EXTRA...

Mashpee family gets epileptic girl's "dog money" back

New York trainer kept $4,700 for a little girl's service dog

But the Attorney General got the money back

Fox-Boston reports this morning that the Dorman family in Mashpee got their money back. The story first ran here last December when Emily Dorman's family put down a $4,700 deposit for the dog named “Yetti” and hoped to have it by January for their 10-year-old daughter suffering from epilepsy.

But Fox-Boston reported back then that her parents said that John Savin, who was supposed to provide the dog, has stopped communicating with them after they put down the deposit for the dog who is trained to alert when a seizure takes place. The service dog was supposed to help Emily have more freedom.

Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain. About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases are discovered in developing countries.

AG gets the money back

The story had a happy ending this week when the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office helped the Dorman family get the money returned.

A spokesperson for Martha Coakley told FOX 25 the Attorney General's Office was able to retrieve the money from the company in upstate New York and has returned it to the family.

Read the Fox report here.

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Another Cape child porn arrest, this one in Provincetown

TODAY's quote: “Ranger Anderson observed what appeared to be small, children’s toys in the tent. Outside the tent area, I observed a child’s scooter and another ‘big wheel’ type toy.”
- Detective Meredith Lobur.

Bearded, pot-smoking recluse found living in Provincetown woods

George T. Lloyd III, 45, arrested on child pornography charges

Lloyd's camp was on the long deserted Old Dump Road north of Route 6 in Provincetown.Back on October 5th, an alert hunter in the Provincetown woods told Cape Cod National Seashore Park Ranger Christopher Anderson that he had spotted a suspicious looking camp site in the woods north of Route 6 in Provincetown just off the old road to the town dump which runs north from the highway about a quarter mile east of the road to the Provincetown Airport.

The Provincetown Banner reports that the investigation which followed spanned five months beginning when Provincetown Detective Meredith Lobur found printed articles that described child sexual activity and several photos of nude, prepubescent children engaged in sexual poses in and around the campsite.

Five months later to the day, George T. Lloyd III, 45, was arrested by Provincetown police and arraigned the next day in Orleans District Court.

Lloyd is being held at the Barnstable County House of Corrections in lieu of $25,000 cash bail and is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on March 2.

Read the lengthy and detailed Banner story here.

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Non-candidate endorsement; Appeals Court ignores complaint

TODAY'a quote: "Interesting to see an endorsement for a non-candidate." - Gail Spector.

Circuit Appeals Court refuses to review Cape electric charge case

The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (in case citations, D.C. Cir.) known informally as the D.C. Circuit, is the federal appellate court for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Appeals from the D.C. Circuit, as with all the U.S. Courts of Appeals, are heard on a discretionary basis by the Supreme Court.

On Tuesday the D.C. Cir. refused to review the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) orders denying several Massachusetts utilities' claims that they were unfairly charged to ensure electricity service on Cape Cod, finding the agency properly handled the dispute.

The appeals court affirmed the four FERC orders at issue and denied the petitions for review lodged by Braintree Electric Light Dept. and a handful of other municipally-owned utilities in southeastern Massachusetts, holding that the agency "reasonably resolved" some claims and "reasonably construed" a 2007 settlement agreement.

While it has the smallest geographic jurisdiction of any of the United States courts of appeals, the D.C. Circuit, with eleven active judgeships, is arguably the most important inferior appellate court. Source.

Union endorses Joe III before he announces

The Newton Tab reports that The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), today announced its endorsement of Joseph Kennedy III for US Congress. It’s the first endorsement for the potential candidate for the 4th Congressional District seat being vacated by Barney Frank.

The full release from the SEIU reads:

     One of the state’s largest grassroots labor organizations, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), today announced its endorsement of Joseph Kennedy III for US Congress.
     The SEIU endorsement is the first for Kennedy, who is exploring a potential candidacy for the Fourth Congressional District seat, vacated by retiring US Rep. Barney Frank. With a combined membership of over 75,000 the backing of SEIU is one of the most sought-after in any political contest.
     While middle-class families suffer, Washington continues to give unfair tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans. Joe Kennedy promises to build a stable future for the Commonwealth,” said Lizete Rosa, a personal care attendant from Fall River and member of SEIU Local 1199. “Kennedy shares our commitment to supporting Massachusetts families and the members of SEIU are proud to endorse his candidacy.
     SEIU boasts a diverse membership, including healthcare workers, social workers, security guards and janitors representing 75,000 members and their families in Massachusetts. The endorsement was awarded to the Kennedy following a town hall style meeting with nearly 600 SEIU members this weekend.
     Controlling the costs of Medicare and Medicaid and protecting healthcare workers benefits our members and brings long-term stability to the Commonwealth,” said Veronica Turner, the Executive Vice-President of SEIU Local 1199. “We are pleased to support Joe Kennedy who is a strong voice for building a better future for Massachusetts healthcare workers and their families.
     Kennedy’s career has been focused on public service and helping those in need. He served for two years in the Peace Corp creating a thriving business for local workers in the Dominican Republic. While in law school, he stood up for families facing eviction from big banks due to foreclosures by landlords. Until recently, he served as an assistant district attorney, first in Cape Cod and then in Middlesex County.
     "The economic crisis has put extraordinary pressure on thousands of families struggling to make ends meet, creating an undue burden for children,” said Christine Crean, a social worker and a member of Local 509. “Joe Kennedy vows to protect the struggling families that need assistance the most.
     The SEIU State Council includes members of SEIU Locals 1199, 615, 509, 888, Chapter 3FO and the Committee of Interns and Residents.

Read the Newton Tab story here.

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State President protests closing nearest state mental hospital

TODAY's quote: “I think we need to talk about how to provide mental health services to that part of the state. If you close Taunton, then what happens? I have great concerns about that. We’ve already heard from our hospitals, South Coast and the others that they have no capacity, so where do these people go?”
- Therese Murray, State Senate President

Murray pretest closing Taunton Hospital's effect on Cape Cod

Taunton State Hospital was mortally wounded in 2006 when an arson-sparked blaze destroyed the entire central administration portion of the asylum.

Closing makes Worcester the nearest such facility for Cape Cod

While Patrick administration has defended the proposal to close the Taunton facility to ensure that the agency lives within its budget, and the state's Department of Mental Health officials intend to move most of the hospital’s 169 beds to facilities in Tewksbury and Worcester. 

Senate President Therese Murray, whose district included Plymouth and the Upper Cape, called yesterday for mental health resources to be available in “every community,” repeating the phrase for emphasis in front of Department of Mental Health officials who recently announced plans to close Taunton Hospital, a facility that serves Murray’s Cape Cod constituents.

Once state-of-the-art mental healthcare facilities, Kirkbride buildings like Taunton have long been relics of an obsolete therapeutic method known as Moral Treatment. In the latter half of the 19th century, these massive structures were conceived as ideal sanctuaries for the mentally ill and as an active participant in their recovery.

Read the Herald-News story here.

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Gas may be $5 a gallon by Spring

TODAY's quote: "It's not just U.S. demand, it's the global market that affects prices. Asian demand is growing faster than the rest of the world, particularly in China, Russia and India."
- John Hofmeister, former Shell Oil president

What will high gas prices do to the Cape economy?

  Click on the map above, type in your zip code, and find out the cheapest gas price in your 'hood.

Cape Cod's beaches are within a tankful of gas of 50 million Americans

By Walter Brooks

Remember July of 2008 when the average price of a gallon of regular gas cost $4.11?. We';re not back there yet, but today Americans are paying the highest January gas prices ever, and some analysts say prices could get close to $5 a gallon in some areas during the warm-weather driving season.

This was an all too familiar sight on 2008.While the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in the United States last week was $3.39, according to the AAA, that is already 30 cents higher than it was a year ago.

John Hofmeister was president of Shell Oil, and he has predicted $5-a-gallon gasoline prices by the end of 2012 which is coincidentally the time when the Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world.

Boston television this morning is running the $5 a gallon scare and asking what it will do to travel this summer.

Meanwhile, back on sunny Cape Cod...

As someone who has been buying gas on Cape Cod since 1965, there is one thing I know that is true: higher gas prices have always helped Cape Cod tourism because we are within a on-day drive of almost a third of the nation's population and wile-in a tankful of 50 million Americans.

And last June we were reporting the prices for regular were as low as $3.65 on the Cape and as high as $4.61 on Nantucket.

See the New York Times report here. See the Yahoo News story here. 

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Flummoxed fisher-folk force forum

Xtra quote: "Regulators are interested in taking action."
- Jackie Odell, executive director of the Northeast Seafood Coalition.

New England Fish panel sets new forum on cod options

Admittedly flummoxed by an unexpectedly dire scientific assessment of inshore cod, NOAA and its New England Fishery Management Council have called a general meeting of stakeholders on Friday to brainstorm options for the new fishing year that begins May 1.

Furious debate about
the validity of the scienceA compromise motion that passed the council and went to Commerce Secretary John Bryson formally asks him to take emergency action by setting an interim, one year, catch limit on cod, and recommends a broad range of between 6,700 metric tons to 7,500 metric tons.

Last Wednesday's regional council meeting produced furious debate about the validity of the science in the assessment whose findings can trigger extreme conservation measures mandated by Congress in the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

In November, Odell and Giacalone, along with the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association, also sent a letter signed by more than 100 fishermen — about one quarter of those with permits — urging the government to back off any potential changes to the catch share amendment and allow the free market in catch shares to continue driving consolidation.

Read the rest of the Gloucester Times story here.

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Jack Kennedy did a "Lewinsky" in the White House too

TODAY's quote: "Slowly, he unbuttoned the top of my shirtdress and touched my breasts. Then he reached up between my legs and started to pull off my underwear." - Mimi Beardsley.

JFK had sex with 19-year-old White House intern in 1962

Mistress claims she had sex in Jackie's bed in White House

Another Democrat icon, Cape Cod's own Jack Kennedy, has been revealed again as a sexual athlete while married taking the more prurient political minds off Bill Clinton's fling with Monica Lewinsky.

The book may be new, but the New York Times broke the story in May 2009 with a story entitled "Paramour of Kennedy is writing a book."

Jack Kennedy and Mimi Beardsley in 1962.

Another alleged JFK mistress, Judith Exner, wrote a "tell-all" book in 1977, and now another former mistress of President John F. Kennedy has broken her silence after more than 45 years about her 18-month fling with the then US President, media reports said.

Mimi Beardsley, now Mimi Alford, a 69-year-old grandmother has revealed her story through a book, Once Upon a Secret: My Affair With President John F. Kennedy.

According to the reports, in her tell all memoir, the retired church administrator recounts the affair she had with the president whilst an intern at the White House.

Lost her virginity to a president

Excerpts published in the New York Post also describe how Alford - then 19-year-old Mimi Beardsley - lost her virginity to the president in 1962, after she had been invited to swim at the White House pool. The extracts from her book revealed how after drinking several cocktails, Kennedy took her into "Mrs. Kennedy's room" during a personal tour, where he proceeded to have sex with her.

She wrote in the book: "Slowly, he unbuttoned the top of my shirtdress and touched my breasts. Then he reached up between my legs and started to pull off my underwear.

Read the BBC story here.

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State's biggest polluters; Pier Police; Super Bowl escapes

TODAY's quote: “It’s not a surprise that where you burn fossil fuel to make into electricity that is used every day to make our life a little better, you’re going to see carbon dioxide emissions.”
- Jim Norvelle, Dominion which owns Brayton Point on the Fall River.

It "apiers" there will be cops on McMillan Wharf in Ptown next summer

How to avoid "the Game" today

The Standard-Times offers help for those with "jockstrapophobia" today with a list of what you can do instead of watching the Pats beat the Giants. Unfortunately to this reader at least (who is NOT a football fan), the list sounds more boring than the game.
   I'll climb into my Fire tablet about 6:29 and remerge when the sweat cools.The Provincetown Banner reports that a proposal contained in the police department budget calls for a year-round, full-time marine patrol officer, plus three additional summer officers, each working 40 hours a week, to give the pier 24/7 police presence throughout the summer season on McMillan Wharf which juts out into the harbor in the middle of this Cape Tip town.

Three reasons Cape Cod air sucks

Power plants to the west of Cape Cod are the largest industrial sources of greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change in the state, according to new data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

MetroWest News offers a list of the state's worse polluters, and three of the worse are downwind from Cape Cod.

• SEMASS Resource Recovery Facility, Wareham, a 95-acre facility which burns trash collected by about 60 cities and towns in southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod to generate power.
• Dominion’s Brayton Point plant in Somerset (just over the Braga Bridge in Fall River)  pumps out 5.8 million metric tons of the gas a year.
• Cape Cod Canal Power Plant Unit #1 is representative of the most efficient fossil fueled plants of the 1970 era. It's an oil fueled super-critical steam unit optimally designed to best operate between half load and full load.

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Canal power plant tax deal with town ends soon

TODAY's quotes: “The number of days that the canal plant was operational in 2011 was significantly lower than in years prior to the short-term upgrades." - Paige M. Kane, GenOn.
“Offshore wind holds incredible potential for our country. We’re moving full-steam ahead to accelerate the siting, leasing and construction of new projects.” - Ken Salazar, DOI.

How much is the canal power plant worth?

What is the cost to Cape Cod health

Read about the recent Cape Cod meeting about the $360 million cost of keeping this plant open.

You can see it for miles as you head off Cape, and it is a significant polluter of our air which is among the nation's worse according to the American Lung Association, but it pays 5 percent of all the taxes in Sandwich, the most conservative town on this sandspit.

The GenOn canal power plant's 5-year agreement with Sandwich expires at the end of next year, and town official are already preparing for negotiations on a new deal.

Whether that GenOn $2.5 million fee will go up or down probably depends mostly on the cost of oil which the plant uses rather than the less expensive natural gas.

The Sandwich Enterprise reports that because the cost of oil is significantly higher than natural gas it has placed a strain on the power plant’s ability to compete with other suppliers.

Unit #1 at the canal plant is representative of the most efficient fossil fueled plants of the 1970 era. It's an oil fueled super-critical steam unit optimally designed to best operate between half load and full load. Boiler steam is produced at 3,600 psi at 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit to drive the nominally rated 560 megawatt (MW) capacity Westinghouse turbine/generator.

Meanwhile, back at the wind farm

At the same time the Obama administration made fresh moves this week to boost the prospects for offshore wind energy after a tough year in the U.S. for the renewable energy source.

MarketWatch reports that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said at a press conference on Thursday, “Offshore wind holds incredible potential for our country. We’re moving full-steam ahead to accelerate the siting, leasing and construction of new projects.”

No big offshore wind turbines reside in the U.S, even while plenty of them now crank out oodles of renewable, emission-free power in Europe.  The short list of probable offshore wind farms in the U.S. recently fell from two to one.

The current front runner in America remains Cape Wind off the coast of Cape Cod, with Cape Wind President Jim Gordon vowing in a recent interview to start construction in 2013 after a more than 10-year legal battle.

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"Homeless hotels" auctioned to local non-profit for $3 million

TODAY's quote: “I hope it is a platform to revitalize our town. It will be a real new, nice facility”
- Brian Braginton-Smith.

Two troubled Yarmouth "homeless hotels" auctioned to local non-profit

$3 million paid for Cavalier motel and West Yarmouth Lodgings

 Yahoo contributor recommends
             the Cavalier Motel
"No complaints...motel was recommended by celly in Barnstable House of Correction and proved to be a be great place start to rebuild my life. Location was awesome.
      Given my license being suspended hotel's proximity to local bus line was great and allowed me to be close to court house, DTA and Social Security office.
      My DSS worker commented how clean and child friendly motel was, which helped with my supervised visits with my children. Many of my neighbors were sympathetic to my plight in life.
      I would recommend this motel to anyone.Route 28 in Yarmouth is about to experience a significant change as Brian Braginton-Smith, a longtime Yarmouth resident who has been active in town issues according to this week's Register, bid $1.75 million for the Cavalier Motel in South Yarmouth and $1.2 million for the West Yarmouth Lodgings at the belated auction of the two trouble properties.

Braginton-Smith of Village Center Group, LLC., which will operate the properties, is chairman of the Yarmouth Board of Health and will serve as project manager. His group has an option to purchase the property from Harry B. Miller, who was fined and found in contempt of court in a town lawsuit for providing illegal long-term housing in two of his motels.

Mr. Miller is said to be hiding in Jamaica.

As recently as November the Cavalier motel still had 21 people living in it, with seven refusing to leave, according to Marvin Munroe, the motel's manager. Eight of the people remaining are either disabled or elderly, he said.

Scene of many police raids and violence

Two arrested, one wanted in separate domestic violence incidents, L to R: Maureen A. Rivieccio, Steven Michael Grover, Sidney D. Paulson. YPD booking photos.

A story we ran in October 4 said that Yarmouth police officers responded to three separate and violent domestic attacks at motels in town over the weekend. 

Just after 9 p.m. on Friday, officers responded to a reported domestic disturbance in a room at the Cavalier Motel on Route 28 in South Yarmouth. Upon arrival, the officers determined that drinking had fueled an argument leading to physical aggression. Maureen A. Rivieccio was determined to be the aggressor and was placed under arrested and charged with domestic violence assault and battery and transported to the Yarmouth Police Department.

See that report here. Read this week's Register story on the auction here.

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