EXTRA...

New ferry service begins Monday; Klimm spares the dump but hammers the builders; Drunk driving mom; Snow could really pile up today; Hyannis stolen vehicle ring busted; 13-year old leads police on slow chase; Warm fall may have misled turtles

TODAY's quote: "We think that by establishing the route, we'll see the synergy back and forth between Woods Hole and New Bedford." - Mayor Scott Lang.

Our cover photo today is Koko and her bro Simba, a couple of short-hair Oriental kittens who joined the Brooks household on New Year's Day. See them and dozens more by going to the Community area on Cape Cod PETS and set up a profile and a blog for YOUR own pet. You can check out the videos of Koko and Simba here.

   Hyannis stolen vehicle ring busted

           Photo by Barnstable Police Department
During the early morning hours Thursday, the Barnstable police along with U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement officials worked together to bust an alleged "chop shop"... The law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at the Pawnee Court residence of Victor Marques. Investigators were targeting what they believed was an organized ring of young Brazilian immigrants who were stealing dirt bikes and all terrain vehicles across Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
One common factor in the thefts was discovered when a Sandwich man reported to the police that his dirt bike had been stolen after he'd advertised it on the Internet site Craigslist... Herald.

Boy, 13 leads police on slow chase
A 13-year-old driver in a stolen car led police on a chase that came to an end when the youth rammed a police cruiser early this morning, the police said... The boy was one of three juveniles arrested, Barnstable police Sgt. John Alexander said following a party inside an unoccupied C-ville home, several youths ate and drank from the liquor cabinet inside the house... Herald.

Woods Hole to New Bedford ferry starts tomorrow

There will be one trip daily until June when a second will be added on Fridays through Sunday.

New Bedford officials say a new ferry service will open Monday between their city and the community of Woods Hole on Cape Cod. Mayor Scott Lang says it's the first time such a service has been offered regularly, though a three-month pilot program was tried with some success two years ago. He said the ferry service would set up a "water highway" between the two communities.

The private Cuttyhunk Ferry Co. will provide two round-trips per day, said Jono Billings, owner and operator of the company. Lang noted that the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's School for Marine Science and Technology is located in New Bedford, while the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is located in Woods Hole... Globe.
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Snow could really pile up
It's location, location, lo...

Here's a news flash for people who shoveled their sidewalk a few times yesterday: You're probably going to have to do it a couple of more times today. The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory until 1 p.m. today, as well as a wind advisory until 4 p.m...

Computer models late yesterday afternoon were predicting the storm, which was just south of Nova Scotia at midafternoon, would become as strong as a Category 1 hurricane and start moving west toward the Maine Coast and then south perhaps to near Cape Cod before moving out to sea late tonight and tomorrow... Telegram. See today's forecast here.
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Cape mother allegedly drove drunk with children
3-year old twins not in child seat, blood-alcohol 2-1/2 times legal limit

Heather Parris, 42, of Hyannis, was arrested for driving drunk with her children. (Yarmouth Police)

A Cape Cod woman who allegedly drove drunk with her 3-year-old twins in the car will be one of many people appearing in Barnstable District Court tomorrow morning after a particularly violent and busy New Year's holiday for police.

Heather Parris, 42, of Hyannis, was pulled over for driving 56 miles per hour in a 35-mile-per-hour zone on Buck Island Road in Yarmouth, said Lieutenant Steve Xiarhos. The officer who stopped her shortly before midnight Thursday noticed that her two young children were not in child seats and that Parris appeared intoxicated.

Police said her blood alcohol content was 0.19, nearly 2 1/2 times the legal limit. A passenger, identified by police as the children's father, Dwyane Brown, 38, of Hyannis, had a blood alcohol content of 0.30.

Parris was uncooperative and refused to answer questions, according to police. They said she tried to leave and was wrestled to the ground by officers... Globe.
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Mr. Klimm approves most new fees for Barndstable
Town Manager spares the Town Dump

Fee for a multi-family home permit under 5,000 square feet to go up 750%

By some reports, the town dump is the most popular gathering place in town. If that is true, many town residents will be pleased to know that Barnstable Town Manager John C. Klimm has decided not to raise dump fees this year...

For example, a special permit to construct a multi-family home under 5,000 square feet costs $200 now. The recommended fee is $1,500. Most of the fees have to do with costs that developers would pay if they are building subdivisions or applying for special permits from the zoning board of appeals... Barnstable Enterprise.
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Warm fall may have misled turtles
Some being found along South Shore

3rd worse stranding season here
192 come ashore on Cape Cod this Fall,
178 Kemp's Ridley, 8 Green. 4 Loggerhead and 2 unidentified. Audubon.

Several specimens of an endangered sea turtle have been found on the South Shore, creating a bit of a mystery for members of the New England Aquarium staff. Aquarium officials say that finding the Kemp's Ridley sea turtle in this area may be unprecedented. The latest find, the carcass of one of the turtles, was made in Weymouth last week, following the finding of two others in Hull and Quincy.

Biologists say that each year, juvenile Kemp's Ridley turtles make their way from the Gulf of Mexico to the Cape Cod area, where they feed on crabs before returning south around Labor Day. There are always some who linger and, as the temperature drops, become cold-stunned, or hypothermic, floating on the waves at the mercy of wind and current... Globe.