EXTRA...

Palin vs. Kerry; Truro's 300th birthday; Cape booze sting nets several; Stripers inconsistent, fluke steady; Wastewater comes home

TODAY's quote: "Statistics show that real middle class income has been stagnant for the past decade. One need only consult with the Falmouth Service Center to find out that requests for free food have increased dramatically over that past two years." - Rep. Matt Patrick.

Cape Cod establishments caught in alcohol sting

Several Cape Cod bars and restaurants will be closed on a busy summer weekend day after a sting operation caught them selling alcohol to a minor.
   A 20-year-old man working with police tried to buy beer at dozens of restaurants, bars and package stores in Hyannis last summer. He was successful in more than one-third of the attempts, which the director of Barnstable's regulatory services division calls "an alarming statistic"... Herald

Town of Truro on Cape Cod celebrates 300 years

Truro is 300 years old, and while the town has been celebrating for several months now, July 17 to 19 is the big weekend. On Friday July 17 head to the Public Library to check out the nine clues leading to the Truro Treasure.

Treasure hunt runs until 5 pm and the prize is an original painting of the Highland Light Complex, a Cape Cod landmark.

After the treasure hunt, there'll be a fireworks display that can be seen from all of the Truro beaches on the Cape Cod Bay side. With good weather the fireworks may be seen from Wellfleet or Provincetown as well.Show starts at 9 pm.

Saturday is the day to explore Truro, as artists and photographers spread out to capture the town and surrounding landscapes. Some of their works will be available at the reception on Sunday at Castle Hill... Examiner.
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Debate over wastewater comes home

Falmouth selectmen have not yet scheduled a discussion of State Rep. Matthew Patrick's call for further study before going ahead with expensive plans to install sewers. But it's likely they will. Patrick is urging Falmouth to consider all alternatives before committing to hundreds of millions of dollars in sewer construction.

Patrick sent a letter to selectmen, the board of health and the conservation commission in which he said, "I am convinced that, at present, we are not giving sufficient consideration to viable alternative techniques." Patrick said many in Falmouth would be hard-pressed to pay the estimated $40,000 to $60,000 betterment fee that would be required to connect to sewers... Falmouth Bulletin.
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Catchin' Anything?: Stripers inconsistent, but fluke remain steady

Striped bass fishing has been consistently inconsistent, but there are a few fish at most of the usual haunts around The Islands and off their beaches. For natural baits, pogies (when available) are working, along with live eels. Trolling big Danny plugs on wire at night is still pulling in some big fish.

Fairhaven Bait and Tackle reported that Shawn Souza of New Bedford weighed-in a 59-pound, 6-ounce striper on Thursday, caught on a pogy off Gay Head aboard the Reel Blast with Paul Rego...

A few bluefish are scattered throughout the Bay with most of them "rats" in the two- and three-pound range. Not much bait in the Bay to hold them, as pogies are lacking. A few bluefin tuna are still being caught in Cape Cod Bay... Standard-Times.
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Palin vs. Kerry (And MoveOn.org)

Kerry, who opposed the Cape Wind because a wind farm capturing energy from ocean breezes might spoil his view, went ballistic. In a thinly veiled reference to Tina Fey's "Saturday Night Live" skit, he repeated the warm-monger mantra that the "global climate change crisis threatens our economy and national security in profound ways" and that "Gov. Palin need look no further than the view from her front porch in Alaska to see how destructive this crisis can be."

Politics: John Kerry, replying to an op-ed Sarah Palin wrote on cap-and-trade, suggests the Alaska governor "check the view from her front porch." What she sees from there, senator, is energy wealth going to waste.

The political death of Sarah Palin has been greatly exaggerated. In a devastating op-ed in the Washington Post, Alaska's governor exposes the cap-and-tax fraud that has nothing to do with earth's temperature and everything to do with government control of the economy.

She also exposes the stealth socialism ambitions of the Democratic left and once again points out the availability of abundant "shovel-ready" resources under America's soil, off America's shores and even in America's rocks.

Judging from the reaction from Sen. Kerry and the political arm of George Soros, one must ask: If Palin is spent as a political force, why is everyone on the left so worried and talking about her?

Kerry took to the ultraliberal Web site Huffington Post to object to Palin's description of "the president's cap-and-trade energy tax" as "an enormous threat to our economy." In Alaska, she wrote, "we understand the inherent link between energy and prosperity, energy and opportunity, energy and security"... Investors.com.