EXTRA...

WHOI gets $5.57m federal contract ; Weather advisory; Gosnold wants wind farm; State to claim ownership of rail tracks; Embezzling case moves to Superior Court; E-mails inflame Bourne FD; Irish banker's Cape mansions; Wareham cops have busy week

TODAY's quotes: "We will not tolerate this type of activity in the town of Wareham."
- Acting Police Chief Richard Stanley
"We were once a part of the town of Chilmark, but have minded our own business since the town was separately incorporated in 1864." - Gosnold Selectmen

Weather Advisory TODAY

A  chance of rain with a slight chance of meatballs thunderstorms. Breezy with highs around 50. Northeast winds 15 to 20 mph becoming west 15 to 25 mph this afternoon. with gusts up to 35 mph.

$5.57 Million Federal Contract Awarded to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Woods Hole, won a $5,566,768 federal contract modification from the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command, Newport, R.I., for research and development on undersea unmanned vehicle (UUV) functionality.Under the contract, Woods Hole will perform engineering for the Navy's platform and payload integration department of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, R.I. Work on the contract will be performed in Woods Hole and is expected to be completed by November 2014.

WHOI made news in April when it formed the Woods Hole Consortium with the Marine Biological Laboratory to address social issues. The consortium will focus on climate change, ecosystem health and human well-being, while seeking to create jobs on the south coast of Massachusetts by spinning out companies... Mass High Tech.
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Gosnold Embraces Wind Farm Plan
166 turbines, 360 feet tall, in two areas close to the Vineyard

The town of Gosnold has written to the state indicating its willingness to allow wind turbines to be located in its waters, and its determination that it be able to negotiate its own terms for any development, free of interference from the Martha's Vineyard Commission.

"If our needs are met, we are willing to have a commercial wind project sited in our town waters," the Gosnold selectmen wrote in a letter to Ian Bowles, Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, last week. "We understand that, even though we are the smallest community in the commonwealth, we have a responsibility to be part of the solution to reducing carbon emissions. We understand the connection between our small actions and much larger consequences." The public comment period ended Monday on the draft Oceans Plan, which provides for as many as 166 turbines, each about 360 feet tall, in two areas close to the Vineyard - one off Noman's Land, and the other off Cuttyhunk, the outermost of the Elizabeth Islands and home to most of the 80-odd year-round residents who make up the populace of the town of Gosnold.... Vineyard Gazette.
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State moves closer to claiming ownership of rail tracks
Development hailed as ‘milestone' by commuter line officials

Another component of the deal calls for Cape Cod-based Mass Coastal to take over from CSX as the freight carrier in southeastern Massachusetts..

The state's $100 million agreement with CSX Transportation to take ownership of railroad tracks leading from Taunton to New Bedford and Fall River has come before a federal board for review, a development that Patrick administration officials hail as a major step toward expanding rail service.

The agreement is seen as a critical component of a $1-2 billion plan to provide commuter rail service between Boston and the South Coast. State officials expect the comprehensive agreement between the freight carrier and the state to clear the federal Surface Transportation Board before the scheduled closing on the property in May... Taunton Gazette.
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E-mails inflame Bourne
Fire Dept. dispute

The war of words between town officials and the lawyer for the firefighters' union intensified yesterday regarding the format of the inquiry into a fire lieutenant and an alleged town cover-up, reports the Cape Cod Times.
  Several high-ranking firefighters, acting on the advice of union counsel, refused to testify under oath at a hearing Tuesday regarding fire Lt. Kelli Weeks, whose on-duty behavior has been called into question by several of her fellow firefighters.
   The firefighters declined to testify because they feared they might be made scapegoats for the town's failures.. Herald.

Morris case moves to Superior Court
Accused of embezzling over $179k from Seamen's Bank

Kathleen Morris, accused of embezzling over $179,000 from the local Seamen's Bank branch office, was indicted last Friday by a second grand jury.

As a result, the case will now move from Orleans District Court, where Morris was arraigned last month, to Barnstable County Superior Court, where penalties are usually more severe for those convicted of a crime. The Superior Court grand jury on Friday returned an indictment against Morris for larceny, embezzlement from a bank, credit by false statement, forgery of promissory note and uttering false writing... Banner.
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Wareham cops have busy week

The Wareham Police Department made seven drug arrests in three separate incidences last week.

Detectives, with the assistance of evening shift patrol officers, executed a search warrant at 206 Park Ave. in East Wareham at around 9 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16. The home had been under surveillance by police for ongoing drug activity. A search of the home turned up drugs and drug paraphernalia, which police said indicated a drug distribution operation was taking place there... Wareham Courier.
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When is Anglo going to go after Seanie's millions?
Owns two Cape homes, one worth $4.5 million

Anglo Irish Bank's decision to sue its former chief executive David Drumm for the €8m ($12m) he owes it is long overdue. But when will Anglo go after its disgraced former chairman Sean FitzPatrick, who owes it 13 times as much? The bank, which was nationalised in January, has now launched High Court proceedings against Drumm, seeking the recovery of the €8m...

Drumm also owns not one but two homes in the American state of Massachusetts. One of these, a modest 4,800 square feet pad in Cape Cod, was purchased for 3 million Euros ($4.5 million dollars) in March last year... Irish Herald.