from Cape May, N.J., on a routine patrol in the area was diverted and headed toward the vessel's location.

The RSCL Express, loaded with 4,300 tons of wood pulp, reported two 15-centimeter holes in its hull approximately 10 feet above the waterline.  The holes were caused by the anchor striking the hull during severe weather. The vessel's operator also reported damage to the anchor windlass and backup fire pump. The main firefighting system is still operational.  The crew reported there was some initial flooding, but it is minor and under control.

Crewmembers from the Dependable boarded the RSCL Express to confirm that the vessel was safe to transit and offer assistance to the vessel, which was determined not to be needed.  The Dependable is escorting the vessel toward the Port of Boston.  A Falcon jet crew from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod also responded.

The Coast Guard is working closely with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, MASSPORT, Boston Harbor Police and the Boston Fire Department.

"The safety of life at sea is our main priority," said Capt. Gail Kulisch, the Captain of the Port of Boston. "We are taking steps to ensure this vessel can make its necessary repairs while ensuring its safe arrival to the port."
__________

Gas-fired plant gains support
Cape Wind owners win big praise in Western Mass.

"This company has a high level of competence and is able to deliver. The result will have a direct impact on controlling future (electric) rates for Westfield. Gas and Electric is an active participant in this."
 - city's utility department, said Gas and Electric manager Daniel GolubekWESTFIELD - Energy Management Inc. of Boston announced plans yesterday to build a $400 million gas-fired electrical generating plant that will serve future electrical needs of the city and surrounding communities.

Developers said they expect to begin producing electrical power at a 35-acre site off Servistar Industrial Way by June 2012. The proposal has already attracted the support of acting Mayor Charles W. Medeiros, Mayor-elect Michael R. Boulanger, the Westfield Gas and Electric Department and various other city department heads.

Project manager Matthew A. Palmer said the company plans to file its first notice of intent with the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Act agency today. Energy Management Inc. is also the developer of the controversial Cape Wind Farm project proposed off the shores of Cape Cod...  Energy Management has nearly 30 years of experience in developing electrical generating plants and currently owns six natural gas-fired facilities in New England. Those include plants in Dartmouth and Dighton, one in Tiverton, R.I., one in Rumford, Maine, and the Cape Wind Farm project...  Springfield Republican. 

The Donald is coming

Trump site-shopping for a Bay State casino
Boston, Holyoke atop a longer list

Where's Donald?
Several of the locations are in communities looking for an economic boost that have already expressed a strong interest in hosting a casino, making it more likely local voters would approve a casino if the political and economic stars line up...  Suffolk Downs, Wonderland Greyhound Park, The Mohegan tribe of Connecticut has an agreement for land in Palmer, and the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe has plans to build in Middleborough.Business mogul Donald Trump is scouring waterfronts, depressed mill towns, and vacant rural tracts across Massachusetts, searching for locations suitable for a lavish resort casino that he could develop under Governor Deval Patrick's proposal to legalize casino gambling.  His list of as many as a dozen sites includes undisclosed locations in the Boston area, the region that an industry source said he most desires, as well as the Holyoke Mall and a harness racing track in Plainville.

Executives from Trump's resort development arm, Trump Entertainment, have toured sites in Fall River, New Bedford, and Warren, and they met recently with the mayors of Chicopee and Holyoke, according to local officials, land owners, and an industry source. They also have had extensive discussions with Gary Piontkowski, the owner of the Plainridge Racetrack in Plainville, but no agreement was reached, said the industry source...  Globe.

Dodging Bullets

The injuries suffered by our surviving troops are often horrific. Simple bullet wounds are less common than traumatic amputations, severe burns and massive internal and skeletal injuries caused by explosives, the crude but effective Improvised Explosive Devices used by our adversaries.

A cruel and uncertain future for vets?

By Peter Kenney

The good news is that 80 percent of those wounded in Iraq while serving with the American military will survive their wounds. This is a remarkable survival rate, a major success in the delivery of quality medical care to those wounded in combat. It also means that as a nation we are facing a very expensive future commitment to these veterans who have given so much for their country. Historically, our willingness to honor this commitment is hardly equal to their sacrifice.


Portrait of Marine Staff Stg. John Jones at Walyet Redd Hospital by Timothy Greenfield-SandersThe injuries suffered by our surviving troops are often horrific. Simple bullet wounds are less common than traumatic amputations, severe burns and massive internal and skeletal injuries caused by explosives, the crude but effective Improvised Explosive Devices used by our adversaries. Also quite prominent are major head injuries caused when troops are thrown around the inside of armored vehicles by explosives, mines, artillery and rockets. The often permanent consequences of post-concussive syndrome are both profound and puzzling...debilitating but hard to define and treat.

At the mercy of Congress
What all this means is that the United States must radically alter the way we treat our veterans. We must be prepared to commit whatever resources are necessary to provide these men and women with the lifelong care their service and their lifelong pain demand. If past performance is any indication of our willingness to do so there are many thousands of veterans headed for uncertain and perhaps cruel futures. All this is at the mercy of a Congress whose own health care and benefits system is the envy of even the wealthy in our society. Perhaps mercy is not an appropriate word.

A tale of two vets
Here are two examples from among people I know personally; both served in the military and both became very familiar with the Veterans Administration (VA) and its services. One was badly wounded while serving as helicopter crew chief in Vietnam. He was shot in the abdomen while on a mission to rescue downed U.S. Air Force pilots. One year in an Air Force hospital was followed by a lengthy rehabilitation in various facilities and then discharge from the service. As the years passed he was forced to endure intractable pain and very poor response by the VA to his condition. He had to fight for prescriptions and medical treatments. He also had to fight periodically to keep his partial VA pension.

The other fellow was a Marine who lost a leg while in the service. On a weekend pass he got drunk and then crashed his motorcycle while returning to his base in North Carolina. All this he admits. His injury was suffered while he was on leave time, in civilian clothes, drunk and on a state highway...not on a US military post. Months of attempting to save his mangled leg led to the decision to amputate. I met this man at a gym and eventually he worked for me as a carpenter. He not only got around just fine on his government prosthesis he even ran marathons. When the VA wanted to discuss whether his 100% disability was appropriate, someone in his family made a telephone call to Washington, D.C. to an old political crony.

Suddenly the VA was very attentive to this man and his pension difficulties went away. The call was to the office of Representative Tip O'Neill. My one-legged carpenter friend bragged about his family’s political connections and how he had “dodged the bullet.” Whom will this generation’s torn and wounded call when they need to dodge a bullet? Which bullet is worse...the one at home or the one they did not dodge in Iraq?

School Committee Vacancy Update - Vote Taken but no new voice

As an update to my entry yesterday on the School Committee vacancy and a voice for the taxpayers: The joint meeting of the Selectmen and School Committee has just concluded.  A total of seven candidates were interviewed, (six tonight) and after three rounds of voting, Jamie MacDonald, a previous seven-year veteran of the committee, was the selection of a majority of those present and available to vote.  The runner-up was a most impressive Rebecca Moffitt, a retired educator with 42 years of experience in the classroom.  Recently retired from the City of Brockton, Ms. Moffitt told the joint meeting that she personally went to each school in Falmouth, spoke with staff members and reviewed the curriculum.  She was president of the Brockton Educators Association when they were forced to lay off over 300 teachers during a budget crisis.  She clearly spoke of her ability to make "tough decisions."  Based on the fact that a decision like this by joint elected boards is political by its very nature, it was unlikely that a newcomer would garner enough support to be placed on the School Committee, but this Falmouth political neophyte did pretty well!  During the first round, MacDonald got three votes, Moffitt three, and three other candidates, Dr. Kira Grant, Sandy Cuny, and Donna Mattison-Earls each got two.  Per the rules agreed to by the boards, the lower tier was eliminated, leaving Moffitt and MacDonald.  During the second round of voting, each got six votes.  After a series of speeches by the elected officials, Selectman Kevin Murphy and School Committee member Susan Augusta agreed to change their vote, making the tally 8-4 in favor of Jamie MacDonald.  A couple of thoughts: Of the twelve elected officials present and charged with making this very important selection, seven chose to ask no questions of any of the candidates.  Although they had printed material from each candidate, the public would have been better served by some interaction from those on the stage.  I have never met Ms. Moffitt, but was very impressed with her research, her knowledge, her demeanor, and her clearly stated ability and desire to "make tough decisions."  That's exactly what I was talking about in this space yesterday.  Let me be the first to say that I think Rebecca Moffitt's no-nonsense professional approach would be a great addition to the School Committee at the annual election in May.  In the meantime, Jamie MacDonald's experience will be of assistance during the difficult budget season.  Let's just hope he and the other members were listening when Ms. Moffitt talked about tough decisions.  Not appointing her was one of them.