CapeCodToday Blog Chowder

Falmouth Foxworthy II

When I shared my stroll down memory lane with my thoughts on growing up in East Falmouth a couple of weeks ago, I got a nice response from Falmouthites and visitors alike who enjoyed taking a look back.  That caused me to do a little more reflection, and so here are some current and prior reflections on what I like to call Falmouth Foxworthy.  I don't think Jeff Foxworthy has ever made it to the hometown of Katharine Lee Bates (the author of America the Beautiful), but we've had some fun spoofing his most famous act.  For Falmouth natives, townies, visitors and newcomers alike, here's some thoughts based on our own version....

You might be in Falmouth if...you know the difference between and New and an Old Silver...you know a knob is for more than a door...you've ever seen "Isn't Falmouth Nice!" on more than a blogger's ID...anything from Barnstable makes your Spidey senses tingle...and you went to school with a McEvoy.

And you might be from Falmouth if...you know how Gosnold got its name...you cried when Paul's burned and your parents told you who did it...you remember the diner before Betsy's...you've seen classrooms at Falmouth High School without walls...you saw a movie on Main Street...you got Halloween bags and a lesson from Officers Nyari or Ronayne...you know what it means that George "The Boomer" Scott got Lucky...you remember when there was a Doc in Town Hall...you have strong feelings on McDonalds...you know a dinosaur is more than just an animal...and we had one in Town Hall.

Get the hang of it? Feel free to add some of your own, like you might be in Falmouth if...you've heard enough about wastewater and the dump...you know why Rte. 151 is Nathan Ellis Highway...you've seen an Oar & Anchor on Main Street...or a Chinese restaurant in an "A" frame building...you've bought a Chevy or 18 holes from a guy named Clauson...you remember the 1st D'Angelo's...you ever ate Mike's Ice Cream...you remember when Kappy's had bowling balls, or groceries....you can list at least two locations for Jack & the Beanstalk other than childrens' books...you remember three Selectmen...and looking back you wonder if Ray was right to sue.

I remember when  you were in Falmouth if... the fish were biting on the Green Pond Bridge...there was ping pong at the Gus Canty...and pickup baseball at East Falmouth Elementary...Staples was Stop & Shop and we had a real mall...the Heights was at its height and everybody loved it...people knew Mullen & Hall...and Lawrence...one person could influence a vote at Town Meeting just by speaking...and there was still a Peg Noonan...and an Arnie Allen...and a Braga Burger.

Falmouth is so rich in history, culture, and local flavor.  That's just a little...and here's some more...you might be from Falmouth if...you remember Santa sitting on that front entrance of the library after the Christmas parade...you bought gag gifts, candy and magazines, not ice cream, at Smitty's...and you knew Ellen Mitchell before the bathhouse.  You might be a Falmouthite if you sat in your barber's chair at Stone's and saw people walking by J.J. Newbury's in the mirror...you knew a "Doc" in Town Hall, and a Johnny Rotten at the Post Office. 

You surely might be from Falmouth if you saw a movie near a Tea Room and a haunted house near Nobska.  If you ever thought you were special climbing into the top booth in the caboose for dinner, you just might be from Falmouth.  You just might have civic pride in the land of Bartholomew Gosnold if you remember Mike Giardi the sportswriter, Craig Stevens the FHS news anchor, and Eric Turkington the Selectman - and cheered when local Bob Ballard found the Titanic.  Ditto if you were moved by the Moving Wall, and continue to be inspired by Dick & Rick Hoyt.

 Falmouth is filled with great people, places and things, and you just might be part of it, if you ever watched (or performed in) a musical at the Falmouth Playhouse...you have enjoyed a Thursday night at Marina Park...or bought art at an auction next the Edward Marks, Jr. Building.  You might be from one of our diverse villages if...you floated in a boat in Little Harbor...fed the geese at Little Pond...or knew where to find Little Foreign Car.  Have you ever contemplated the origin of Holly in Holly Park...or jumped off the Great Pond Bridge? If so, you just might be a Falmouthite.  

Do you remember the warm greeting of Nate Dondis and his empire, the smile of Harry Kamataris standing behind his chair, or Max Cohen and his New Bedford Bargain Store?  Do you remember Main Street with a grocery store...or a car dealership? If so, you might be from Falmouth.  How about light blue police shirts...or a walking beat in the Heights? Maroon & white all over, to be sure. Do you remember the original Jack in the Beanstalk...peanuts on the floor at the Ground Round...or a burger at Lum's?  How about...a Town Hall near the library...or a school in Woods Hole? If any of these jogs your memory, you just might be from Falmouth.

If you ever loved a pizza from Danny Kaye's...or dinner from the Café Amaro...then you might be from Falmouth.  If the old oven still beckons...you remember Shrubs other than the ones in the front yard...and know where to find Captain Bill's bluefish bonanza...than you must be from Falmouth.

For all our foibles, Falmouth is still fantastic. 

 This column is reprinted from the Falmouth Enterprise and previous Cape Cod Today posts.

Delahunt votes to pull troops from Pakistan, Brown votes against "full disclosure"

Delahunt votes to hides earmarks, Brown votes against full disclosure
Delahunt votes to pull US troops out of Pakistan

HOUSE VOTES:

House Vote 1:
FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEES: The House passed the Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments (H.R. 1320), sponsored by Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay, D-Mo. The bill would require federal agencies to increase disclosure of information about the makeup and activities of their advisory committees. Clay said it "will shed light on who is advising the government, how they are advising the government, and what they are saying." The vote, on July 26, was 250 yeas to 124 nays.
NOT VOTING: Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th)

House Vote 2:
DISABLED ACCCESS FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS, VIDEO: The House passed the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (H.R. 3101), sponsored by Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass. The bill would require telecommunications and video companies to adopt measures enhancing the use of their devices and services by the disabled. Markey said it "significantly increases accessibility for Americans with disabilities to the indispensable telecommunications and video technology tools of the 21st century." The vote, on July 26, was 348 yeas to 23 nays.
NOT VOTING: Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th)

House Vote 3:
RESCINDING TRANSPORTATION EARMARKS: The House passed the Surface Transportation Earmark Rescission, Savings and Accountability Act (H.R. 5730), sponsored by Rep. Betsy Markey, D-Colo. The bill would rescind $713 million of contract authority for outstanding earmarks for transportation projects. Markey said that "by rescinding unused earmark funds from over 20 years ago, we will be improving the way in which Federal funds are managed while proving our commitment to fiscal discipline." Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., said the bill would repeal an Appalachian Highway project in his district with the goal of moving it to another district, in what he called "a political payout and a key sign of what is wrong in Washington." The vote, on July 27, was 394 yeas to 23 nays.
NAYS: Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th).

House Vote 4:
WITHDRAWING U.S. TROOPS FROM PAKISTAN: The House rejected a resolution (H.Con.Res. 301), sponsored by Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich, D-Ohio, that would have directed President Obama to remove U.S. military forces from Pakistan. Kucinich said the forces had been placed in Pakistan without the necessary approval of Congress under the War Powers Act. He said passing the resolution would ensure "that Congress has a role in a critical foreign policy area where our troops have already lost lives in Pakistan." Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., said: "I am concerned that using the War Powers Act to call for the removal of U.S. combat forces, which do not exist, will only serve to inflame Pakistan's sensibilities and do nothing to strengthen the partnership that we need to achieve our goals in this critical region." The vote, on July 27, was 38 yeas to 372 nays.
YEAS: Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th)
.

House Vote 5:
SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING FOR WAR IN AFGHANISTAN: The House agreed to back down from a controversy surrounding the funding of the war in Afghanistan and accept a Senate-drafted provision to the Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 4899), sponsored by Rep. David R. Obey, D-Wis. Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., praised the Senate "for rejecting billions of dollars of nonemergency spending placed on the backs of the troops" in the House amendment to the bill. Obey said he opposed the amendment because it did not require a new National Intelligence Estimate to be conducted before determining whether to continue the war effort. The vote, on July 27, was 308 yeas to 114 nays.
NAYS: Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th).

House Vote 6:
DRUG ENFORCEMENT ON THE CANADIAN BORDER: The House passed the Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy Act (H.R. 4748), sponsored by Rep. William L. Owens, D-N.Y. The bill would require the Director of National Drug Control Policy to submit a counternarcotics strategy for the Canadian border to Congress. Owens said the bill would require "all the relevant law enforcement officials at the Federal, State and local levels to come together and start the process of developing a new approach to combat this problem. It is vital to both the economic development of our region and the safety of our community that we take the steps to stop the drug trade across our northern border." The vote, on July 27, was a unanimous 413 yeas.
YEAS: Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th).

House Vote 7:
U.S. MANUFACTURING STRATEGY: The House passed the National Manufacturing Strategy Act (H.R. 4692), sponsored by Rep. Daniel Lipinski, D-Ill. The bill would require the President to submit a national manufacturing strategy to Congress every four years. Lipinski said the strategy would include "short-term and long-term goals for creating jobs, improving domestic production, investment, international competitiveness, and for assuring an adequate defense industrial base." The vote, on July 28, was 379 yeas to 38 nays.
YEAS: Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th).

House Vote 8:
EXEMPTING GUNS FROM SEIZURE IN BANKRUPTCY: The House passed the Protecting Gun Owners in Bankruptcy Act (H.R. 5827), sponsored by Rep. John A. Boccieri, D-Ohio. The bill would include firearms worth less than $3,000 among the types of property exempted from seizure in the estates of consumers filing for bankruptcy. Boccieri said the bill "ensures families hit hard by the recent economic downturn in the recession and forced to file bankruptcy do not hand over their right to protection or their right to possess a firearm." Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., cited murder-suicides committed with guns by consumers in bankruptcy and said "this bill wrongly puts guns before the health and safety of families." The vote, on July 28, was 307 yeas to 113 nays.
NAYS: Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th).

House Vote 9:
HOUSING GUANTANAMO BAY DETAINEES: The House passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 5822). The amendment would bar the Defense Department from using funds provided by the bill to build a facility in the continental U.S. to house individuals detained at the Guantanamo Bay base following the 9/11 attacks. Gingrey said transferring the detainees "could create significant immigration issues as aliens could become eligible for asylum or other forms of immigration-related relief from removal. It most certainly would make any facility where they are held a terrorist target." The vote, on July 28, was 353 yeas to 69 nays.
YEAS: Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch D-MA (9th)
NAYS: Rep. Barney Frank D-MA (4th)

House Vote 10:
FUNDING MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS: The House passed the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 5822), sponsored by Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas. The bill would fund the construction of various new military facilities, as well as provide expanded services at the Veterans Affairs Department. Edwards said it would give veterans "better access to the health care they need and deserve, including improved access in rural areas, increased access for VA health care for low- and middle-income vets." The vote, on July 28, was 411 yeas to 6 nays.
YEAS: Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th).

House Vote 11:
FINANCIAL FRAUD AND SENIORS: The House passed the Senior Financial Empowerment Act (H.R. 3040), sponsored by Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis. The bill orders the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department to take measures to protect seniors from mail, telemarketing and Internet financial fraud. Baldwin said the bill sought "to empower seniors and to end the abuse, neglect and exploitation of America's elders." The vote, on July 29, was 335 yeas to 81 nays.
YEAS: Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th).

House Vote 12:
FUNDING TRANSPORTATION, HUD PROGRAMS: The House passed the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 5850), sponsored by Rep. John W. Olver, D-Mass. The bill appropriates $67.4 billion of spending on transportation and housing programs. Olver said it was "a bill that reflects the bipartisan needs of transportation and housing and that puts Americans back to work." Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa, said it contained too much spending, and he called for "a little more critique and restraint on some of the new, untested and expensive programs." The vote, on July 29, was 251 yeas to 167 nays.
YEAS: Rep. William D. Delahunt D-MA (10th).

SENATE VOTE:

Senate Vote 1:
DISCLOSING POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS: The Senate rejected a cloture motion to close debate on the Disclose Act (S. 3628), sponsored by Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y. The bill would create filing and disclosure requirements for supporters of political campaigns, bar companies receiving taxpayer funding from spending the funds on campaigns, and bar foreign-owned companies from spending on campaigns. Schumer said the bill was "a fair bill that treats all sides equally" in requiring them to disclose political contribution. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called the bill an effort by Democrats and lobbyists "to shield themselves from average Americans exercising their first amendment rights of freedom of speech." The vote, on July 27, was 57 yeas to 41 nays, with a three-fifths majority (60 votes) required to approve cloture and cut off debate, moving to a final vote on the legislation.
YEAS: Sen. John F. Kerry D-MA
NAYS: Sen. Scott Brown R-MA

Police combing Barnstable for missing woman

Helicopter, two dozen Police search for missing Nantucket 23-year-old

HYANNIS - A State Police helicopter performs an aerial search near the woods of Independence Park in Hyannis, Massachusetts Saturday morning for a missing Nantucket woman. Trudie Hall, age 23, of Nantucket was reported missing last Thursday evening. Nearly two dozen State and Barnstable Police have been searching the area in Hyannis for the missing 23 year-old until around 10:30 Saturday morning

MS Hall is a 2006 Nantucket High School graduate and former soccer player for the Nantucket Whalers. She is black, 5-feet, 5-inches tall, with a slender build, according to police. (Photo by David G. Curran)

Cape Cod and Going Away

We Cape Codders are a busy lot. Coming and going and then coming back.  We have many books about our beloved Cape with familiar stories of trying to make it here; leaving and coming back. Sometimes triumphantly: Cape Cod by Henry David Thoreau. Sometimes not: Moby Dick by Herman Melville. Two of my favorites are the stories of Owen Chase and Sam Bellamy. Both young men in their prime who choose to leave Cape Cod different reasons to make there fortunes and return to settle down.

The story of Owen Chase is captured brilliantly by Nathan Philbrick's novel in the heart of the sea.  (Viking Penguin). Owens's story is an all too familiar one of a youth on Nantucket with very limited options.  He chooses to work on a boat, but that boat is unfortunately is the Essex which is sunk in the middle Pacific. Poor Owen Chase and a handful of other Cape Codders are forced to navigate the horror of  thousands of miles of open water in small boats. Their journey will ultimately take only eight sailors back to Cape Cod. Owen idea of "settling down" would consist of hiding food in his attic just glad to be alive.

My all time favorite Cape Cod story is of Sam Bellamy, a sailor in Eastham who's down on his luck and between jobs. Sam meets Yarmouthports's Maria Hallett, the hot chick from a good family who father wants her to have nothing to do with a common sailor. Sam decides to head to Florida and take up a life of pirating. He wants to amass a fortune big enough to persuade Maria's father to consent to him marrying his beloved daughter.  Sam becomes Black Sam Bellamy and is legendary for plundering the Caribbean in a kind and compassionate way. Sam treats all well and even his "victims" speak well of him. Sam who has become a rich pirate captain and freshly hijacking the ship the Whydah, sets sail with his fortune for Cape Cod. Unfortunately for Sam and ultimately Maria Hallett a nor'easter sinks the Whydah off Wellfleet. Local explorer and writer Barry Clifford's Expedition Whydah(William Morrow publishing) is a telling of the story from someone who has actually put his hands on the bones of the doomed ship itself. 

Let's face it, leaving is what we do. Whether it's under sail out to sea or stuck in line at the Sagamore Bridge. Leaving Cape Cod and sometimes coming back is in our DNA. It is what we do. Our children will leave for college; our elder population will leave for their golden years in Florida. Half our population will leave after Labor Day weekend. My generation has been dubbed "generation exodus" for leaving the Cape to find a better way of life. We aren't all that removed from Owen Chase and Sam Bellamy. What will our fortunes be? To those who set sail from the Cape, I wish you good luck and a fair breeze, may you find your fortunes and also may you someday find your way back to this special place.

HENNY YOUGMAN JOKE HOLDS TRUTH FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

Henny Youngman told this joke:

I went to my doctor.  I said, "It hurts when I do this (while moving my arm back and forth)."

The doctor told me, "Don't do that."

That joke actually holds very good marketing advice for small businesses. 

If you try something and it continuously fails, don't do it anymore. 

Re-think your marketing strategy and tactics and try something different.

Most of the small business persons I talk to are looking for the "magic marketing bullet". 

But there is no one universal solution to every marketing problem. 

If there were, every small business would be successful and I could be busy growing tomatoes in my backyard.

 Clifford E. Robbins, Ph.D.
Senior Business Advisor
MSBDC, Southeast Regional Office
508-673-9783

 "Your Success is Our Business"

HENNY YOUGMAN JOKE HOLDS TRUTH FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

Henny Youngman told this joke:

I went to my doctor.  I said, "It hurts when I do this (while moving my arm back and forth)."

The doctor told me, "Don't do that."

That joke actually holds very good marketing advice for small businesses. 

If you try something and it continuously fails, don't do it anymore. 

Re-think your marketing strategy and tactics and try something different.

Most of the small business persons I talk to are looking for the "magic marketing bullet". 

But there is no one universal solution to every marketing problem. 

If there were, every small business would be successful and I could be busy growing tomatoes in my backyard.

 Clifford E. Robbins, Ph.D.
Senior Business Advisor
MSBDC, Southeast Regional Office
508-673-9783

 "Your Success is Our Business"

... And His Teeth Arrrrrrre Pearly White!

GREAT WHITE SHARKS TAGGED OFF MASSACHUSETTS COAST

SHARK SIGHTINGS FORCE CLOSURE OF SOUTH BEACH/MONOMOY FRIDAY

Sharks don't respect borders. Those great white sharks off Chatham don't know that they're not supposed to be off Cape Cod, or that they are screwing up our vital tourism industry. Sharks have the unique privilege of belonging wherever they are at the moment, and they set their own protocol.

It's true, it's true... you can live here for 70 years, get chowed by a leviathan, and it will be because you were on his turf. It won't matter if the shark just arrived here yesterday after a life spent between Cape Fear and Cuba, unless he grabs you out of Pufferbellies somehow. You and I are guests in that ocean. It's his diner... he's Mel, and you're Alice.

Sharks, as the movie says, don't really do that much. Eat, swim, and f*ck. Two of those options are very bad things to be involved in personally if a great white is in the area with you. I don't think they even communicate with each other (maybe biting, I don't actually research this stuff), which is why there isn't some shark newspaper going "What are all those humans doing on Cape Cod?"

However, this gives them that power of always belonging that I spoke of earlier. It is perfectly logical, pretty much totally algebra. Sharks eat seals, seals hang around Cape Cod in the summer, so therefore...

Nature is inexorable. Sharks follow the food. The food comes here for a spell. Unfortunately for local businesses, that time just happens to be at the height of tourist season. It won't really matter until someone gets eaten, but that will be a catastrophe when it happens.

Humans make poor eating. Even the fat ones of us have very little meat on them. We're too long to swallow whole. We're most likely not salty enough for someone who lives in a saline environment. We have hair. We tend to wear inedible things like bikinis and swim trunks. Given our diets and grooming habits, we most likely taste sort of funky to them.

However, sharks aren't picky. They tend to bite something first and decide if they want to eat it after. We may even provide a little variety to their diet. We're crunchy. If you're moving quickly, not really looking, or hungry enough... we look like seals. You stand pretty much no chance of living if a great white decides to eat you.

Our dorsal-finned friends most likely won't eat a human being while they're here. The last fatal shark attack in Massachusetts was some time ago (1936, a great white attack off of Mattapoisett), and the last shark bite here was vague enough that it may have been a bluefish strike instead. There seem to be plenty of seals around to eat. You are most likely safe in the water.

But what sort of damage would a fatal shark attack have on Cape Cod?

Well, we'd be down one resident or one tourist. Would our beaches suffer? There's no need to go to a beach and broil in 90 degree heat if you can't swim without fear of becoming an entree. You'll just go somewhere else, maybe the Lakes region of New Hampshire where sharks don't like to go.

That would hurt businesses, lower property values, and take away the reputation we now enjoy as a peaceful coastal getaway. A generation or two of people would think of Cape Cod as a dangerous place to summer, and may scratch it off their lists of potetntial vacation spots. Every time Jaws was on the TV, people would have the notion reinforced that great white sharks like to eat New Englanders.

However, we've had mako sharks for all of my life, and no one has been eaten. A mako is no great white, but it would be a terrible thing to swim past. Makos haven't turned Cape Cod into a wasteland. Heck... I'd rather gamble my life with a shark than go swim around in the oil of the Gulf beaches.

Florida, California and Hawaii all have shark attacks in their recent history. While it hurts a particular economic area, a shark population hasn't closed Disneyworld yet. We'll survive, too... "We" not including the guy who gets mowed by the shark, of course.

There's not much we can do about it. Sharks are amazingly stealthy for creatures going 12-15 feet long and ask-one-of-the-fishermen how many pounds. By the time you see him coming, it'll be 2 L8. Even if he just takes a lil' nibble and goes away, you're still pretty fuch mucked. "A little shakin'... tenderizin'.... down ye go."

Unless you're very close to shore, you're toast the minute the great white sets his mind on eating you. We could put up shark nets, like they do in South Africa... but the Cape is sort of linear, which is hard to net off. We also don't have that kind of money. Observation blimps? A fishfinder the size of an AWACS aircraft? We could arm the blimps with spearguns for a sort of SDI effect, and have them hover oover Monomoy.

Our sole remaining option is to hire Quint. Even that has a downside. Scores of numbskull weekend warrior fishermen would descend on Cape Cod, being bothersome and getting in the way of the actual real fishermen and stuff. Speaking of which....

If any real fishermen (read: Dolphin) see this, I need to know:

- Can you hire a charter boat and go after a great white shark legally? If you can, is it feasible to hunt a fish that size? What strategy would you use?

- Would it be at all possible to- provided you are both willing and able to break several laws- to

A) kill a seal

B) put a big hook in it

C) attach the hook to a chain

D) attach the chain to a Jeep Cherokee with a towing package

E) get the bait out to sea some distance using a Boston Whaler

F) hook/catch the great white shark, and

G) pull it ashore by an altogether new process known as Jeepcasting?

The Colonel and Stephen were kicking that idea around over a few beers last night.

No casino bill yet; $5.25 million sought to fix Sandwich town buildings; Chatham Marconi Museum opens tomorrow

TODAY's quote: "I know the governor is a reasonable guy. I know he's there for local aid. I know he's there for job expansion so I'm hopeful,." - House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo.
"I cannot support this bill in its current form." - Governor Deval Patrick.

Governor vows to deck casinos
Bill crafted with two racinos

State lawmakers pushed all in yesterday with a full house of proposed gambling parlors - three resort casinos and a pair of racinos - daring Gov. Deval Patrick to defy his key union base in an election year even as he threatened to veto the deal last night...

But Patrick said he couldn't stomach more than one racino despite the promise of more than 15,000 jobs created by the proposal... Herald.
_____
A casino deal, but Patrick balks
Legislators back 3 casinos, 2 slot parlors; governor calls measure unacceptable

After decades of debate and a month of contentious backroom haggling, key lawmakers agreed on a gambling bill yesterday that would authorize three Las Vegas-style casinos and a pair of slot parlors at the state's racetracks. But even as the House and Senate prepared to vote on the measure today, Governor Deval Patrick has vowed to reject it.

The latest standoff adds a new chapter to the frenzied debate, which had seemed finally headed for resolution as the two-year legislative session officially ends at midnight tonight. Now, there's a distinct possibility that the saga will end with all three parties wanting casinos, but nothing to show for it... Globe.
_____

$5.25 million sought to fix Sandwich town buildings

This fall, town officials will ask taxpayers to open their wallets and help pay for $5.25 million worth of repairs to town-owned buildings. The question will first go to a Special Town Meeting in October. And if approved there, will appear on the November ballot as a debt exclusion.

Last week, by a vote of four to one, selectmen decided to place an article on the Town Meeting warrant asking voters to approve spending this money. They also voted, unanimously, to put it on the November ballot... Sandwich Enterprise.
______

Pivotal Cape Cod listening station set to open as museum
Marconi Maritime Museum in former RCA wireless building in Chatham

The center will be dedicated as a museum Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Marconi Maritime Center)

When Bernie Auge married his Drury High School sweetheart, Eleanor Contois, after attending boot camp in the summer of 1943, their subsequent trip to Cape Cod was not exactly the honeymoon. Auge was sent to North Chatham to help U.S. forces prevail in World War II.

He turned out to be part of what historians now call "the biggest secret" of that war.

For Auge and the more than 300 other sailors assigned to the elite intelligence Naval base at the Marconi Martime Center on Route 28 on Ryder's Cove, a ship-to-shore radio station built originally in 1914, the effort was more than fruitful. Their work changed the course of the war and gave fits to the German U-boat fleet, which suddenly had trouble finding American supply ships to sink... Berkshire Eagle.

Attorney General, Cape Wind compromise, rate cut 10%

Coakley, Gordon, agree on 18.7 cents instead of 20.7 cents
10% reduction for consumers still doesn't satisfy opponents

Instead of the 20.7 cents per kilowatt hour price which the National Grid and Cape Wind agreed upon earlier this year, electric consumers will pay 18.7 cents per kilowatt hour, but Martha Coakley did not succeed in getting Cape Wind to disclose projected construction costs and profits.

Cape Wind president Jim Gordon told Cape Cod TODAY, "We are pleased that the Attorney General and the Department of Energy Resources have now joined with Cape Wind and National Grid to support the approval of the Power Purchase Agreement for America's first offshore wind farm. The parties constructively engaged to further the objective of delivering renewable energy, hundreds of green jobs and environmental benefits to the region.

"With today's agreement in principle, Attorney General Martha Coakley and Secretary Ian Bowles have helped put Massachusetts on a path to global leadership in offshore renewable energy and a transition to a better energy future" he added.

Cape Wind agreed to reduce the price of its electricity by 10 percent, saving consumers at least $456 million over the 15-year span of a proposed contract with National Grid.

The agreement will make it easier for the National Grid agreement to be approved by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities. That agency's sign-off on the contracts will make in easier for the project to get financing.

The Attorney General Martha Coakley issued the following statement on the new agreement,"On behalf of National Grid's customers, we have reached an agreement that we believe is a much fairer deal for ratepayers and will reduce the proposed costs for consumers and businesses by up to $450 million over the life of the contract."

"This agreement accomplishes two important goals - working to develop renewable energy, specifically off-shore wind in Massachusetts, and ensuring customers get the benefits of this project under a much fairer price than what was originally proposed. I want to thank all involved parties for their work in reaching this resolution, and I particularly want to thank Governor Patrick and Secretary Bowles for their work in helping to ensure that National Grid customers received a fairer deal under this proposed contract" she added.

Eleven people rescued from Bronze Monkey boat fire off Harwich

Night of nautical celebration ends in tragedy shortly after midnight

The Coast Guard was met this scene last night as the 44-foot yacht Bronze Monkey burns after a Coast Guard Station Chatham boat crew rescued the 11 people from the bow approximately three miles south of Wychmere Harbor, Mass., Fri., July 30, 2010. The captain of the Bronze Monkey stated the fire began in the engine room and believes it was caused by an electrical malfunction. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Sherman Baldwin.
       Video interview with Dennis Fire Lt. Tony Kent.

Harwich and Dennis Fire Departments assist Coast Guard

UPDATE: A Chatham, Mass., Coast Guard crew rescued 11 people from a 44-foot yacht after it caught fire approximately three miles south of Wychmere Harbor.

Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England dispatched a Coast Guard Station Chatham 27-foot boat crew to assist the people aboard the Hyannis Port, Mass.-based yacht Bronze Monkey after receiving the report from 911 around 11:35 p.m.

"When we arrived on scene we could see the boat was engulfed in smoke," said Petty Officer First Class Matthew Hussey, the Station Chatham boat coxswain. "As we got closer we could see flames and everyone on the bow."

All the lifejackets and signaling devices were trapped in the cabin, which was engulfed in flames, said Hussey.

"It's good we got there when we did," Hussey said. "Some of the passengers couldn't swim and about two or three minutes after we pulled everyone off the boat it was fully engulfed in flames."

The Station Chatham crew transported the 11 people to Wychmere Harbor where they were met by EMS. No injuries were reported.

The vessel sank in approximately 22-feet of water causing a minor sheen and debris field. The Coast Guard is issuing a safety broadcast on VHF-FM radio channel 16 to warn nearby mariners.

Harwich Fire Department crewmembers also responded.

The captain of the Bronze Monkey stated the fire began in the engine room and believes it was caused by an electrical malfunction.

HARWICHPORT - 11 people were rescued from a 40-foot charter boat after it caught fire and burst into flames off of Wychmere Harbor in Harwichport, shortly after midnight on Saturday, July 31, 2010. The Coast Guard was able to rescue all 11 people on board the vessel. The Harwich and Dennis Fire Departments (above on right) also responded to the scene.

There were no reported injuries.

The boat sank following the fire.  Prior to sinking, the flaming boat was visible from shore from Dennisport to South Chatham.

Video by David Curran.

First Coast Guard District crews save 400 lives this year

The Coast Guard has saved 400 lives and more than $5 million in property in the First Coast Guard District so far this year.

The First District includes Cape Cod and The Islands and extends from Shewsbury River, N.J., to the Maine-Canadian border. The eight states covered are New Jersey, eastern New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

District crew have been working hard to keep the public informed about boating safety through programs like Operation Paddle Smart and National Safe Boating Week which took place earlier this year. These events are designed to give recreational boaters and kayakers a hands-on look at safety methods and resources available to mariners who frequent the water. Some of the boating safety tips promoted by these programs include the importance of wearing life jackets and other protective equipment, avoiding alcohol while operating a vessel, knowing how to call for help, and filing a float plan.

"It's always a good idea to file a float plan," said Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Petrarca, the command duty officer at the First District Command Center in Boston. "If something does go wrong at sea, which can be unexpected, a float plan lets someone know your intended route and would give rescue crews a starting point to look for you if a search becomes necessary."

Courtesy of the US Coast Guard.