EXTRA...

Ted writes the Pope; Hinkle named chamber head; Bermuda seal headed our way; State to check Ptown sewers;

TODAY's quote: "The president delivered a letter from Senator Kennedy to the Holy Father. He also asked that the Holy Father pray for ... Kennedy, who as we all know is ill."
                 - Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough.

State investigating Ptown sewer

State environmental officials have opened an investigation into the wastewater overflows in Provincetown streets that started on the Fourth of July weekend.
   Town Manager Sharon Lynn says state officials should have received a report about the sewage spills within 24 hours and did not. She tells the Cape Cod Times that the company contracted to operate the town's wastewater treatment plant should have made the report, but did not.   
   A low vacuum pressure alarm alerted town workers there was a problem July 4... Springfield Republican.

Bermuda's seal makes beeline for the ocean
Is he heading for Cape Cod?

Hamilton the Harbour Seal returned to the wild yesterday. Staff from the National Aquarium in Baltimore where he has undergone rehab for the past five moinths  released the young male into the Atlantic Ocean off Delaware Seashore State Park.

"He saw the water and made a beeline right for it, but did give us a little look back before he went in," said stranding coordinator Jennifer Dittmar.

"We are hoping he will head north and is able to meet some seals in the New York or Cape Cod area."  The young Atlantic Harbour Seal first washed up on the shores of Bermuda in February, after being swept hundreds of miles on currents from the north-eastern seaboard.

He was found on a beach at Ariel Sands, emaciated and with a deep cut to his neck caused by a fishing line. After five months of rehabilitation, Hamilton the seal will be set free in the waters off Delaware Seashore State Park in the US tomorrow.

The young male was only the fourth stranded seal to be recorded in Bermuda in the last 150 years. His chances of survival were slim, as only one in ten stranded seals make it.

Hamilton has a satellite tag which will fall off once he moults his fur in a few months' time. You can track his progress at the National Aquarium in Baltimore Maryland website here ... Royal Gazette.
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Hinkle named Brewster Chamber of Commerce Executive Director

S. Kyle Hinkle has been named Executive Director of the Brewster Chamber of Commerce effective July 6, 2009. In this part-time position, she will be overseeing the daily operations of the organization and working with the board of directors to complete their strategic plan, and conduct a complete program review with emphasis on board and member development. "Brewster is known to visitors for its elegant sea captains' homes that are now B&B's and restaurants, and for its wonderful antique and art galleries" she said. "But Brewster also has a large and vibrant population of professionals and trades people that can benefit from Chamber membership"... Cape Business.

Obama delivers letter from Kennedy to Pope

U.S. President Barack Obama delivered a letter from Senator Edward Kennedy to Pope Benedict on Friday and asked the Roman Catholic pontiff to pray for the senator, who is suffering from an incurable brain tumor.

Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough said the Pope and the president concluded their half-hour meeting with a discussion about Kennedy, whose brother John F. Kennedy was the first Roman Catholic president of the United States.

"The president delivered a letter from Senator Kennedy to the Holy Father. He also asked that the Holy Father pray for ... Kennedy, who as we all know is ill," McDonough told reporters on Air Force One en route from Rome to Ghana.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama spoke to Kennedy for about 10 minutes from the plane before it lifted off to tell him he had delivered the letter to the Pope... Reuters.