CapeCodToday Blog Chowder

Two firefighters hurt in three-alarm Sandwich blaze; Coast Guard rescues man with broken leg on Cape Cod Bay

Two firefighters hurt in 3-alarm Sandwich blaze

SANDWICH - Sandwich Fire Chief George Russell confirmed that two of his firefighters had been taken from the scene of a 3-alarm blaze in ambulances to Cape Cod Hospital with priority 2 burns on Monday afternoon, May 31, 2010. Their names and their conditions were being kept private at the time.

The house is in the Ridge Club, a private golf community, in Sandwich.

Video by David G. Curran.

Coast Guard transport man with broken leg from boat on Cape Cod Bay

SANDWICH - Sandwich firefighters and Coast Guard personnel removed a man with a reported broken leg from a Coast Guard cutter at the Sandwich Marina Monday morning, May 31, 2010.

According to a member of the Coast Guard at the marina, the man was onboard a 21 foot boat 8 miles southeast of Provincetown when he suffered a broken leg. He was transported from the scene by a Coast Guard cutter to awaiting EMTs at the Sandwich Marina.

There is no word yet on the cause of the accident.

Photo by David G. Curran.

Kerry & Brown agreement continues, Delahunt misses a couple

A look at how our members of Congress voted over the previous week
Brown and Kerry agree on everything, Delahunt misses 2 of 9 votes

HOUSE VOTES:

Our retiring Re. Bill Delahunt cintinues to miss votes in congress.

House Vote 1:
CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR WAR VETERANS:The House passed the Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans Act (H.R. 1017), sponsored by Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif. The bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide chiropractic care to veterans at all its medical centers by the end of 2013. The bill sponsor said the legislation "provides an opportunity to significantly expand access to chiropractic care for one of the most prevalent disorders facing veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan." The vote, on May 24, was 365 yeas to 6 nays.
YEAS: Rep. Michael E. Capuano D-MA (8th), Rep. Barney Frank D-MA (4th), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch D-MA (9th), Rep. Edward J. Markey D-MA (7th), Rep. James P. McGovern D-MA (3rd), Rep. Richard E. Neal D-MA (2nd), Rep. John W. Olver D-MA (1st), Rep. John F. Tierney D-MA (6th), Rep. Niki Tsongas D-MA (5th)
NOT VOTING: Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th)

House Vote 2:
EXTENDING ANTITRUST ACT: The House passed the Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Extension Act (H.R. 5330), sponsored by Rep. Hank Johnson Jr., D-Ga. The bill would extend the Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act of 2004 through June 22, 2015. The sponsor said the extension will allow the Justice Department to continue to have "all the tools it needs to continue its excellent work protecting consumers against price-fixing cartels." The vote, on May 24, was 366 yeas to 4 nays.
YEAS: Rep. Michael E. Capuano D-MA (8th), Rep. Barney Frank D-MA (4th), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch D-MA (9th), Rep. Edward J. Markey D-MA (7th), Rep. James P. McGovern D-MA (3rd), Rep. Richard E. Neal D-MA (2nd), Rep. John W. Olver D-MA (1st), Rep. John F. Tierney D-MA (6th), Rep. Niki Tsongas D-MA (5th)
NOT VOTING: Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th)

House Vote 3:
REIMBURSING EDUCATION FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS: The House passed the Assuring Quality Care for Veterans Act (H.R. 5145), sponsored by Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif. The bill would increase the maximum reimbursement rate for the continuing education of health care professionals at the Department of Veterans Affairs to $1,600 annually from $1,000 annually. A bill proponent said raising the reimbursement cap "empowers the VA to hire and retain talented health care personnel and to offer them the tools they need to remain extremely skilled and knowledgeable." The vote, on May 25, was 413 yeas to 2 nays.
YEAS: Rep. Michael E. Capuano D-MA (8th), Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th), Rep. Barney Frank D-MA (4th), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch D-MA (9th), Rep. Edward J. Markey D-MA (7th), Rep. James P. McGovern D-MA (3rd), Rep. Richard E. Neal D-MA (2nd), Rep. John W. Olver D-MA (1st), Rep. John F. Tierney D-MA (6th), Rep. Niki Tsongas D-MA (5th)

House Vote 4:
TESTING USE OF DOGS AS THERAPY FOR VETERANS: The House passed the Veterans Dog Training Therapy Act (H.R. 3885), sponsored by Rep. Henry E. Brown Jr., R-S.C. The bill would order the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a pilot program on the use of service dogs as a therapy for veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. A proponents said the program "can test the potential therapeutic benefits to participating veterans" of having the dogs and "allow us to further study this innovative new treatment modality beyond the existing anecdotal evidence." The vote, on May 25, was 403 yeas to 4 nays.
YEAS: Rep. Michael E. Capuano D-MA (8th), Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th), Rep. Barney Frank D-MA (4th), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch D-MA (9th), Rep. Edward J. Markey D-MA (7th), Rep. Richard E. Neal D-MA (2nd), Rep. John W. Olver D-MA (1st), Rep. John F. Tierney D-MA (6th), Rep. Niki Tsongas D-MA (5th)
NOT VOTING: Rep. James P. McGovern D-MA (3rd)

House Vote 5:
HONORING MILITARY VETERANS: The House passed a resolution (H. Res. 1385), sponsored by Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., to recognize and honor the courage and sacrifice of the members of the Armed Forces and war veterans. According to the resolution, members of the Armed Forces deserve recognition because they "respond to acts of aggression against the United States and its allies, protect and evacuate civilians, bring stability to areas experiencing political turmoil, and provide comfort and support in the wake of natural disasters." The vote, on May 26, was a unanimous 414 yeas.
YEAS: Rep. Michael E. Capuano D-MA (8th), Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th), Rep. Barney Frank D-MA (4th), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch D-MA (9th), Rep. Edward J. Markey D-MA (7th), Rep. James P. McGovern D-MA (3rd), Rep. Richard E. Neal D-MA (2nd), Rep. John W. Olver D-MA (1st), Rep. John F. Tierney D-MA (6th), Rep. Niki Tsongas D-MA (5th)

House Vote 6:
UNFAIR ADVANTAGES DURING BIDS FOR TANKER PROGRAMS: The House passed an amendment, sponsored by Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., to the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 5136) to require the Defense Department to take any unfair advantages into consideration during aerial tanker replacement programs up for contract bids and to report on those unfair competitive advantages to the appropriate Congressional committee within 60 days of the submission of a bid. Proponents of the amendment said the legislation would insist that when any bidder, domestic or foreign, has an unfair competitive advantage, that it is taken into consideration because with American jobs at stake, American aerospace workers would be able to compete if they had a level playing field with workers in Europe. The vote, on May 27, was 410 yeas to 8 nays.
YEAS: Rep. Michael E. Capuano D-MA (8th), Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th), Rep. Barney Frank D-MA (4th), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch D-MA (9th), Rep. Edward J. Markey D-MA (7th), Rep. James P. McGovern D-MA (3rd), Rep. Richard E. Neal D-MA (2nd), Rep. John W. Olver D-MA (1st), Rep. John F. Tierney D-MA (6th), Rep. Niki Tsongas D-MA (5th)

House Vote 7:
BP EXAMINED AS RESPONSIBLE SOURCE: The House passed an amendment, sponsored by Rep. Louis Gutierrez, D-Ill., to the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 5136) to stipulate that the Defense Secretary should examine the British Petroleum company and its subsidiaries that are currently holding a contract with the Defense Department to determine if they are still a responsible source and if not, the company and all subsidiaries would be barred from any additional contracts. Proponents said the British Petroleum company should prove to the American people they have changed before the government would consider another license. The vote, on May 27, was 372 yeas to 52 nays.
YEAS: Rep. Michael E. Capuano D-MA (8th), Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th), Rep. Barney Frank D-MA (4th), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch D-MA (9th), Rep. Edward J. Markey D-MA (7th), Rep. James P. McGovern D-MA (3rd), Rep. Richard E. Neal D-MA (2nd), Rep. John W. Olver D-MA (1st), Rep. John F. Tierney D-MA (6th), Rep. Niki Tsongas D-MA (5th)

House Vote 8:
JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER'S PROGRAM: The House rejected an amendment, sponsored by Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, to the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 5136) that would have removed a provision for funding of the Joint Strike Fighter's Alternate Engine Program. Proponents of the amendment called the development and production of the engine, through a competitive bidding process, an "unaffordable luxury" for which Congress had already authorized $1.3 billion and noted that both the previous and current Presidential administrations opposed it. Opponents said that having a competitive bidding process would save money in the long-term, although some would need to be spent up front to cover costs. The vote, on May 27, was 193 yeas to 231 nays.
YEAS: Rep. Richard E. Neal D-MA (2nd), Rep. John W. Olver D-MA (1st)
NAYS: Rep. Michael E. Capuano D-MA (8th), Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th), Rep. Barney Frank D-MA (4th), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch D-MA (9th), Rep. Edward J. Markey D-MA (7th), Rep. James P. McGovern D-MA (3rd), Rep. John F. Tierney D-MA (6th), Rep. Niki Tsongas D-MA (5th)

House Vote 9:
DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL REPEAL: The House passed an amendment, sponsored by Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Pa., to the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 5136) to repeal the ban on homosexuals serving openly in the military, known as the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. The repeal would be enforced only after recommendations for how to implement it are received from the Pentagon and after the repeal is certified by the Defense Secretary, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the President as being in agreement with military readiness, military effectiveness, unit cohesion and recruiting, and once the Defense Department has prepared the necessary policies and regulations. The vote, on May 27, was 234 yeas to 194 nays.
YEAS: Rep. Michael E. Capuano D-MA (8th), Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th), Rep. Barney Frank D-MA (4th), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch D-MA (9th), Rep. Edward J. Markey D-MA (7th), Rep. James P. McGovern D-MA (3rd), Rep. Richard E. Neal D-MA (2nd), Rep. John W. Olver D-MA (1st), Rep. John F. Tierney D-MA (6th), Rep. Niki Tsongas D-MA (5th)

SENATE VOTES:

Senate Vote 1:
EXEMPTION FROM FINANCE RULES FOR AUTO DEALERS: The Senate passed a motion sponsored by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., to instruct conferees with the House on the Restoring American Financial Stability Act (H.R. 4137). The motion would instruct the conferees to insist the final conference report include a House-passed provision excluding auto dealers from the regulatory authority of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The sponsor said the instruction would avoid the redundant regulation of auto dealers when other regulations already covered the providers of car loans. An opponents said it was "unfair...to have two sets of rules" for financial products by giving auto dealers an exemption from the regulations. The vote, on May 24, was 60 yeas to 30 nays.
YEAS: Sen. Scott Brown R-MA, Sen. John F. Kerry D-MA

Senate Vote 2:
EXEMPTING INSURANCE AFFILIATES FROM FINANCE RULES: The Senate passed a motion sponsored by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, to instruct conferees with the House on the Restoring American Financial Stability Act (H.R. 4137). The motion would instruct the conferees to insist the final conference report exempt the normal operations of insurance affiliates of insured depository institutions from restrictions on proprietary trading. The motion sponsor said the exemption would "allow regulated insurance entities to continue to operate as they currently do in a manner that ensures payment of claims and annuities for years to come." The vote, on May 24, was 87 yeas to 4 nays.
YEAS: Sen. Scott Brown R-MA, Sen. John F. Kerry D-MA

Senate Vote 3:
U.S. FORCES REDEPLOYMENT FROM AFGHANISTAN: The Senate rejected an amendment, sponsored by Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., to the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 4899) that would have required a plan for the safe, orderly and expeditious redeployment of U.S. armed forces from Afghanistan. Proponents of the amendment said it "would require the President to provide a flexible, nonbinding timetable for the responsible drawdown of U.S. troops from Afghanistan" although it would not set a specific date for the withdrawal of troops nor require the President to redeploy troops and it wouldn't place any restrictions on funding. Opponents pointed out that the language of the amendment would require the President, by Dec. 31, 2010, to submit a timetable for the completion of the redeployment of troops out of Afghanistan and that it would cause additional panic in a region that relies heavily on the support of the U.S. military. The vote, on May 27, was 18 yeas to 80 nays.
NAYS: Sen. Scott Brown R-MA, Sen. John F. Kerry D-MA

Senate Vote 4:
EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS: The Senate passed the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 4899), sponsored by Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., to make emergency supplemental appropriations for disaster relief and also to provide for summer jobs for fiscal 2010. The legislation would provide $5.1 billion for FEMA disaster relief and $600 million for 300,000 jobs for youth ages 16 to 21, the age group with some of the highest unemployment levels in the country. The legislation also extends the small business lending provisions in the Recovery Act for an additional month and provides up to $60 million to cover it. Proponents noted that the spending to cover the legislation would be offset through rescinding emergency funding that is not needed in other areas. Opponents said that, while it was good to provide aid to Americans suffering from natural disasters, it would be irresponsible to put millions of dollars into the legislation to cover summer jobs, when they were
available through other means. The vote, on May 27, was 67 yeas to 28 nays.
YEAS: Sen. Scott Brown R-MA, Sen. John F. Kerry D-MA

Happy Memorial Day From The Sports Desk

Happy Memorial Day from everyone at the Sports Desk!!

Like any proud American, Sgt. Slaughter and I want to salute and thrust forward our epic chins for all those who fought for us.

Let's watch some battle:

That smell in the air Monday was forest fires in Canada

Haze over Cape and parts of New England caused by over 50 Quebec fires

By Walter Brooks

Gusty northwesterly winds are hampering efforts of firefighters today. The winds threaten to rapidly spread any new or existing wildfire. (Accuweather map)

Go outside and smell the air. That acrid stink is caused by  forest fires hundreds of miles to our north in Canada.

Normally our prevailing winds from the southwest would blow the smoke towards  Newfoundland, but contrary winds today are blowing it all the way here.

According to published reports over 50 wildfires are currently raging across the Canadian province of Quebec.

Gusty winds are ushering the smoke into parts of New England. The fires are northeast of Cape Cod and we are got the brunt of the smoke Sunday.

The forest fire protection agency in Quebec, SOPFEU, stated the number of fires burning across Quebec totaled 52 this morning. Nine of these blazes are still out of control.

Relief is a day away

The weather bureau reported that an expected change in wind direction in Canada will end the problem for us by Monday.

For a run down of the problem check out these stories;

• Current number of fire (19) and response - Natural Resources Canada.
  
• Smoke fills air over Eastern Mass. - WBZ.
  
• Canadian fires bring smoke to New England - Globe.
  
• Canada firefighters try to control blazes - UPI.
• Forest fires rage in Quebec, over 2,000 homeless - Chronicle-Herald.

Below tourists sit along the banks of a smoke covered Cape Cod Canal in Bourne Monday morning. According to a Bourne Fire Department official, they have been inundated with calls regarding smoke along the Cape Cod Canal and surrounding areas.

Photo by David G. Curran.

Hubby leaves bar, falls out of wife's car on Route 28; Nicole Giles, 18, charged with Keith Yorke's death; Monica Mullaly won't get her license back after causing 3 deaths; What King Philip teaches us on Memorial Day

TODAY's quote: "You think you're going to be excited but really you're just relieved," Johnson said. "Nothing is going to bring Doug and Paula back, but at least no one else will go through what we have." - Heidi Johsoon, daughter if parent killed by Monica Mullaly.

Norfolk man falls from car in Dennis
Fell out on Route 28 after being picked up at a bar

A Norfolk man was found lying in the middle of Route 28 in Dennis, bleeding from the back of the head, after falling out of a moving car driven by his wife Saturday night.

Police said George Cole's wife, Colleen Cole, told officers the accident happened shortly after she picked up her 40-year-old husband at the Improper Bostonian Bar on Route 28 in Dennisport. The couple was headed west on the road.

George Cole was bleeding and complaining of pain when Officer Craig Stevenson found him on Route 28 near Brother Pizza around 6 p.m., Dennis Police said Sunday. Police had received numerous 911 calls reporting someone jumped or fell out of a moving vehicle... Sun Chronicle.
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Teen charged with vehicular homicide in Yorke death

Keith Yorke was killed walking his dog.

Sandwich Police have charged Nicole Giles, 18, of Mashpee with vehicular homicide by negligence in the death of Sandwich resident Keith Yorke. Police determined the May 14 incident was due to driver inattention and excessive speed. The accident occurred at 5:17 a.m. on Asa Meiggs Road in Sandwich.

Yorke, 55, was walking his dog when he was struck. He was transferred via helicopter to Boston Medical Center where he died from his injuries. He was the director of physician relations at Cape Cod Healthcare... Sandwich Broadsider.

Read the original accident report and see the video here.
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Board denies driver license after 2 deadly crashes which killed 3 people

A state board of appeals has denied a woman's request to get her driver's license after she was involved in two fatal crashes, according to a report in the Cape Cod Times. Monica Mullaly was trying to get her license back, saying she needed it to get to doctor's appointments.

In 1993, Mullaly fell asleep at the wheel after her high school prom. Her prom date was killed.  Mullaly was also at the wheel in April 2000 on Route 130 in Sandwich when she crashed into Doug and Paula Neff's car. They died, but their two children who were also in the car survived... WBZ.
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The ghosts of forgotten battles
King Philip's War and other little-known conflicts offer us an important lesson

70% of the Wampanoag, Nipmuc, and Narragansett were killed or fled as refugees.

Turners Falls has an important lesson to teach us on Memorial Day. If we heed it, we will transform and renew the holiday. Many years after my visit, I learned that 400 people were murdered here.

On May 19, 1676, hundreds of Indians were gathered at the falls to fish for the salmon heading up river. It was an ancient meeting: the Indians and the salmon had been coming for thousands of years.

On that morning Captain William Turner and 150 men surprised the Indians asleep. They fired into wigwams, and chased fleeing old men, women, and children into the river and the falls, where they drowned or were shot to death. Turner and his men burned the camp, destroyed stored food, two small forges for repairing guns, and lead to make shot. They took no prisoners... Globe.

Holiday claims another life in Plymouth Pond

24-year-old man's body recovered Sunday night

PLYMOUTH - A 24 year-old male drowned in a pond in the Ellis Haven Campground on Federal Furnace Road in Plymouth Sunday evening, May 30, 2010, around 8:30 p.m.

Divers from the Plymouth Fire Department recovered the victim around 9:15 p.m.  State and local police responded to the scene to investigate the incident.

Video by David Curran.

Europe Fails-U.S. Wins?

John Brennan, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, in a recent speech given to students of New York University, emphasized three things: 1) An apology to Muslims for the way they've been harassed since 911; 2) an outline of how far the enlightened President Obama will go to correct such things; 3) the views that we are not at war against terrorism or terror and there is no such thing as a violent jihad; 4) the U.S. is at war with Al Qaeda and its allies, not with radical Islamists; he apparently believes they do not pose a serious threat to the United States.

            Brennan made some points more dramatic by speaking in Arabic, a language he once mastered while serving with pleasure in Muslim nations -- he spoke glowingly of Muslim culture, generosity and tolerance.  Female reaction to these views was not reported.      

            Do you feel secure knowing that Mr. Brennan is regularly whispering in the ear of President Obama's ever-so-receptive ear on the subjects of Islam, counterterrorism and homeland security? 

            Eric Holder, Attorney General of the United States, testified recently before the House Judiciary Committee on the recent bombing attempt in New York by a home-grown terrorist with ties to radical Islamists in Pakistan.  He was asked repeatedly if he thought radical Islamists were behind the attempted bombing.  Holder refused to concede the possibility.  This is the same man who, among other things, wants to give terrorists Miranda Rights when they are captured; and he wants to take them to court in New York City.

            Do you sleep more soundly knowing that this fierce legal warrior is protecting you against the bad guys?       

            For reasons that won't be probed in this column, the current administration will not realistically define America's enemies, and America will in some expensive way pay for its evasiveness in the future. 

            This tendency of this administration to ignore obvious dangers to national security can be seen as well in the economic field, and its obtuseness, in this case, is apparently shared by about half of all Americans.   

            The European Union (EU), for example, is twisting and writhing in economic pain.  The reason for this is finally being widely acknowledged:

• "...we can't just go on building up debt, not only because it risks the economy but it lands on future generations." -- British Finance Minister, George Osborne.
• "Across Western Europe ... the assumptions and gains of a lifetime are suddenly in doubt. The deficit crisis ...undermines the sustainability of the European standard of social welfare, built by left-leaning governments since the end of World War Two." -- NY Times

            The problems of Greece were covered in a previous column.  The EU, with the help of the International Monetary Fund (the U.S. is its major supporter), is bailing that nation out.  But that isn't the end of the challenge to international financial stability, the global problem that could plunge the world into depths never before experienced.

            The Washington Post summarized the situation with frightening clarity in a recent issue:  

o       Barclay's Chief World Economist, Julian Callow, reminded readers that European securities, which once carried zero risk, "are now being studied with the same focus given to holdings of U.S. mortgage-backed securities."

            And why should that not be so?  There is double-digit unemployment in Hungary, Ireland and Spain; budgets of Ireland, Spain and England are egregiously out of balance.  A series of failures could, according to Angelo Pangratis (head of the EU delegation to the United States) "fundamentally mark our times."  That's a diplomat's way of saying that European securities could be worth zilch.  Then what?      

            And how did all of this happen?  Ironically, the left-leaning NY Times came up with the right answer in a recent edition: 

o       "Europeans have boasted about their social model with its ... national health care systems and extensive welfare benefits, contrasting it with the comparative harshness of American capitalism.  (They) ... can no longer afford its comfortable lifestyle...."

            America has been moving toward the European model since the early 1900s.  The pace accelerated in the 1960s.  Its people have enjoyed the "freebies" coming to them from the federal government, the latest being Obamacare -- it will move the U.S. closer to ... guess what?  The European model.      

            Americans forgot that the government has no money but what it takes from them.   Their government has routinely spent more than it had; it ignored the dangers of climbing debt; the same irresponsible course, magnified, is being followed today by leaders similar to Brennan and Holder.  Federal deficits are out of control; debt is mushrooming and will soon reach EU heights.      

            By some sleight-of-hand maneuver, someone expects Americans to believe that what destroyed the Soviet Union, and what  is currently destroying Europe will somehow be good for America.    

            Don't believe it.  Rid yourself of these unrealistic leaders.  Complain! Telephone!  Write!  Above all, vote! 

            For whom?  Someone who believes in the vision of the Founders, which can be found in the U.S. Constitution.

Holiday starts with death on Route 3 just over the bridge

Thrown from car at 90 mph and struck by a second vehicle

Highway backed up for hours on busiest weekend of the season

ROUTE 3 - A part of Route 3 a few miles over the Sagamore Bridge was closed for hours last night as State Police investigated a fatality between Exits 3 and 4.

Police at the scene estimated the car speed at the time of the 8:30 p.m. accident at around 90 mph as a 2010 Honda Civic operated by 28-year-old Patrick Crawford, of Plymouth, was traveling south when he lost control and struck a guardrail. The car rolled over, ejecting Crawford onto the roadway.

A Mazda was also traveling on Route 3 southbound and struck Crawford.

Crawford was pronounced dead at the scene and a passenger in the Honda, 19-year-old David Townsend, of Hull, was seriously injured and transported to Jordan Hospital.

The operator of the Mazda, Amanda Watson, of Plymouth, was transported to Jordan Hospital with minor injuries.

The highway was still shut down at 9:30 p.m. backing up the holiday traffic heading to the Cape Cod for the long Memorial Day weekend.

Park beach, boardwalk closed at start of season; Another challenger for Sarah; Dune shacks threatened too; Lighthouse Charter to buy Harwich movie; Gov. Patrick at 4Cs graduation; Five look to succeed Delahunt;

TODAY's quote; "I'm cautiously optimistic. It was for sale for two years. The location is fantastic. It's one mile from Route 6. Our student population is two-thirds from outside the Nauset School District. We're increasingly drawing kids from up Cape and the reality is there is not a lot out there to buy." - Charter school executive director Kathy McNamara.

US plan for venerable dune shacks threatens to upend a way of life

Janet Armstrong clambers barefoot over the rough wooden stairs and weathered deck of the dune shack her family has cherished since 1948 for its serenity, solitude, and sweeping ocean views. There is no running water, no electricity - no municipal services at all - in this isolated outpost on the Cape Cod National Seashore.

"I love everything about this place,'' said Armstrong, 57, as she gazed from the shack at the undulating sand and knotty scrub around her. "I love every board and every nail.''

That affection, however, is laced with foreboding for Armstrong and other longtime residents of some of the rustic dune shacks that dot 1,500 acres of the backshore of Provincetown and Truro. Under a master plan being developed by the National Park Service, Armstrong and other families who have lived in the shacks for decades might be ousted and never return...

The Cape Cod National Seashore holds a different view of an area where the nonresident public can visit but not stay. "The government cannot lease government-owned properties exclusively to a hand-picked family,'' said William Burke, park historian for the National Seashore. "It has to be an open, fair, and competitive process"... Globe video.
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Gov. gives commencement @ 4Cs

Over 600 students graduated from Cape Cod Community College on Thursday as Gov. Deval Patrick addressed the graduating students during Thursday's ceremony at the Cape Cod Melody Tent... The Register.

Lighthouse Charter School agrees to buy Harwich movie theater

Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School has found a new home, signing a purchase and sale agreement to buy Regal Harwich Cinemas 6 at 195 Route 137 in East Harwich.

The property was for sale for $2,185,000 and consists of a 19,531-square-foot building on nine acres. It's adjacent to a small shopping block and near the intersection of routes 39 and 137, a growing commercial area. The cinema has six screens, and is currently showing "Robin Hood" and "Iron Man 2," but can't be used as a theater after it is sold... The Cape Codder.
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    Peake gets another challenger

     Sarah Peake (D)          David Dunford (R)

Incumbent Democrat Rep. Sarah Peake has no challenger in her own party for her third term in the two-year post, but she's picked up a second one in Harwich businessman James Feeney who plans to oppose her as an Independent. Mr. Feeney ran in '08 for Registrar of Propate and received 428 votes out of the 6,005 cast.
   Republican David Dunford, an Orleans selectman, has already begun his campaign. The election is November 2 for the 4th Barnstable District seat which includes the outermost seven Cape towns.

Five candidates hope to succeed U.S. Rep. Delahunt

By not running for re-election, U.S. Rep. William Delahunt has created a vacuum that two Democrats and three Republicans, each facing their own challenges, hope to fill. They're battling for the same 10th Congressional District seat, but the two political parties' leading candidates face far different challenges.

For Democrats, it's geographic: Norfolk County District Attorney William Keating must establish his bonafides closer to the Cape, and state Sen. Robert O'Leary of Barnstable has to become better known up north.

For Republicans, it's historic: Massachusetts hasn't elected someone from the Grand Old Party to the House in 16 years, a streak former state treasurer Joe Malone, state Rep. Jeff Perry and Cohasset accountant Ray Kasperowicz hope to break in November... Patriot Ledger.
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On the Cape, sand and a bit of paradise lost, Marconi Beach closed
Winter storms battered beaches and left much to fix before summer sets in

"We basically had about the worst damage to the Seashore since the blizzard of '78.''
-  George Price, CCNSP.

Storms battered and gnawed the state's coastline so relentlessly over the winter that many beach visitors this holiday weekend will find wave-sheared bluffs, shrunken sun-bathing space, and some manmade walkways to popular sandy spots destroyed.

At the Cape Cod National Seashore, Marconi Beach is closed this weekend as workers rush to replace, within the next two weeks, washed-away stairs that lead from bluffs to the sparkling waters below. Bicyclists on a beloved trail to the Seashore's Coast Guard Beach - named last week as one of the nation's top 10 beaches - will have to take a detour until July, while a 300-foot-long bridge over Nauset Marsh that was lifted by the storm surge and carried away is repaired... Globe.

Meeting a Man of the People - Bill Keating

I don't know Bill Delahunt well, but the few times I've met him, his humanity has shined through.  The last time we chatted was a few summers ago at a fundraiser for the Police Athletic League (PAL) at the Airplane House in Woods Hole.  At that function, our soon-to-be-retiring Congressman talked about his love for Falmouth and Cape Cod, his involvement with PAL as a kid, and his previous work as a lawman to improve the lives of his constituents.  Bill Delahunt isn't a Cape Codder, but in his fourteen years as our representative in congress, the interests of our peninsula have been a priority for him, and our community is a better place because of his efforts.  I may not agree with some of his positions on national issues, but on issues like preservation of our natural resources, funding for our police and fire departments, and support for our local installations for the Coast Guard, Bill Delahunt has been a champion for Cape Cod as a whole, and Falmouth in particular.  I feel comfortable with him as our Congressman.

I get the same feeling with the prospect of Bill Keating being our next occupant of the 10^th Congressional District seat.  He has the same everyman quality that makes Delahunt so approachable and, as a bonus, he is calling Cape Cod home.  Bill and his wife Tevis have made a home in Monument Beach for the last fifteen years, and had a place on the Vineyard for ten years before that - he understands what it means to be a Cape Codder.  I met Bill at the Daily Brew in Cataumet this week, and was immediately impressed and felt at home with his authenticity.  As I observed the Norfolk County DA greet locals, new faces and old friends alike with the same energy and enthusiasm, my comfort level grew. I looked around and saw Falmouthites like Steve and Michelle Hough, former Base Commander, ZBA member and dear friend Ernie Keating, and Kathy Hickey, and knew that this candidate was a man of the people.  With so much at stake in our elections today, from the local one I wrote about last week, to the state and federal ones this fall, it is more important than ever to get to know the candidates, and make sure they are in it for the right reasons.  I get that feeling with Bill Keating - and heard that message at the Daily Brew.  

I then heard Bill speak of his understanding of the job of Congressman as a "stewardship to protect national resources," and listened as he explained that the 10^th District, which includes all of Cape Cod and the Islands, is unlike any other in Massachusetts and needs to be protected.  He spoke of finding his house in Bourne many years ago, looking around with a smile and saying, "This is it."  He gets it. 

As a hawkish conservative Democrat, I also wanted to make sure that Bill isn't soft on our security.  As a District Attorney, he has seen the worst in our society, and spoke of that job giving him a "lens on life" that has prepared him for lawmaking in Washington. He recently introduced a proposal to close a loophole that allows people on the FBI terror watchlist to legally purchase guns.   As the son of a WWII veteran who was also a policeman and veteran's agent, Bill also gets the importance of service at the local level.  The more I learned the more I felt like this guy identifies with average Falmouthites - and that's what the vote for our next Congressman is about - local issues.  Sure, the heady stuff of banking reform and Venezuelan oil makes for great dinner conversation, but, as Tip O'Neill said it best, all politics is indeed local, and Bill Keating is local indeed.

I keep this column local for a reason.  There is plenty happening within our 44 square miles to keep me busy - and to keep us thinking, but the choice to replace Bill Delahunt will impact Falmouth more than any election in recent memory - there is that much at stake.  I'm going to spend some time getting to know Bill Keating, because he just may be the man for the job.

With federal funding and involvement with critical issues like our wastewater management, our young Falmouthites heading to war, and confidence in our elected officials heading to an all-time low, the man I saw over a cup of coffee in Cataumet helped restore a little faith in our future.

 This column is reprinted from the Falmouth Enterprise.