Cape & Islands News

Winter moths return; More Flex bus; Lower Cape Year in Review & Slide Show

     ^{The Southwau-Monomoy linking as one of the major stories of '06 on the Lower Cape}

Lower Cape NEWS, December 29, 006

THE YEAR IN REVIEW
By Cape Codder staff
It certainly was a memorable year – 2006. It brought a conviction in a Truro murder, and closure to Lower Cape beaches at the height of the summer season, due to the nesting piping plovers. It brought an exciting election season, and a major change of topography to Chatham. It brought a championship title to the Harwich Rough Riders baseball team, and 50 more acres of open space to Brewster.
[Photo Gallery: The Cape Codder's Year in Photos]

Scourge of winter moths returns
By Rich Eldred
Cape Cod has not had any snow this winter, but the region has experienced mini-blizzards of winter moths, which a county biologist says, can damage trees.

Grateful single mom pays it forward
By Debi Boucher Stetson
After years of struggle, one Lower Cape woman can look back with pride as she recounts the happy outcome she attributes in large part to the Lower Cape Outreach Council.

Article 12 could affect Ptown restaurant’s plans
PROVINCETOWN — The Beach Grill has its permits in hand and sometime next year, the restaurant could be razed and seven condos built in its place. A recent opinion issued by Provincetown town counsel, however, could eventually require the project to make room for affordable housing as a component. In a letter to Provincetown Town Manager Keith Bergman, the Boston law firm Kopelman and Paige said it believes a new town bylaw intended to increase affordable housing units in town, does apply to a restaurant at the corner of the Bradford Street Extension and West Vine, contrary to what the zoning board of appeals ruled.

Flag down the Flex bus
By Douglas Karlson
The FlexRoute bus system, the Lower Cape's first mass transportation system, is about to become considerably more flexible. Starting Tuesday, Jan. 2, drivers will stop for passengers who flag them down in Harwich, Brewster, Orleans, Provincetown and in parts of North Truro, except when buses are traveling on Route 6, for safety reasons.

Performing arts center will cease operations
The Cape Cod Performing Arts Center, formerly Boch Center for the Performing Arts, will cease operations effective Sunday.

Compact plans workshops on tax breaks
By Matthew Belson
For many property owners, donating land for the purpose of conservation can be a feel-good proposition. Now placing a permanent conservation restriction on land can also take away some of the sting when the taxman pays a visit in April.

Alliance submits state energy plan
By Craig Salters
In a letter to Governor-elect Deval Patrick, the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound has urged the governor to back an alternative site for a proposed wind farm in Nantucket Sound, part of a five-point energy plan for the state.

State, military sign pact to keep Coast Guard on base
By Joe Burns
Last Friday morning, in a huge hangar housing its rescue helicopters,  Gov. Mitt Romney, National Guard Chief Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum and Rear Adm. Timothy Sullivan signed a memorandum of agreement that will keep the Coast Guard on Massachusetts Military Reservation, despite the loss of the 102nd Fighter Wing, slated to leave the base, perhaps by next year. 

Read the rest of The Cape Codder here. 

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Barnstable Year in Review, and for 2007, starting with a Charter Revision

     ^{Osterville on a November afternoon}

Barnstable NEWS, December 30, 2006

Barnstable 2006 Sports News here.

Barnstable 2006 Business News here.

Read the rest of the Patriot here.

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No bids on Jetties Beach concession stand; Only one restaurant open on island; Santa falls $hort; Real estate dip, selectmen changes top the news in '06

     ^{There are still no bidders for the Jetties Beach concession stand (above), see story below.}

Nantucket NEWS, December 29, 2006

Selectmen endorse $72.8 million budget
The Board of Selectmen last night endorsed a $72.79 million municipal budget, as recommended by the town administration, that would require voters to approve a $2.46 million operating override during the April 2007 Annual Town Meeting. Although the town’s anticipated revenues ex- ceeded its projected level-funded expenses for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2007, leaving a $61,000 surplus, town administrator Libby Gibson and finance director Connie Voges recommended $2.5 million in supplemental budget requests from town departments and the school system which the board agreed to endorse last night...

Jetties still without a proprietor
Following the withdrawal of the only bid on the Jetties Beach concession stand after a second round of bidding, the proposal will be put out to bid a third time in the hopes of enticing someone to open it up in time for the summer season. The most recent bid was submitted by Even Keel restaurant owner Marshall Thompson, but a Dec. 11 letter submitted by Thompson to the Board of Selectmen said he was not going to sign the lease but did say he “will be interested in the re-bidding if the lease package changes”...

Real estate dip, selectmen changes top the news in '06

The year began on a high note for the island’s most dedicated New England Patriots fans. Sisters Jane Hardy, 66; Jeanne Dooley, 73; and Joan Fisher, 75, who ave missed less than a handful of home games since they purchased four season tickets in 1995, were named Fans of the Year by team owner Robert Kraft at Gillette Stadium Jan. 1. Also in January, developers of the Great Harbor Yacht Club filed suit in Massachusetts Land Court, disputing findings by Town Counsel Paul DeRensis that the town is the true owner of a 1,443-square-foot triangle of property, in addition to five partially-submerged shares, on the footprint of the proposed club...

Restaurant closures leave few culinary presents for visitors
Twas Christmas Day on Nantucket, and but a single restaurant was stirring, and it wasn’t the Jared Coffin House. The only place to get a hot meal on Christmas Day was Stubby’s on Broad Street, as every other restaurant was closed, and the island’s traditional Christmas Day brunch and dinner destination for many, the Jared Coffin House, no longer has an operating kitchen.  The dearth of dining options Monday didn’t sit well with some, including Selectman Michael Kopko, who operates the Safe Harbor Guest House with his wife. Kopko commented on the lack of Christmas dining options during last week’s meeting and said that “a world-class resort destination” such as Nantucket should offer more choices for its holiday visitors...

Inky Santa falls short of its goal, but campaign still called a success
The Inky Santa’s Toy Drive fell $8,310 short of its $30,000 fundraising goal this year, but Mike Connolly, media spokesperson for the charity, said this year’s campaign was  nevertheless a success. “We did well on the shopping lists,” said Connolly. “Everybody got what they asked for. There were very few glitches...

Read the rest of the Inquirer & Mirror here.

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Two Inns sell for $45M; Saving Fish Stocks; Sanguine Outlook at Island Future

 ^{Two island landmarks, Harbor View Hotel and the Kelley House, sold this week for a total of $45 million, see story below.}

Martha's Vineyard NEWS, December 29, 2006

Year 2006 Comes to End with Sanguine Outlook for Island of the Future
Fed-up with petty internal politics, Dukes County voters this fall decided to take another look at the structure of their regional government. Hoping to prevent another divisive land use dispute, town and tribal leaders in Aquinnah spent months negotiating a potential peace accord. And with a solid financial footing, Martha's Vineyard Hospital trustees closed the year by securing approval for a new state-of-the-art facility and signing an affiliation agreement with the largest hospital group in the state.

Median Home Prices Fall on Vineyard as Real Estate Market Begins to Stall
The price of the typical home on Martha's Vineyard fell for the first time in six years in 2006, as buyers left the market and sales figures dropped by nearly 30 per cent.

Committee Plans Refurbishment at Old Pay Beach in Oak Bluffs
As a familiar stretch of Oak Bluffs waterfront continues its winter hibernation, the sand unblemished by human footprints or children's sand castles, plans are underway to breathe new life into what was once one of the busiest beaches on the Island.   Many still call this stretch of sand - which runs from the Inkwell beach to the Steamship Authority terminal - the pay beach, a reference to a bygone era when visitors placed a nickel in the turnstile along Sea View avenue in order to access the sandy haven below. At the time, the beach boasted public rest rooms, lockers, showers, a large concession stand and piers and rafts in the water.

Law Aims to Save Atlantic Fish Stocks
In the final hours of Congress early this month, legislators agreed to vote in a new federal fishery management for the years ahead.

Harbor View and Kelley House Conclude Sale at $45.1 Million
A Nantucket-based investment group closed on a deal last week to buy the Harbor View Hotel and Kelley House properties in Edgartown; total sale price was $45.1 million. The sale provided a tidy windfall for the Martha's Vineyard Land Bank, netting the agency just over $900,000 in fees. The sale closed Dec. 20 with four separate transactions. Scout Real Estate Capital LLC purchased the turn-of-the-century Harbor View Hotel for $32.5 million and the Kelley House pub and inn complex for $12.6 million. 

Read the rest of the Gazette here. 

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Outer Cape Year in Review: Too many losses; Passionate debate; Disquieting murder trials

Outer Cape NEWS, December 28, 2006

Year In Review 2006
Each month was marked by far too many losses
By Sally Rose, Banner Editor
Although each year the Outer Cape suffers losses, 2006 seemed to be a particularly heart-breaking one for many. Both high-profile losses and personal ones marked nearly each and every month of the year. As always there were many too many to mention in the limited space here, so we will touch on only a few.
      Among those whose deaths received national attention this year were former U.S. Poet Laureate Stanley Kunitz, well-known and loved locally for his leadership at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, and former U.S. Congressman Gerry Studds, known and admired for his strong advocacy in marine and fishing conservation...

2006 Year in Review: A  year of passionate debate
By Pru Sowers, Banner Corresponent
From tumultuous debates on everything from closing the high school to signing the anti-gay marriage petition to taking huge steps towards providing affordable housing, 2006 was clearly a passionate year in Provincetown. But that’s not unusual at this land’s-end outpost with a long history of fervent community involvement. What was unusual, though, was the range of issues that descended on a town that began the year under a thick blanket of snow and ended it under a thick blanket of uncertainty surrounding the make-up of town government next year.
     First to shake up the status quo was Town Manager Keith Bergman, who announced in April he would be leaving his position when his contract expires in May 2008, effectively ending a 15-year relationship with Provincetown. Next, the selectmen decided not to renew the contract of Police Chief Ted Meyer when it expires this January. Then Selectman Sarah Peake achieved her goal of election to the state Legislature, putting her seat up for grabs in May, along with chair Cheryl Andrews, who is retiring due to term limits.

2006 Year in Review: Murder trials disquiet Cape End
By Pru Sowers, Banner Correspondent
It took only seven hours of jury deliberation for former Provincetown resident Nathan Miksch’s life to be changed forever. Conversely, it took jurors five days of deliberations, then another three days after one of them was replaced, for a deadlocked jury to finally vote to convict Christopher McCowen of murdering Christa Worthington.
     The two trials mesmerized residents of Outer Cape Cod, where murders rarely occur, with the Worthington trial holding the national audience rapt as well. The circumstances of both crimes were so unusual that it was difficult to find anyone who wasn’t following the trials...

Theater stole the show with Tennessee Williams as the star
By Sue Harrison.
From beginning to end, 2006 offered theatergoers an ever-changing kaleidoscope of stage choices. We had one-person shows, play-reading series and fully staged productions, but the star of this theatrical season had to be the first (hopefully annual) Tennessee Williams Festival in late September.
     Williams spent a few formative summers in Provincetown early in his career, and it seems fitting the town should hold a festival...

In the Arts
There are few filmgoing experiences as exhilarating as seeing a well done musical — there’sa visceral power to the fusion of story and song...

Advocate Archives Journey back in time
Dec. 30, 1943
Chickens to Bring Questions to Court
Rearing and feeding of chickens is the point of controversy in an action of contract brought against Dr. Daniel H. Hiebert by Frank E. Rich, both of Provincetown, in which the latter seeks settlement of compensation which he says is due him for the care of chickens owned by Dr. Hiebert.
     Originally the case was entered in District Court here but was removed for trial by jury to the Superior Court by the defendant.  Mr. Rich claims that Dr. Hiebert placed a number of chickens in his care on June 10 with the understanding that he was to have half of them in payment for his services in caring for the poultry. He states, however, that he was discharged without proper cause on November 14 and has not received the share which he says was specified. He is seeking a settlement of $150 and costs. Failing to gain such a settlement he will ask pay for his services at a dollar a day, which he contends will amount to $156...

Read the rest of The Banner here. 

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Bourne budget request is short $2 million , may change TM, election dates, PD Chief mat run for Selectman, Adelphia Internet customers get credit from Comcast

     ^{The Sandwich Old Town Cemetary is a hauntingly beautiful place, see story below.} 

Upper Cape NEWS, December 28, 2006

Bourne may switch Town Meeting, election dates
By Paul Gately
Bourne voters in 2008 may conduct annual Town Meeting business before they go to the polls in the annual election if a recommendation by the Bylaw Committee is adopted and voters embrace the change. The committee voted 3-0 recently to reverse the current procedure of holding the annual town election in early April and the Town Meting in early May. The committee is also intent on reviewing the structure of other panels, including the finance, open space, bylaw and capital spending boards. The decision came after discussion with Yarmouth Town Administrator Bob Lawton and Mashpee Town Administrator Joyce Mason.

Project has more than ghost of a chance
By Silene Gordon
The underwater archaeological dig soon to be launched in Sandwich looks like it will have more than a ghost of a chance at being successful, based on a finding near the water’s edge last week. As was reported in The Upper Cape Codder two weeks ago, a search for headstones from the Old Town Cemetery believed to have been tossed into Shawme Pond by Victorian-era vandals could not begin until years of brush and vegetation were scrubbed down at the site. Last week, as part of the routine maintenance that the town must carry out, town workers began removing overgrowth from around the area. In addition to uncovering a host of brush that had developed in the last 10 years since the area was last scrubbed, workers uncovered four bases on which headstones would have been placed. Looking further, town workers spotted a slate headstone within arms reach of the pond’s edge. The headstone of Hannah Thacher, who died in 1785, was lifted from the pond water, lying near what appeared to be remnants of some other ancient markers.

New Bourne delegate to assembly will be sworn in
By Paul Gately
Richard Anderson of Monument Beach will be sworn in Jan. 4 as Bourne's new representative to the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates, the Cape’s regional legislative body.
Oh, Christmas tree
By Nicole Muller and Silene Gordon
Once upon a time, families bundled up snugly on Christmas Eve, grabbed a hatchet and hiked into the woods to chop down their holiday tree.

Read the rest of the Upper Cape Codder here.

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Harwich 2006 in review; Community Center basement redesign gets moving; Mad about mahjong; More Flex route changes

   ^{They are still fishing off Wychmere Harbor in late December. cctoday photo.}

Harwich NEWS, December 27, 2006

Reflections: The Year that Was
By Donna Tunney and Douglas Karlson
There were several major drug busts in town, the high school principal was charged with drunken driving, a local teenager shot a BB gun at a Harwich school bus, and the town administrator and assistant administrator both quit their posts. But the news wasn’t all bad in 2006. Affordable housing efforts moved forward, a walkathon raised money for Harwich youth and the town became a No Place for Hate community. As the year winds down, meander back in time for a few moments, and take a look at what was:

• JANUARY - A two-alarm fire at the Dairy Queen on Route 28 caused more than $500,000 in damage. Owner Mary Lou Duquette pledged to rebuild the popular ice cream and fast food shop that was regarded by many as a Harwich Port institution. But it didn’t open for the 2006 summer season and the structure has since been torn down, leaving just the sign in front of an empty lot...
• FEBRUARY - Strapped for cash and trying to wrangle future budgets into submission, Harwich turned to the sell-off of certain municipally owned properties to shore up the coffers. Selectmen approved the sale of five town-owned parcels of industrially zoned land on Great Western Road, and are looking to sell more...
• MARCH -Some parents of Holy Trinity students were unhappy with the school’s plan to shift grades 6, 7 and 8 from the West Harwich school to St. Pius X in South Yarmouth. But according to Holy Trinity principal Linda Mattson, there may be a silver lining to the divestment. The loss of the three grades freed up space for the elementary school, and allowed the school to add a pre-K program... (MORE)
  

Basement redesign gets moving
By Douglas Karlson
Town residents are being asked to weigh in on whether Community Preservation Act funds should be used to renovate the basement of the community center. The idea is to create a bigger gym there. Right now the basement, which is accessed by stairs and elevator, is unfinished and used for storage. A meeting is set for Tuesday, Jan. 2 at 4 p.m. in the Griffin Room at town hall...

Flex changes take effect Tuesday
Changes are coming to the Flex transit bus on the Lower/Outer Cape, beginning Tuesday, Jan. 2. Passengers will be allowed to wave the bus to a stop at any safe point along its route in Harwich, Brewster and Orleans, in addition to Provincetown and parts of North Truro. Flagging will continue to be prohibited along Route 6.
     The addition of flag service to three Lower Cape towns means that passengers can choose locations where the bus will stop, in addition to traditional bus stops. Flex will continue to pick up and drop off within three-quarters of a mile of its regular route, provided the passenger has made a reservation at least two hours ahead of time.
     On Jan. 2, new stops will be added at the Star Market on Sisson Road in Harwich; and at the Central Village Plaza, on Route 6 in North Truro. In addition, the Chamber of Commerce stop in Harwich Port will be shifted to Route 28 in the village to simplify transfers to the Hyannis-to-Orleans Breeze bus. Harwich stops at Fontaine Medical Center and at the Exit 10 Park & Ride lot are being discontinued because of lower-than-expected ridership...

Need in a land of plenty
By Debi Boucher Stetson
The single mother had been sleeping with her children in the kitchen, because it was the only room that could be closed off to use the small space heater. Finally, she called the Lower Cape Outreach Council for help. The agency immediately arranged and paid for an oil delivery, and also provided food from its pantry so the woman would be able to preserve more of her income to pay rent and other expenses.
     Robin Carroll, director of human needs for the Outreach Council, says she wished the woman had called sooner, but she understands why she didn’t – Carroll sees every day how difficult it is for people to reach out for help. “Some people don’t feel right about asking for help; they see it as a handout,” she explains.

Mad about mahjong
By Nicole Muller
To the casual observer, it’s a sensual game of sight, sound and touch. Jewel-toned racks in cobalt, emerald, ruby and topaz hold smooth, ivory-hued tiles. A soft clicking punctuates the silence as skilled players contemplate their strategies. Cape Codders have taken to mahjong like oysters to the bay, and its aficionados are multiplying with astounding speed. “Dot Fleischer started the craze on Cape Cod,” says Shirley Coyne of Dennisport. “Practically everyone you meet learned from Dot or from one of Dot’s students”

Read the rest of The Oracle here.

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Bock Center ends run, Sewerage closes Lewis Bay, Sleeping in someone else’s shoes, How to distribute KI pills...

     ^{Lewis Bay on better days.}

Mid Cape NEWS, December 27, 2006

Sewer main break closes Lewis Bay to shellfishing

By Craig Salters
An accidental sewer line break in Barnstable has led to the closing of Lewis Bay for shellfishing in parts of Hyannis and West Yarmouth. The state’s Division of Marine Fisheries made the decision Dec. 20, citing the possibility of runoff from a punctured sewer line in the area of Snow’s Creek. Tom Marcotti, shellfish biologist for the town of Barnstable, said the sewer break was repaired that same day but that the state’s standard procedure is to close beds as a precautionary measure. “This is just to be really safe,” Marcotti said. “When it comes to the public consumption of shellfish, the DMF makes the call.”
     According to Marcotti, regulations stipulate that the beds cannot reopen until the DMF takes water samples from the area and determines water quality. Samples are expected later this week, he said Tuesday... (See the map on the town web site here.)

Mid-Cape towns seek best way to distribute KI pills
By Craig Salters
It took a few years, but the state has fulfilled its obligation to distribute potassium iodide (KI) pills to the Cape and Islands. Now the question becomes how best to get those pills to residents. “All Cape towns are working on this and each is doing it a little differently,” said Yarmouth Health Director Bruce Murphy, whose office has taken responsibility for KI distribution in that town.
     In 2002, the state Legislature mandated that KI pills, which block the thyroid gland’s ability to absorb radiation, be distributed to the Cape and Islands because the Cape is downwind of Plymouth’s Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station and would be extremely difficult to evacuate in the event of a nuclear emergency...

Performing arts center will cease operations
The Cape Cod Performing Arts Center, formerly Boch Center for the Performing Arts, will cease operations effective Sunday. In a prepared statement, the Performing Arts Center board said it has been frustrated in its attempt to find a suitable site.
      “Despite the best efforts to fulfill the mission to build and operate a world-class performing arts facility on Cape Cod, current circumstances prevent successful negotiations to obtain an appropriate site and come to agreement with civic leaders and governing agencies,” the statement said.
      A majority of the board of directors voted to cease operations and dissolve the corporation.
Under state law, the CCPAC is required to transfer its remaining assets to another Cape Cod area non-profit organization (or multiple organizations) with a similar charitable purpose. The directors, in consultation with the office of the Attorney General, designated the following as beneficiaries:

• Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra: $2.1 million.
• Arts Foundation of Cape Cod: $125,000.
• Tilden Arts Center/Cape Cod Community College Educational Foundation: $125,000.
• Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod: $125,000.
• Children’s Discovery Museum of Cape Cod: $125,000...
  

Sleeping in someone else’s shoes
By Joe Burns
A night spent sleeping out in the cold can be an eye-opening experience. “It’s absolutely amazing,” said Barnstable County Commissioner Mary LeClair, one of 18 people who marked National Homeless Person’s Memorial Day and the first day of winter by staying out on the street and sleeping in tents that night on the lawn of the Federated Church in Hyannis.
     “The biggest thing I learned was how slow times goes by when you’re homeless. I would look at my watch and it was 2 o’clock in the afternoon, and it took forever to be 3,” Le Clair said.  Barnstable County Commissioner Bill Doherty, who also spent the night out, downplayed his own participation other than to say he did it to bring attention to the issue. As a result of that attention, he and others were witness to an extraordinary act of kindness...

Conversions of convenience
By Joe Burns
What do you think can change a person’s mind more quickly: the prospect of 30 years in prison or four years in the White House? Recently, we’ve seen each serving as a catalyst for conversion. Chad Blair, the U.S. Coast Guard petty officer who had papered Barnstable Municipal Airport and the Cape Cod Mall parking lot with KKK fliers in March, did a 180 once he was faced with the possibility of three decades behind bars for his racist recruiting and for stockpiling explosives and weapons in his Otis abode.
     Last week, Blair, was given a one-year sentence, a demotion in rank and a dishonorable discharge after renouncing his white-supremacist ways and denouncing the Klan. One could wager that Blair’s disavowing racism factored into the length of his sentence. But don’t bet on Blair joining the Rainbow PUSH Coalition when he gets out of the brig. Conversions of convenience are not known for their longevity...

Read the rest of The Register here.

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First Night, Nauset Beach brouhaha, Cranberry Valley a gem, Trophy home Sin Tax

CHATHAM NEWS,
December 27, 2008

Celebrate First Night,
Fifties Style
 by Alan Pollock. CHATHAM — Find yourself some Brylcreem or a poodle skirt, and get ready to welcome 2007 with some serious doo-wopping. This New Year’s Eve, First Night Chatham celebrates “Those Fabulous Fifties.”  First Night headquarters is now open in downtown Chatham, and button sales have been brisk, committee Chairman Linda Nixon said.  Available for $15 for adults and $5 for children (kids age two and younger are admitted free), the buttons gain the bearer admission to many of the indoor events on First Night...

Expanded Wastewater Plant Won’t Harm Salt Marsh, Experts Say
by Alan Pollock. CHATHAM — When the wastewater treatment plant on Sam Ryder Road grows to meet the needs of an expanded sewer system, the nitrogen discharged into Cockle Cove Creek probably will not harm the salt marsh, according to a long-awaited report announced last week ...

Building Fee Proposal Seen As ‘Sin Tax’ On Trophy Homes
by Alan Pollock. CHATHAM — Under a new proposal, fees for building permits would jump dramatically for the largest of new residential projects in town.  For a typical new upscale two-story house, the fees would jump from $4,932 to $24,297, in what critics say amounts to a sin tax on trophy homes. Community Development Director Kevin McDonald told the board of selectmen last week that he has the authority to implement a new fee schedule unilaterally, but is seeking public comment and input from the board...

Library’s Newspaper Archive Project Turns Into Mystery Thriller
by Tim Wood. CHATHAM --- A year ago, as part of The Chronicle’s 40 th anniversary, it was reported that the paper’s entire archives, going back to its first edition in 1965, would soon be available on line, thanks to a project being sponsored by the Eldredge Public Library.   Well, the best laid plans…  Here it is a year later, and the effort to convert microfilm of The Chronicle and its predecessor, The Chatham Monitor, into files that can be accessed and searched via the Internet, has stalled.  Perhaps stalled is a bit too polite a word, actually...

HARWICH NEWS
Renovations At Cranberry Valley Have Polished The Jewel
by William F. Galvin. HARWICH --- As the more than $1 million dollar bunker renovation project and new practice facility nears completion ...

HHS History Teacher Recognized For Educational Commitment
by William F. Galvin. HARWICH – It has been said of Harwich High School History Department Chair Richard Houston that he has the ...

The Buzz Over The Landfill Will Be Radio Controlled Planes
by William F. Galvin. HARWICH --- The board of selectmen has agreed to sign a lease with the Lower Cape Radio Control Club to allow use of air  space over the 27-acre capped landfill for flying model planes...

Public Forum Set For Community Center Basement Improvements
by William F. Galvin. HARWICH --- The community preservation committee is being asked to approve between $130,000 and $150,000 for ...

Nauset Beach Financial Issues Divide Orleans, Chatham
by Tim Wood. ORLEANS --- Officials from Chatham and Orleans last week came closer to agreement over several matters related to the ...

Read the rest of The Chronicle here.

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Judge keeps Retrix talking; Council's emails don't count; "Underground Art" found; Bumbalini is too noisy

     ^{Nets drying on a fishing boat in Hyannis Harbor, see the rest below.}

Barnstable NEWS, December 22, 2006

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Chatham, Orleans pledge peace, Seals move south, Stunned turtles, Discrimination dilemma

       ^{This Nauset Beach dog will "play ball." He hopes the Orleans and Chatham will too.}

Lower Cape NEWS, December 22, 2006

Towns pledge to reach Nauset Beach accord
By Matthew Belson
The first pairs of piping plovers are not expected to arrive until spring, but the towns of Orleans and Chatham have just a little more than a month to resolve lingering issues over the their joint management of Nauset Beach. The two boards of selectmen met in Orleans Wednesday to discuss changes to the intermunicpal agreement for the shared use of the beach.

Gifts of Hope
By Debi Boucher Stetson
The single mother had been sleeping with her children in the kitchen, because it was the only room that could be closed off to use the small space heater. Finally, she called the Lower Cape Outreach Council for help. The agency immediately arranged and paid for an oil delivery, and also provided food from its pantry so the woman would be able to preserve more of her income to pay rent and other expenses.

Seal population likely to relocate after Monomoy reconnection
By Rich Eldred
The seals that previously hauled out at the south end of South Beach or the northern tip of South Monomoy have lost their easy access to Nantucket Sound, unless they want to circumnavigate the peninsula. They may have to relocate.

SJC upholds decision on wind farm cables
By Craig Salters
The state agency that approved two transmission cables for a proposed wind farm in Nantucket Sound acted appropriately in its decision-making process, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled.

Look out for cold-stunned turtles
By Rich Eldred
Sea turtles, cold-blooded reptiles that they are, are ill equipped for December weather. Shocked and immobilized by the cold water, they’re tossed onto the shore by the tides.
While Dennis Murley of Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary co-ordinates a network of around 100 volunteer beach walkers, anyone strolling the shoreline after a big storm or high tide can find a sea turtle.

Discrimination dilemma
By Marilyn Miller
Twenty-thousand incidents of discrimination were reported in Barnstable County between 2000 and 2005. If you break that down town by town, based on population, it would mean 490 such incidents took place in Eastham during those five years, Fred Fenlon, Eastham’s representative to the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates, told selectmen at their Dec. 4 meeting.

Cockle Cove study bodes well for proposed wastewater plant
By Matt Rice
Based on the findings from the Cockle Cove Creek Salt Marsh study, Chatham’s director of health and environment said that groundwater modeling of the area shows that the salt marsh could support runoff of less than three-milligrams-per-liter of nitrogen, which is the within the scope of the town's proposed wastewater treatment plant.

Citizens seek Summer Woods impact report
By Douglas Karlson
The East Harwich Community Association is calling for a full environmental impact report on Summer Woods, the proposed Chapter 40B affordable housing project on the former Kendrick Farm, charging that the developer is segmenting the land to “avoid higher standards of environmental restrictions.”

Model trains draw children of all ages
By Matthew Belson
For more than six years a large model trains exhibit has been on display year-round at Snow’s Home and Garden Center.

It’s a madcap holiday in Provincetown
By Steve Desroches
Provincetown is different. It might as well be a little city-state, with its own unique and sometimes bizarre culture. And perhaps at no other time is that more true than during the holidays where the land of bohemians puts their own bent on how to celebrate, sometimes even creating their own holidays in the process.

Christmas display shows homeowner's ingenuity
By Douglas Karlson
It all started more than 20 years ago when Bob Doane, 54, began putting up colored lights outside the house where he’s lived since 1964. He now has 50 evergreens. And for weeks now, residents have been detouring through the woods on Forest Street for 40 amps of Christmas spirit.

Read the rest of The Cape Codder here.

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Town Council violates law; Airport update; Yarmouth teen dances in 'Nutcracker'

     ^{Sunset at the nearly football field long Gray's Beach Boardwalk in Yarmouth Port}

Mid-Cape News, December 21, 2006

Work progressing on Gray's Beach boardwalk
By Craig Salters
If one first buys into the premise that anything 865 feet in length can be "hidden," then the boardwalk at Gray's Beach in Yarmouth Port is a hidden gem of Cape Cod nature spots.
[more]

Take the hassle out of the holidays
By Craig Salters and Silene Gordon
‘Tis the season to be jolly but, for some, ‘tis also the season to be harried, hassled and maxed out on their credit cards.
[more]

Food pantries make a world of difference
By Nicole Muller
For the numerous Cape Cod families struggling to make ends meet, the assistance of food pantries means their meager income can be used for rent or mortgage payments, heat, electricity and transportation.   [more]

Barnstable Town Council violated law
By Joe Burns
The open meeting issue in Barnstable isn't closed. Cape & Islands Assistant District Attorney Thomas G. Shack III, responding to a complaint filed by three Barnstable residents, gave notice Friday to Barnstable Town Council that a Nov. 22 e-mail exchange between town councilors was in violation of open meeting laws. The correspondence involved a discussion among town councilors regarding restructuring the public comment periods at town meetings. Former Barnstable Town Council President Henry Farnham, inadvertently initiated the open meeting issue when he shared his views on the public comment structure in an e-mail to his fellow councilors.
[more]

Macdonald retires as Dennis Natural Resources director
By Nicole Muller
Resources George Macdonald had has his share of lucky breaks. Following graduation from Boston University, where he joined the Reserve Army Training Corps, he survived a year of training at Fort Benning, Ga., and a year as a first lieutenant in Vietnam. [more]

Yarmouth Port teen dances in Boston Ballet's ‘Nutcracker'
By Nicole Muller
When Victoria Egan began dancing at age four, she never dreamed that ballet would take her to the stage of the Boston Opera House.    [more]

Airport won't be used for treated wastewater discharge
By Joe Burns
Concerns that the Barnstable Municipal Airport might become a site for discharging treated effluent back into the groundwater are needless, said Barnstable DPW director Mark Ells.
[more]

Nickerson returns to lead Raiders
By Dave Colantuono
With a loss, a win and a tie in their first three games, you could say the Raiders, under first-year coach Scott Nickerson are still trying to find out who they are.   [more]

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ORV plan; Scam artists; Dune shacks & New Year's

 
   ^{The backside of Provincetown at Race Point.} 

Provincetown News, December 21, 2006 

Formal suggestions offered for ORV plan
By Kaimi Rose Lum
Banner Staff
The Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission adopted by a unanimous vote last Friday a report prepared by the Off-Road Vehicle Subcommittee. Included in the report were several recommendations for courses of action the Seashore could take next spring should the nesting of piping plovers force an extensive closure of the back shore beaches.    FULL STORY

Molly ‘Benjy' Benjamin - an emblematic loss
By Alix Ritchie
BANNER STAFF
There are emblematic losses - the last veteran of a war, the last member of a tribe, the last wooden bucket - that mean the passing of an era, a point in time that symbolizes a larger change. So it was last week when Molly Benjamin - known to most as "Benjy" - passed away at 60 on Dec. 13.  FULL STORY

Dune shack subcomm. is in charge now, Seashore Supt. says
By Kaimi Rose Lum
Banner Staff
The emotional topic of the dune shacks dominated the discussion at last Friday's meeting of the Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission, where Seashore Supt. George Price unveiled his latest strategy for coming up with a dune shack management plan.  FULL STORY

Scam artist hits town again
PROVINCETOWN - A conniving con artist who had success last spring convincing local residents to send him money in Canada is apparently back at work.    FULL STORY

Get ready! The party starts before New Year's Eve
By Ann Wood
Banner Staff
Start drinking water now, because not only are there a bunch of New Year's Eve events scheduled on the Outer Cape, but the entire weekend promises there'll be a whole lot of dancing and drinking going on.    FULL STORY

In the arts
Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater is again hosting its WHAT @ Willy's Staged Reading series, beginning Jan. 12, at Willy's Gym in North Eastham. In addition to the staged reading, the evening includes dinner and a talkback with the actors.    FULL STORY

Nauset out-matched in dual meet
By Kevin Mullaney
Banner Correspondent
Joe Ford and Chris Caruso won both their matches with pins and Conrad Van Ryswood and Rob Sliney had a pin and decision each in the Nauset Regional wrestling team's dual meet against Oliver Ames and Bristol-Plymouth Saturday at the school gym in North Eastham. The Warriors lost both, 46-36 to Oliver Ames and 39-37 Bristol-Plymouth - tight, competitive contests that both came down to the final match.    FULL STORY

Read the rest of the Provincetown Banner here and comment below.

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Season of stress; Seeking the selectman seat; Homeless for the holidays

 
   ^{A Bourne bog on the first day of winter.}

UPPER CAPE News, December 21, 2006 

Better watch out, ‘tis the season of stress
By Silene Gordon
Trying to fit shopping, entertaining and holiday planning into a span of just a few weeks can put pressure on even the most stress-free among us.   [more]

Donations to food pantries continue
Food and toy donations to the Bourne Food Pantry are continuing this week before Christmas.
[more]

Ford will seek selectmen seat after retiring as police chief
By Paul Gately
Bourne Police Chief John Ford will take off his badge in February after four decades in law enforcement, but he will not fade from public view.    [more]

Project has more than ghost of a chance
By Silene Gordon
The underwater archaeological dig soon to be launched in Sandwich looks like it will have more than a ghost of a chance at being successful, based on a finding near the water's edge last week. [more]

Bourne budget request is short $2 million
By Paul Gately
A Bourne summit Monday night prior to budget review shows departmental requests for fiscal 2008 outstrip estimated available revenue by $1.5 million plus an additional $400,000 when Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School submits its spending plan in January.    [more

Young Canalmen off to a strong start
By Silene Gordon
Why wait?  [more]

Teamwork to dominate in Sandwich
By Silene Gordon
Before the ice was even cold this season, the Sandwich High School hockey team was faced with challenges that would leave many teenagers numb.   [more]

Homeless for the holidays
By Joe Burns
On a Friday afternoon a young man with a guitar softly sang "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" while 13 people sat solemnly in Hyannis Federated Church remembering and mourning a family member and friend who took his own life.    [more]

Unsettling questions plaguing efforts to save school project
By Paul Gately
Critical questions continued to plague the Buzzards Bay elementary school construction proposal this week, not the least of which involves whether or not a structure off Scenic Highway can be built for $21 million.   [more]

Decision pending on options for school
By Paul Gately
A redesigned Buzzards Bay elementary school project off Scenic Highway could cost about $21 million and still be constructed in a way that a proposed educational plan and the town's 62 percent reimbursement rate would remain intact. [more]

Read the rest of the Upper Cape Codder here and comment below.

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Chatham's KI plan; CBI rebuild Octogon House for inn's owner & Paula Zahn; Orleans Seeks To Keep Its Own Nauset Beach Revenue; Possible Crowell Pit purchase

 
   ^{The last bathers at Brooks Street Beach in Harwich Port.}

CHATHAM & HARWICH News, December  20, 2006

CMMC, Hook Fishermen, Housing Authority Clear First MCI Hurdle
CHATHAM - In an admittedly convoluted leasing process, selectmen Tuesday gave preliminary approval for the three groups seeking to lease four buildings on the MCI-Marconi campus in Chathamport on right. The votes clear the way for the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center (CMMC), the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen’s Association (CCCHFA) and the Chatham Housing Authority to begin raising money to start rehabilitating the buildings they seek to eventually use.  On 4-1 votes, with Chairman David Whitcomb dissenting, selectmen agreed to tentatively designate the CMMC and CCCHFA as lessees of the operations building and the hotel building, respectively...   FULL STORY

CBI Owner To Rebuild Octagonal House  
CHATHAM --- The distinctive octagonal house on Aunt Lydia's Cove, which was nearly destroyed in the 1991 Halloween northeaster, is going to receive a makeover and serve as a private residence for the new owner of Chatham Bars Inn. The home, which Chatham Bars Inn purchased in 1998 for $850,000, has been unoccupied for several years and used for storage by the inn.  Last week, the zoning board of appeals approved a plan to demolish the existing, eight-sided house and rebuild it on the same footprint.  According to testimony at the hearing, the house will be used as a private residence by Richard Cohen, who purchased the inn for $166 million earlier this year.  Cohen is married to CNN anchor Paula Zahn...   FULL STORY

Orleans Seeks To Keep Its Own Nauset Beach Revenue
CHATHAM - In a move that threatened to derail a planned Dec. 20 meeting between Orleans and Chatham selectmen, the Orleans board last week proposed ending the towns' longstanding deal to share revenue from North (Nauset) Beach sticker fees.   FULL STORY

Volunteers Sought For High School Building Needs Committee
HARWICH --- "We recognize the one option not acceptable is to do nothing," Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carolyn Cragin told selectmen this week in a meeting with the school committee and board of selectmen over future high school facility needs.   FULL STORY

Harwich Entertaining Offer To Purchase Crowell's Pit
HARWICH --- While still immersed in a legal battle with the town over the mining of sand in East Harwich, Edward Crowell, owner of a sand pit there, has offered the property to Harwich for $2.5 million.   FULL STORY

Monomoy-South Beach Connection Raises Access, Jurisdictional Issues
by Tim Wood
CHATHAM --- Federal, state and local officials are working together to develop plans to address the consequences of the recent melding of South Beach and Monomoy Island.  
FULL STORY

Chatham To Formulate KI Distribution Plan After Holidays
by Tim Wood
CHATHAM --- The town has received 70,000 doses of potassium iodide from the state, and officials plan to develop a distribution plan early next year.   FULL STORY

Planning Is Medicine For Success At Harwich Flu Clinic
by William F. Galvin
HARWICH --- People and planning made all the difference with this year's town- operated flu clinic. The town provided 445 residents with the vaccine in a very systematic way, Health Department Director Paula Champagne said of last Wednesday's clinic.   FULL STORY

Housing Committee Denied Study Funds For Smith House
by William F. Galvin
HARWICH ---A town proposal to establish an affordable housing unit at 185 Main St. in North Harwich, on land owned by the Harwich Conservation Trust, was shot down Monday night by selectmen.   FULL STORY

Golf Committee Wants Proof Of Selectmen's Power To Set Fees
by William F. Galvin
HARWICH --- The issue before selectmen Monday night was not the setting of municipal golf course fees for 2007, but the authority of the board to do so. Members of the golf committee continue to challenge selectmen on their decision to strip the committee of that power.
FULL STORY

EH Community Association Takes Aim At Summerwoods
by William F. Galvin
HARWICH ---The Massachusetts Environmental Protection Act unit is expected to issue its recommendations this week on whether an environmental impact report will be necessary before development proceeds at the 32-unit affordable housing project at Summerwoods in East Harwich.   FULL STORY

12 Years Of Volunteering Provides Unique Perspective On Family Pantry
Rosemary Schreiner knows how to find the joy in life.  This grandmother gets to and from her Saturday morning shift at the Family Pantry in Harwich via her brand new black convertible Mustang.  "My grandson really enjoys going for rides when he visits," she chuckled.
FULL STORY

Harwich Soldiers On Without Soares
HARWICH - Can Harwich win without Ryan Soares? It's a question that begs asking. After all, trying to fill the shoes of Soares, a four-year starter and three-year South Shore League All-Star, who averaged 20.5 points and nine-and-a-half rebounds per game as a senior last season, will certainly be a tall task.   FULL STORY

Chatham And Harwich Boys Basketball Teams Go Forward After Graduating Respective Stars
CHATHAM - Can Chatham win without Christian Messersmith? That's the burning question facing the Blue Devils, who, for the first time in three years, will be without their perennial playmaker.   FULL STORY

Editorial 
Our Band Aid
Earlier this year, I bought the 20th anniversary DVD collection of Live Aid, the 1985 concert, organized by Bob Geldof, in reaction to widespread starvation in Africa.  I initially bought it for the music and to actually see the concert --- I was living in Eastham at the time and, without cable television, saw only a static-filled snippet of the live broadcast.  But it was the supplemental material on the four-disc set, including the original 1984 BBC news report on the Ethiopian famine that prompted Geldof and others to form Band Aid and record the fund-raising single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" that lodged in my heart.   FULL STORY

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Summer Woods impact study, Housing idea gets green light, Perusing the Port for just the right gift,

   ^{Even some Harwich folks don't realize the town has two miles along Pleasant Bay immediately outside Round Cove}

Harwich NEWS, December 20, 2006 

Perusing the Port for just the right gift
By Douglas Karlson
Why battle crowds at the mall when you can shop right here in Harwich? Local merchants offer a wide assortment of goods, many of them quite unique. Here’s a sampling of items gleaned from a stroll through Harwich Port’s business district...

Citizens seek Summer Woods impact study
By Douglas Karlson
The East Harwich Community Association is calling for a full environmental impact report on Summer Woods, the proposed Chapter 40B affordable housing project on the former Kendrick Farm, charging that the developer is segmenting the land to “avoid higher standards of environmental restrictions.”

Housing idea gets green light
By Douglas Karlson
“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” That was the reaction of housing committee chairman Gerry Loftus after selectmen reversed an earlier decision, cut red tape, and agreed to allocate $1,200 so the housing committee can prepare a proposal to turn an old house in North Harwich into affordable housing. The house, at 185 Main St. in North Harwich, is just sitting there. It belongs to the Harwich Conservation Trust, which was given it and the land on which it sits when the property’s owner died. The trust would like the land, but doesn’t want the house.

O Christmas tree
By Nicole Muller
Once upon a time, a live Christmas tree adorned with fruits of the earth was the only option. One family might have chosen a Fraser fir while neighbors opted for Scotch pine or balsam. Hand-made ornaments and often an angel or star passed through generations, made each tree unique.

Silbert to head charity
Harwich’s Andrea Silbert, well known for her bid for lieutenant governor, has been named president of Eos Foundation, a charity that fights poverty in inner city Boston.

Merriam eager to see state budget
By Douglas Karlson
Harwich's new town administrator moved into the corner office at town hall and spent last week going over the budget. One of his first responsibilities will be to present the town administrator’s budget to the board of selectmen.

Restoration progressing at old meetinghouse
By Douglas Karlson
It took a long time for the town to decide what to do with the historic South Harwich Meetinghouse on Chatham Road. But since the Friends of South Harwich Meetinghouse signed an agreement to raise money and do restorations two years ago, it’s been full speed ahead.

Alum contract for Long Pond moves forward
By Donna Tunney
Brewster and Harwich, which share the 743-acre Long Pond, are finalizing a $418,000 contract to have ENSR International treat the pond’s phosphorus load with a combination of aluminum sulfate and sodium aluminate.

Read the rest of The Oracle here. 

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Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rules in favor of Cape Wind again

SJC OK's Cape Wind's Yarmouth transmission line plan
Rules Siting board had used "an eminently reasonable and practical approach"

Several events in the past week have swung the political pendulum clearly over to the pro-wind farm side. First the national Audubon Society's overwhelming endorsement immediately followed by Great Braiain annoucing approval of two giant offshore wind farm, one near London and it's several airports, and now this decision by the SJC.

Today the state's highest court upheld an earlier state siting board's decision permitting construction of transmission lines to bring electricity from the Cape Wind project to shore in Yarmouth from the site of the proposed 130 turbine wind farm on Horseshoe Shoals in Nantucket Sound.

The SJC affirmed a decision made in May last year by the state Energy Facilities Siting Board that was challenged by the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound.  The Alliance had lost a previous appeal in March '05, see story here.

The high court essentially ruled that the board had adopted "an eminently reasonable and practical approach to the uncommon jurisdictional issues presented by the petition" seeking to build a pair of 18-mile-long transmission lines.

On hearing the decion, Barbara Hill on right, Executive Director of Clean Power Now, said "This case was another attempt at derailing the Cape Wind project by subjecting the developer and the court to a frivolous law suit.

The Interior Department study by the Minerals Management Service of Cape Wind's proposal is expected by March '07, and if that report makes the same recommendations as the previous US Army Corps of Engineers study, the project would become America's first offshore wind farm. Less parochial tourist  experts have predicted this would be a huge boon to the Cape's popularity as a destination not unlike Palm Springs CA.

Probably due to the fact that Cape Wind represents a totally new chapter in renewable energy, the SJC found in today's decision that the state siting board had acted within its discretion in deviating from an existing standard to determine whether such transmission projects are needed.

The petition to build two 115-kilovolt lines to transmit electricity from the proposed location was filed by Cape Wind Associates and NStar Electric.  The lines would run under the sea floor and pass beneath state waters before reaching shore at Yarmouth and continuing underground to an NStar switching station ashore.

Statements from pro and con

Cape Wind President Jim Gordon said, “the state’s highest court has now confirmed the validity of the original agency decision, which said emphatically that Cape Wind’s power is needed, that Cape Wind will reduce air pollution and that the project is a needed part of our state’s energy mix.”  He continued, “This decision moves Massachusetts closer to becoming a global leader in offshore wind power.”

Jim Powers of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound emailed the following, "The SJC decision does not confer legitimacy for constructing 130 turbines adjacent to a state ocean sanctuary... The Cape Wind project is far from a done deal, and this decision represents but one of over 20 local, state and federal approvals and permits that the developer must get before this project could advance." 

Barbara Hill, Executive Director of Clean Power Now, said of the decision, "This case was another attempt at derailing the Cape Wind project by subjecting the developer and the court to a frivolous law suit. We support the review process underway and are confident that at the end of the day we will be realizing the significant air quality, economic and environmental benefits of the project in the not too distant future."

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Audubon endorses wind power nationally

For the Birds: Audubon Society Stands Up in Support of Wind Energy 

"When you look at a wind turbine, you can find the bird carcasses and count them. With a coal-fired power plant, you can't count the carcasses, but it's going to kill a lot more birds." - John Flicker, president, National Audubon Society.

In the November-December installment of the Audubon magazine, (the organization's President) John Flicker wrote a column stating that Audubon "strongly supports wind power as a clean alternative energy source," pointing to the link between global warming and the birds and other wildlife that scientist say it will kill.

The venerable environmental organization and avian champion was now on record as embracing wind power.

Invisible carcasses - Bird Kills; Humans 10,000, Turbines 1

The endorsement makes a lot of sense, once the facts surrounding the issue are put in proper perspective. Birds are over 10,000 times more likely  to be killed by other human-related causes (e.g., by buildings, vehicles, pet cats, pesticides, etc.) than by a wind turbine. Put another way, for every 10,000 birds killed by such human activities, less than one death is caused by a wind turbine.

In an interview with AWEA's Wind Energy Weekly industry newsletter, Flicker said that the organization's decision to speak out about wind came as a result of the recent increased urgency on the part of the scientific community with respect to global warming. Specifically, he cited a recent study by John Hansen for the National Academy of Sciences suggesting that if greenhouse gases are not reduced in the next decade, a significant number of plants and animals could face extinction by the middle of the century.

"It creates a sense of urgency beyond anything we have seen before," said Flicker, adding that he wants to ensure his organization is not an obstacle for wind power but a help. "I want to make sure Audubon is doing everything we can to promote both conservation and wind energy."

Openness and collaboration 

...Cultivating such a culture of fact-based openness and cooperation, wind energy and bird interests continue to move forward at the wind power project level as well. Flicker noted in his column how Mass Audubon, an independent state Audubon organization in Massachusetts, recently completed an extensive review of the Cape Wind project, a study that "set a new standard for analyzing the potential effects of wind turbines on birds."

Flicker told Wind Energy Weekly that he would do everything he could to help advance wind power. "We want to figure out ways to cooperate as much as we can to make the wind industry grow while making wind power safer for birds," he said.

One concrete example of Flicker and Audubon advocating for wind power: in his column, he urged readers to contact Members of Congress and ask them to make the federal Production Tax Credit for wind power permanent. 

(Reprinted from Renewable Energy Access) 

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Monomoy connect brings predator concerns, Motion seeks new trial for McCowen,

Lower Cape NEWS, December 15, 2006

Monomoy connection creates predator concerns
By Rich Eldred
Terns and other birds choose isolated islands for nesting so they’ll be safe from predators. South Monomoy Island was reconnected to the mainland during the Thanksgiving Day storm when the creeping sandbar from the south end of South Beach reached west to touch the tip of Monomoy.

Alum contract for Long Pond moves forward
By Donna Tunney
Brewster and Harwich, which share the 743-acre Long Pond, are finalizing a $418,000 contract to have ENSR International treat the pond’s phosphorus load with a combination of aluminum sulfate and sodium aluminate.

Selectmen address appointee conflicts
By Steve Desroches
PROVINCETOWN — The board of selectmen reappointed two members to the planning board, but promised to pay closer attention to any conflicts of interest, the rules of open meeting laws and respecting the institution of town meeting.

Volunteers key to Council's mission
By Debi Boucher Stetson
This week's Gifts of Hope campaign story focuses on the volunteers who make the Lower Cape Outreach Council's work possible.

Merriam eager to see state budget
By Douglas Karlson
Harwich's new town administrator moved into the corner office at town hall and spent last week going over the budget. One of his first responsibilities will be to present the town administrator’s budget to the board of selectmen.

Restoration progressing at old meetinghouse
By Douglas Karlson
It took a long time for the town to decide what to do with the historic South Harwich Meetinghouse on Chatham Road. But since the Friends of South Harwich Meetinghouse signed an agreement to raise money and do restorations two years ago, it’s been full speed ahead.

Motion seeks new trial for McCowen
By Donna Tunney
In a surprise motion that invokes a poignant courtroom scene from the classic novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” attorney Robert George called on the Barnstable Superior Court to investigate charges of racial bias, intimidation and two procedural irregularities levied by three of the jurors who deliberated in Christopher McCowen’s murder trial last month.
If the charges are confirmed, the motion says, his client should be retried.

Congress approves fisheries act
By Matthew Belson
Environmentalists and local fishermen are optimistic that the passage of the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act by Congress bodes well for efforts to prevent overfishing and rebuild depleted fish stocks in New England waters.

Firefighters weather cold-water training course
By Matthew Belson
Water rescue drill: Twenty firefighters from local fire departments and a crew from Rhode Island attended the course where students spent most of the day immersed in the chilly waters of Long Pond to get a feel for their survival suits and practice rescue techniques.

Read the rest of The Cape Codder here. 

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Vineyard Hospital joins Mass General, Momentum Builds For Energy District

Martha's Vineyard NEWS, December 15, 2006

Momentum Builds For Energy District
Aquinnah Selectman Takes the Lead By Drafting an Islandwide DCPC For Approval at Town Meetings
Island voters this spring will be asked whether they wish to take the Vineyard's energy future into their own hands. _{^{(The Gayhead Lighthouse in Aquinnah on right)}}

Hospital Trustess Vote Without Dissent to Join Massachusetts General
Transfer of ownership is set for a public hearing before the Massachusetts Department of Public Health next Tuesday.
Just seven weeks after announcing their intention to negotiate an affiliation with the giant Partners Health group, Martha's Vineyard hospital trustees voted unanimously to approve the landmark sale agreement on Saturday.

West Tisbury Assessors Return to Tax Board
West Tisbury assessors and their attorney were back before the tax board on Tuesday to defend the values they had placed on north shore properties near Paul's Point.

Families Celebrate Hanukkah With Wide-Ranging Traditions
Some unpack prolific menorah collections, many make latkes, others make doughnuts and most buy presents — but whatever a family's traditions to prepare for Hanukkah, hundreds of Islanders will light the first menorah candles at sundown this evening, the beginning of the eight-night Festival of Lights.

Fishermen at Cape Pogue Mourn Decline in Scallops
Edgartown shellfishermen will make a decision about survival at sea on Saturday. Not about personal survival, but about the life and potential death of Cape Pogue Pond as the last redoubt of their bay scallop industry.

Young Brazilian Finds Vineyard Is Pure Home
She's swallowed the American dream whole, this young Brazilian immigrant. When she talks about her future, she assumes boundless options and enumerates them with artless enthusiasm. 

Read the rest of the Gazette here. 

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Lightship on the block for $1, otherNantucket news

 
   ^{The Nantucket shown above, docked in Nantucket Harbor in '04. Photo by John Fitts.}

The LV-112, the largest lightship ever built for sale

By Joshua Balling, I&M Managing Editor

For sale: The largest lightship ever built, paid for by the British government after her predecessor was cut in half and sunk by the sister ship of the Titanic.

The 148-foot, 1,050-ton LV-112 stood sentinel 50 miles off the southeast coast of the island for the better part of four decades, marking the shoals that threatened to tear the guts from freighters and cruise ships bound for New York, Boston and Philadelphia. She is currently docked in Oyster Bay, Long Island.

The price: A very affordable $1. But there's a catch.

The former Nantucket lightship needs constant maintenance and repair, and she'll only be sold to a nonprofit organization willing to keep her open to the public as a tangible reminder of the men who spent solitary weeks at sea protecting their ocean-going brethren and the ships they sailed...

Four teens arrested for break-in, car theft spree

Four island teenagers were arrested Wednesday night and a fifth suspect is still being sought in connection with a rash of break-ins on West Miacomet Avenue...

Special election recount Saturday

The recount of ballots cast in the Nov. 21 special election for an interim seat on the Board of Selectmen will begin Saturday at 8 a.m. in the Nantucket High School cafeteria...

Growth management meeting Monday

The Board of Selectmen has scheduled a workshop meeting Monday to discuss its goal to “manage growth” on the island... 

Read the rest of the story in the Nantucket Inquirer & Mirror here and comment below.

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Nasty Dennis debate; Filling the food pantries; Shooting suspects charged

 
   ^{There are still a few more boats moored next to the Bass River Bridge. Photo by John Fitts.}

MID-CAPE News, December 14, 2006

Ex-D-Y cage star arrested for role in shooting
By Joe Burns and John Basile
A former Dennis-Yarmouth High basketball star and a Fitchburg man with a history of violence were among those arrested by Massachusetts State Police early Monday morning following a drive-by shooting in South Yarmouth. [more]

Food pantry a salvation for struggling family
By Joe Burns
Please help those in need
This holiday season, The Register has selected the Salvation Army Food Pantry in Hyannis and the Hands of Hope Food Pantry in Dennisport as recipients of donations to the Gifts of Hope campaign. We urge you to select one or both of the pantries and send your check C/O Maryjean Cannata, The Register, 923G Route 6A, Yarmouth Port, MA 02675. The Register will publish the names of those who contribute unless the donor requests otherwise.  Thank you for your Gift of Hope.  [more]

School on ice
By Nicole Muller
Shirley Borglund of East Dennis bundles up on Thursday mornings and drives to Tony Kent Arena in South Dennis to watch her 4-year-old great-grandson William Harrison ice skate.  [more]

Oh, Christmas tree
By Nicole Muller
Once upon a time, families bundled up snugly on Christmas Eve, grabbed a hatchet and hiked into the woods to chop down their holiday tree. [more]

DEP will have final say on airport ponds
By Craig Salters
Airport terminal plan on tap
A Cape Cod Commission subcommittee will discuss the airport's DRI today (Thursday) at 1 p.m. at its offices on Route 6A in Barnstable Village. [more]

Man charged with rape in Yarmouth, now faces charge in Ashland
By Norman Miller
A Framingham man raped a 15-year-old girl in August as she lay in bed with his girlfriend's daughter, authorities said Wednesday.  [more]

Rectrix case has Dec. 18 court date
By Craig Salters
A federal lawsuit brought against the Barnstable Municipal Airport Commission by one of its tenants is due in court next month.  [more]

Dennis village eyed for cultural arts district
By Nicole Muller
In response to artists' requests, Dennis Town Planner Dan Fortier and the economic development committee are examining the possibility of rezoning part of Dennis village.
[more]

Survivors remember Pearl Harbor
By Nicole Muller
Gilbert Goodwin and Charles Filosa have more in common than growing up in Massachusetts and retiring to South Yarmouth.  [more]

Five charged in South Yarmouth shooting
Five people have been arrested in connection with an apparent drive-by shooting early Monday morning in South Yarmouth.  [more]

Five arrested in South Yarmouth shooting
By Craig Salters
Five people have been arrested in connection with an apparent drive-by shooting on Winslow Gray Road in South Yarmouth early Monday morning.  [more]

Selectmen blast draft report of task force
By Craig Salters
Here's an understatement: Yarmouth selectmen Tuesday night coolly received a draft report by the Cape Cod Commission 21st Century Task Force.  [more]

A community in harmony
By Joe Burns
On a Saturday morning, 70 or more men and women, dressed in sweatshirts, sweaters and slacks, gathered at Corpus Christi Church in East Sandwich. [more]

Cape Wind touts Danish wind farm study
By Craig Salters
An eight-year study of the world's two largest offshore wind farms has concluded that those projects have had minimal impact on birds, fish or the surrounding environment.
[more]

Groups work together to ease hunger
By Craig Salters
It's a typical Monday morning and Mary Anderson, executive director of the Family Pantry in Harwich, can't help but make a quick inventory of the shelves as she takes a guest on a tour of the pantry and surrounding warehouse.  [more]

Restocking the shelves
By Paul Gately
They come in all shapes and sizes and ages. They all have individual needs, likes and dislikes. They also have something in common - they need help securing food.  [more]

Sweet season
By Nicole Muller
Imagine strolling the streets of a Currier & Ives Christmas card. You pass beautiful old sea captains' homes, tendrils of smoke wafting from chimneys, the crisp, fresh scent of winter in the nippy air.  [more]

Park debate turns nasty
By Nicole Muller
A dispute is emerging in Dennis over how much commercial use should be allowed at Bass River Park.  [more]

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Holly Days; Remembering JFK Jr; School stuff

 
   ^{The Sandwich power plant seen from the canal entrance.  Photo by John Fitts.}

Upper Cape NEWS, December 14, 2006

Oh, Christmas tree
By Nicole Muller and Silene Gordon
Once upon a time, families bundled up snugly on Christmas Eve, grabbed a hatchet and hiked into the woods to chop down their holiday tree. [more]

Young is finalist for job in Rhode Island
By Silene Gordon
The Sandwich School Committee has called a special session Thursday evening to discuss Superintendent of Schools Nancy Young's contract in light of the announcement that Young is a finalist for an out-of-state position.  [more]

Bourne fast tracks sewerage study
By Paul Gately
Bourne Town Administrator Thomas Guerino says selectmen will start talking with their Wareham counterparts about renewing their long-term inter-municipal wastewater treatment and disposal agreement. [more]

Old oil spills keep on giving
By Rich Eldred
"What gets me excited is nature and how it responds to uninvited guests. It could be oil compounds or PCBs in New Bedford Harbor. An oil spill is like a giant syringe. You take it and hit some ecosystem with it really fast. Obviously it's not a good thing but it is a great opportunity to understand how nature works." - Chris Reddy, environmental chemist
[more]

State wants to see new plans for Buzzards Bay school
By Paul Gately
The problem-plagued Buzzards Bay elementary school and early childhood learning center proposal is still the top-rated project with the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
[more]

Gifts of Hope
By Upper Cape Codder
This holiday season, The Upper Cape Codder has designated The Bourne Friends Food Pantry and the Sandwich Food Pantry as recipients of donations to our Gifts of Hope campaign.
[more]

A time for tradition
By Silene Gordon
Did you know?
One of the best-known symbols of Hanukah is the dreidel, a four-sided top with a Hebrew letter on each side. The letters shin, key, gimel and nun mean "A great miracle happened there." In Israel, the dreidel is a bit different in that their letters mean "A great miracle happened here." Dreidel is also a popular game played during Hanukah, with players using pennies, nuts, raisins, or chocolate coins called gelt as tokens or chips.  [more]

Security project to be locked up soon
By Silene Gordon
The work to repair or replace the locks on the doors of Sandwich classrooms is due to be completed by the end of the month.  [more]

Gifts of Hope
This holiday season, The Upper Cape Codder has designated The Bourne Friends Food Pantry and the Sandwich Food Pantry as recipients of donations to our Gifts of Hope campaign.
[more]

Bourne school board to re-think new school
By Paul Gately
The Bourne School Committee on Wednesday night voted unanimously stay with plans with a new elementary school construction project off Scenic Highway, but members said they need more information from the Massachusetts School Building Authority before redesigning the school.  [more]

Locals dig idea of turning up headstones
By Silene Gordon
It will be an underwater archaeological dig of sorts if local history buffs move forward with a plan to don hip boots and waders in an effort to find some 340-year-old headstones believed to be at the bottom of Shawme Pond.  [more]

Scaled-down school still possible
By Paul Gately
Bourne Selectwoman Linda Zuern resigned from the school building committee last week just 24 hours after voters for a second time rejected funding a $13.2 million project cost overrun for a new elementary school. [more]

Where there's smoke, there's fired
By Joe Burns
Arsenic, lead, mercury, nickel, cadmium - Scott Rodrigues was exposed to this nasty combination of carcinogens, toxins and health-compromising metals daily. They were found in the fertilizer he spread on Cape Cod lawns when he was working for Scotts Lawn Service.
[more]

A JFK Jr. remembrance
By Maureen Connelly
Days after the 25th anniversary of his father's death, John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr. said to William Sylvester Noonan, "You know, Billy, of all the people I know and all the friends I have, I received only two notes about my father's anniversary - and you were one of them.
[more]

‘Holly Days' are here again
By Silene Gordon
After a successful first run last year with its Holly Days in Sandwich campaign, the Sandwich Chamber of Commerce is bringing back its lineup of holiday themed activities.
[more]

Sandwich librarian is one of the be
By Silene Gordon
Stuart Parsons recalls his first year on the job at Sandwich Public Library as exciting but a bit intimidating.  [more]

School plan down, but not out
By By Paul Gately
Everything related to the controversial proposal to build a Buzzards Bay elementary school and early childhood learning center off Scenic Highway has come to a halt while the school committee figures out if the project should proceed and how that might still happen
[more]

Read the rest of the Upper Cape Codder here and comment below.

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Reassuring cops; Kids & drugs; Arguing golfers; 1830s house to go; Stolen church property

 
          ^{Heading out past Morris Island.  Photo by John Fitts.}

Chatham & Harwich NEWS, December 13, 2006 

Hefty School Budget Hike Due To Accounting Shift
CHATHAM --- At first glance, the increase in next year's school department budget seems like a whopper: a summary released last week shows the bottom line climbing a hefty 23.2 percent.
FULL STORY

Reassurance lunchPolice Officers Reach Out To Chatham's Elders
CHATHAM - On Monday, a group of high-spirited seniors crowded the dining room at Chatham Bars Inn to share a festive luncheon with some close friends: members of the Chatham Police Department.  It's an event that many people on the department's "reassurance list" look forward too all year long.   FULL STORY

Rapid Growth Expected In East Harwich Commercial Zone
HARWICH --- Approximately 50 people got a glimpse of the future for East Harwich Thursday night as consultants and planners unveiled a more refined plan for the East Harwich Village Center.   FULL STORY

Golfers Argue For Status Quo On Fees At Cranberry Valley
HARWICH - Golf was a hot topic on a cool December night when the golf committee took input Monday evening on recommendations to selectmen for fees for the upcoming season at Cranberry Valley Golf Course.   FULL STORY

Sou'Wester Review Put On Hold Pending Redesign
by Tim Wood
CHATHAM --- A special permit request for redevelopment of the former Sou'Wester property was withdrawn from the zoning board of appeals last week, even though the move could have financial implications for the developer of a proposed condominium project on the land.
FULL STORY

Unitarians Replace Rainbow Flag, Despite Past Thefts
by Tim Wood
CHATHAM --- Officials at the town's Unitarian Universalist Meetinghouse aren't sure if the repeated theft of their rainbow flag is the work of pranksters or someone who doesn't like the fact that the flag represents the congregation's openness to those with alternative lifestyles. 
FULL STORY

Smith Pushes Ahead On Mooring Management Plan
by Alan Pollock
CHATHAM - Saying the town has made great strides in managing its moorings in the last 10 years, Harbormaster Stuart Smith told selectmen Tuesday it's time to move ahead with a mooring management plan.  But that doesn't mean lots of sudden changes between now and the next boating season, he added.   FULL STORY

Progress Reported On Chatham's Wastewater Plan
by Tim Wood
CHATHAM --- Networking by town officials at a recent wastewater seminar appears to have helped create movement on elements of the comprehensive wastewater management plan that were stuck in neutral.   FULL STORY

Experts: Kids Using Drugs Less, But Users Take Greater Risks
by Alan Pollock
HARWICH - Statistics show that drug use among local teens is steady or even declining, but experts see a new and disturbing trend that puts users at greater risk than ever before.
FULL STORY

Merriam Wades Into FY08 Budget First Week On The Job
by William F. Galvin
HARWICH --- "Let the honeymoon begin," Town Administrator James Merriam said, while plowing through e FY08 budget requests on Monday.   FULL STORY

A Christmas Offering: 1830s Cape House, To Go
by William F. Galvin
HARWICH  -- There is a great Christmas offering sitting under the pine bough of the Harwich Conservation Trust for an industrious preservationist looking to restore an 1830s style Cape half house.    FULL STORY

Toy Distribution Another Way Family Pantry Helps Local Families
The weather is cooling off, the holidays are heating up, and at the Family Pantry in Harwich business is brisk. "The weather's turning cold, and we're busy," stated Executive Director Mary Anderson.  Her explanation isn't wordy. That's because Anderson and her volunteers are too busy to spend much time reflecting on the amount of work they do this time of year; they just do it.    FULL STORY

Harwich/Ptown Could Return To States
ORLEANS - Teams that return their top three point scorers from a year ago don't usually have cause for concern. But with more freshmen than seniors, a limited number of skaters, lack of depth, and inexperience on anything other than the first line, John Danby is fearful his Harwich/Provincetown team is one false step away from falling apart.   FULL STORY

Tech/Chatham Hits The Right Notes
ORLEANS - For a team that struggled so mightily, Cape Tech/Chatham hit all the right notes at the end of last season.  Down the stretch they upset traditional power Wareham, tied playoff-bound Pembroke, and topped it off with a one-goal win over heated rival Harwich/Provincetown in the season finale - their first win over the Penguins in seven years.
FULL STORY

Chatham Girls Hoopsters Aim To Keep The Bar Raised High
CHATHAM - The Chatham girls basketball team took a step in the right direction in making the state tournament last season, but returning to the post season won't as easy.
FULL STORY

Editorial
Caring About The Future Of East Harwich
The future of the East Harwich commercial district impacts not just residents of that neighborhood, or even of the town of Harwich.  Folks in Chatham should be concerned as well.  The main road in and out of town, and access to the Mid-Cape Highway, is down Route 137, which cuts through the heart of that growing hub.   FULL STORY

Read the rest of the Cape Cod Chronicle here and comment below.

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Park vs. ORVs, Quilt draws crowd, Fishermen fight, Tall Tales

   ^{Commercial Street on a warm December day. cctoday photo.}

Outer Cape NEWS, December 13, 2006

Solutions proposed to bird-related beach closures
By Pru Sowers
PROVINCETOWN – Hoping to placate irate off-road vehicle permit holders, the Cape Cod National Seashore proposed. Three options for helping keep them on the beach during piping plover nesting season. Access to local beaches was severely curtailed early this past summer, including two weeks in late June and early July when the beaches were completely closed to ORV drivers, who had paid $150 for a seasonal permit. Seashore officials predicted that beach closures next summer could continue and are trying to develop a back-up plan that will keep stretches of beach open to ORV drivers...

Telling tall tales
By Ann Wood
Carlos was one unlucky hunter. On his best days in the Brazilian woods, he might return home with one skimpy bird — no matter what he tried. The only way he could figure to get better game was to do a favor for the Curupira, the guardian of the animals, which smoked a pipe as it rode a wild boar through the forest. Apparently this strange-looking mystical creature was often chased, because it had feet posed backward so that anyone who followed its footprints ended up running in the opposite direction...

In the News
When every truck between Provincetown and Wellfleet is in the parking lot of the VFW in Provincetown, you know something big is going on. On Saturday that something big was an Outer Cape turnout of fishermen, tradesmen, artists, eccentrics, everyday folks and bon vivants who got together at a benefit for Molly “Benjy” Benjamin — shellfisherman, Cape Cod Times columnist and a bona fide local legend. See the story and photo spread in this week’s Banner...

In the Arts
The Provincetown Art Association and Museum, 460 Commercial St., Provincetown, is showing the works of Dorothy Lake Gregory from December 15 through January 28 ...

Eclectic quilt draws a crowd to Town Hall
By Emily Sussman
EASTHAM — Residents have been popping into Town Hall all week, and not just to pick up a dog license or drop off their census. The Cape Cod zip code quilt, as it’s come to be known, has been on display in front of the downstairs meeting room since Monday. (The traveling exhibit leaves town this Friday, Dec. 15) ...

Fishermen fight to the finish
By Kevin Mullaney
PROVINCETOWN — The Provincetown High School boys’ basketball team tipped off the season at home Tuesday night  in a 72-37 loss to the Rough Riders from Harwich High School — a lopsided score that does not do justice to what was a good effort by the home team...

Zoning board sidesteps new affordable housing rule
By Pru Sowers
PROVINCETOWN – Hopes that a proposed new residential development would add to the affordable housing stock in town were dashed last week when the zoning board of appeals determined that the new housing restrictions approved by voters last month would not apply. The ZBA voted unanimously to approve two of the three special permits sought by Victor DePoalo, who submitted plans to renovate the Beach Grill restaurant, 175 Bradford Street Extension, and build seven residential apartments on the lot. Despite objections from Jamie Veara, an attorney representing two next-door condominium complexes, board members decided that the new affordable housing restrictions on commercial to residential conversions would not apply in DePoalo’s case...

Advocate Archives
Dec. 15, 1938
PROJECTS ARRIVE, PUT 30 TO WORK
Clam Re-Seeding, Moth Control Start After Conference. Work was begun on the re-seeding of clams and the destruction of gypsy moth nests Tuesday morning when long-awaited assignments from the Works Progress Administration offices in Boston came through, furnishing employment to 30 Provincetown men. The projects will last at least two months, Chairman Jesse D. Rogers of the Board of Selectmen estimated. Projects for sewing and book-binding are momentarily expected, according to Mr. Rogers...

Read the rest of the Banner here. 

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No rise in golf fees, Waste crises, Duck for hunters, East Harwich future

   ^{Sunset on the west side of Wychmere Harbor in winter} 

Harwich NEWS, December 13, 2006

A shot in the dark
By Douglas Karlson
Duck hunters near the Herring River in West Harwich spooked a nearby homeowner, who called police last week to complain that hunters were too close to his house.     FULL STORY

East Harwich vision moves ahead
By Douglas Karlson
The votes are in. Residents of East Harwich want their village center to have open green space, to be pedestrian friendly, and more residential.   FULL STORY

No fee hike sought for Cranberry Valley
By Douglas Karlson
Cranberry Valley Golf Course is a money maker for the town; some call it a "cash cow." In fact, last year it returned $326,384 in revenue to the municipality.   FULL STORY

Merriam is installed at town hall
By Douglas Karlson
James Merriam moved into the corner office at town hall last Wednesday, and says he's waiting for Deval Patrick to report for his new job. That's because Merriam is very interested to see the governor elect's budget, due at the end of January.   FULL STORY

Alleged kidnap victim escapes
A Dennis man was charged with kidnapping and attacking a woman.   FULL STORY

Crusaders can't tame the Tigers
By Matt Rice
As he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with his teammates, watching the Ipswich Tigers raise the Division 3A Super Bowl trophy they had dreamed of, senior captain James Hamilton and the rest of the Cape Tech/Harwich football still found it hard to comprehend what had just happened.   FULL STORY

Brooks Library bemoans budget cuts
By Douglas Karlson
Business is booming at Brooks Free Library, and that's a problem.   FULL STORY

Living manger in 21st year
Christmas just wouldn't be the same without Bud Angier's living manger, now in its 21st year and a Harwich institution.    FULL STORY

Lombard says override can be averted
By Douglas Karlson
Harwich is $1.4 million short of the revenue needed to fund a preliminary FY2008 budget that now stands at $46 million.    FULL STORY

Read the rest of The Oracle here.

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Harwich NEWS, December 13, 2006

Solid waste disposal a challenge on Cape’s horizon
By Matt Belson

Merriam is installed at town hall
By Douglas Karlson 

of The Oracle here.

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Jurors Cite Racial Bias in Cape Slaying... “look at what they are capable of"

Cape slay jurors say three made racial jabs
Didn't like blacks because “look at what they are capable of"

Three of the jurors who sent up a Cape Cod trash man for life for raping and murdering a Truro fashion writer are accused by their peers of making disturbing racial remarks about killer Christopher McCowen throughout last month’s trial and during deliberations.

The accused trio include two white women and a black man, according to court documents filed yesterday by McCowen’s lawyer. One of the women allegedly claimed to be afraid of McCowen because he was “big” and “black.”  The black male juror is accused of stating that he doesn’t like blacks because “look at what they are capable of"... Read the rest of this Herald story here.
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Bid for retrial in slaying alleges racism by jurors
Predictable result when a "200-pound black guy beats on a small woman".

...In affidavits filed yesterday that lie at the heart of a motion seeking a new trial for Christopher M. McCowen, the three jurors said other members of the panel referred to the defendant as "an intimidating big black guy" and voiced fears that he was staring at them. The affidavits also asserted that one juror described bruises on Christa Worthington, the victim, as the predictable result when a "200-pound black guy beats on a small woman"...

Robert A. George, who defended McCowen in the case, said the three jurors who submitted the affidavits had called him separately shortly after the Nov. 16 guilty verdict that resulted in a life sentence... Over the years, I've been contacted by jurors after a trial, but I've never had three jurors from the same jury contact me," George, a criminal lawyer for 26 years, said in an interview yesterday. "If true, it demands a new trial free of racial bias."

George argued during the trial that the case was racially tinged because police and prosecutors would not believe McCowen's assertion that he had consensual sex with Worthington... Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe called George's request for a new trial a "routine postconviction relief motion." He declined to comment on the allegations, saying, "As a general proposition, lawyers exploit what they think they can exploit in order to further their interests."

...or example, Juror A, a black woman, complained that Juror Y, a white woman, said it was obvious that McCowen bruised Worthington during a struggle because "when a big black guy beats up on a small woman," such injuries would result. Juror A said Juror Y also made snide remarks about her cornrow hairstyle and questioned her educational background... Read the rest of this Globe story here.
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Jurors Cite Racial Bias in Cape Slaying
Three jurors had made negative remarks about blacks

BARNSTABLE - Several jurors who convicted a black trash collector in the slaying of a white fashion writer made disparaging racial remarks during deliberations, which at one point became so heated two jurors had to be separated, according to documents filed Tuesday.

The attorney for Christopher McCowen, who was convicted last month in the January 2002 rape and murder of writer Christa Worthington, filed the sworn statements from three jurors about three other jurors as part of a bid for a new trial.

"The statements clearly indicate that these jurors were racially biased against the defendant before deliberations ever started," attorney Robert George said... George also said three jurors contacted him after the verdict and told him that three other jurors had made negative remarks about black people.

Read the rest of the story here from WHDH Channel 7.
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Read our extensive coverage of the trial here. 

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Audit: Police accounting risks funds misuse; Audit: Source of travel funds criticized; Council comment unchanged, so far

Barnstable NEWS, Tuesday, December 12, 2006

New fees schedule approved
When the Town of Barnstable takes over management at the Hyannis Golf Club on Dec. 31, a new set of fees will be ready to tee off. Town Manager John Klimm approved a new slate of fees for various operations town wide, including fees for the soon-to-be two-course golf operation. The cost of a resident membership will rise from $700 to $775.

Human Rights Day marks rite of passage for commission
The anniversary of the adoption by the United Nations of the Declaration of Universal Human Rights was observed Saturday by about 100 Cape Codders who had something of their own to celebrate. Earlier this month, the Assembly of Delegates voted to recommend that the Barnstable County Human Rights Commission become a permanent part of county government.

Osterville Village Christmas Open House & Stroll
They’ve been hosting this party for 37 years, so you can be sure they’ve got it right! Osterville’s homage to the season combines the charm of shops in a seaside village with the reverence of an outdoor ecumenical crèche service that brings the whole proceedings to a halt for about half an hour at 6 p.m.

OPINION:
GAUVIN-Change attitudes, not agenda, to salvage public comment
Was it just a fluke or did Town Councilor Hank Farnham’s final initiative as council president last week actually make a difference even though it didn’t come to a vote? Here's something to consider. Farnham’s attempt to foster changes in the public comment process, first of all, didn’t generate much opposition given the amount of indignant clamor it spawned among the town’s handful of serial commentators and free-speech sentinels.

Read the rest of the Patriot here, and comment below. 

 

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School bomb threat, Recount is now Dec. 16, Jamaican workers exodus leaves businesses scrambling

     ^{The car ferry arrives at sunset}

Nantucket NEWS, December 9, 2006

Police and school officials hold press conference on Thursday bomb threat

Police and school officials held a joint press conference Friday to address threatening graffiti written inside bathrooms that led to the closure of the school after classes ended on Thursday.  The graffiti was first discovered Wednesday morning and was reported to school superintendent Robert Pellicone and police. The words, “The Blood Frost Prince” were written inside a bathroom on the second floor of the high school. The word “bomb” was written over that message in different handwriting.

Housing Office readies for battle on Beacon Hill

After securing the unanimous support of Town Meeting voters for the proposed Community Housing Bank, the Nantucket Housing Office is now raising funds for an upcoming lobbying campaign on Beacon Hill, where the home rule petition must be approved by the state legislature. Leedara Zola, the executive director of the Housing Office, is attempting to raise $65,000 to promote the housing bank bill both locally, and in Boston. The funds will be used to hire Charles Glick, a Boston-based legislative consultant with Charles Group Consulting, as well as a local staffer who would work solely on the housing bank bill.

 

Ruling by DEP favors GHYC
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection ruled late last week that the Great Harbor Yacht Club is a “water-dependent” development, a significant victory

Exodus of Jamaican workers leaves businesses scrambling
What do H2-B visas and enjoying arguably the island’s best-tasting doughnut have in common? You may not be able to have one without the other. Island businesses, including the Downyflake restaurant and bakery, are bracing for the departure of hundreds of Jamaican workers who come to Nantucket for nine-month periods on seasonal H2-B visas that expire on Dec. 15.

Recount is now Dec. 16
The Board of Registrars voted Monday to conduct a hand recount of the ballots cast in the Nov. 21 special election after runner-up Patty Roggeveen, who finished only two votes behind Catherine Flanagan Stover, filed a formal petition with the Town Clerk’s office last week.The recount will be held on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 8 a.m. in the Nantucket High School cafeteria.

Toys for Tots name changed to Inky Santa's Toy Drive
The Toys for Tots/Inky Santa program changed its name to Inky Santa’s Toy Drive at last week’s board of directors meeting. According to Inky Santa’s Toy Drive’s.

Read the rest of the Inquirer & Mirror here.

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Woman falls from Tall Ship, Romney blows it with conservatives, Space shot visible here, Joel Meyerowitz gets a new pair of shoes, Pro & Anti Gay Marriage rallies

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_{We search the web every day to bring you stories
about the cape found in hundreds of off cape media,
stories you will not see in the any of the
local newspapers this morning.}
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NASA launch last night was visible from Cape Cod

At 8:47 pm last evening NASA sent the Discovery back to service the space station, a eagle-eyed Cape Codder who looked south in the clear, bright sky saw it rise. 

On Cape Cod the rising shuttle Discovery was visible on Cape Cod in the south or southeast. Those with telescopes reported seeing the booster rocket flare as it separated a few minutes into the flight. See updates on CNN.
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UPDATE: NHL Hall of Famer Bob Gainey's daughter swept off ship

It was the daughter of NHL hockey Hall of Famer Bob Gainey who was swept off a Nova Scotia ship during an Atlantic storm in the story below.

Laura Gainey, a 25-year-old crew member on right, was washed off a deck at the back of the vessel by a rogue wave Friday night. Her disappearance was confirmed Sunday by the Montreal Canadiens. Bob Gainey is the team's general manager...Read the rest of this IHT story here.

Search resumes Sunday for woman overboard a tall ship in mid-Atlantic
Rogue wave hit Picton Castle 540 miles southeast of Cape Cod

HALIFAX (CP) - A report of a woman overboard from a Nova Scotia-based tall ship in rough seas off the eastern U.S. coast had rescue officials scrambling late Friday night.

A U.S. Coast Guard spokesman identified the vessel as the Picton Castle, a 55-metre (180 foot) barque based in Lunenburg, N.S. Matthew Brooks said details about what happened to the woman in her mid-20s were sketchy.

"They did a head count once she was noticed missing, and at that point they realized she . . . as far as we know, went overboard in the rough seas," Brooks said in an interview from the coast guard centre in Norfolk, Va.

He said the crew aboard the Picton Castle "threw numerous life rings and lighted buoys out over the side to try to mark the area, and possibly for her to grab onto something." The woman, who has not been identified, was noticed missing sometime Friday night. The coast guard was notified around 10 p.m. ET.

Brooks said the tall ship, with 29 people on board, was approximately 880 kilometres (540 miles) east-southeast of Cape Cod, Mass., and had been sailing south toward the Caribbean at the time of the mishap. Winds in the area were between 55 and 75 kilometres (35 to 46 miles)  an hour, along with sea swells up to six metres (20 feet).

Brooks said the crew of the Picton Castle was doing all it could to find the missing woman, but searching was difficult given the darkness and the rough weather. "They've turned around, they're attempting to search as best as possible," said Brooks.

Officials at the Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax said a commercial tanker about 120 kilometres away from the Picton Castle was the closest ship in the area. The tanker was expected to take at least six or seven hours to reach the tall ship to offer assistance.

The Halifax centre also said a Canadian Forces Hercules aircraft from Greenwood, N.S., was to head out early Saturday morning. The Picton Castle was too far out to sea for land-based Canadian helicopters to reach. Another Hercules from North Carolina will take over from the Canadian aircraft later Saturday, said Brooks.

Brooks added that they were attempting to find other commercial ships in the area to lend assistance, but the poor weather conditions had kept most mariners away.

The Picton Castle is owned and operated by the Windward Isles Sailing Ship Co. Ltd. The ship functions as a deep-ocean sail training and long-distance education vessel... Read the rest of this story here.

UPDATE: The captain of a Nova Scotia-based tall ship says a rogue wave swept one of its crew overboard in a fierce storm off the U.S. coast Friday night. Dan Moreland, who was in Lunenburg, N.S., says crew aboard the Picton Castle notified him at home shortly after 9:30 p.m. that a 25-year-old woman had gone overboard after the 55-metre vessel ran into severe weather... Read the rest of this Montreal AM940 report here.

Darkness forced the U.S. Coast Guard to temporarily end the air search Saturday night. U.S. Coast Guard officials say the search will resume at first light on Sunday; however, they note the maximum survival period would be about 36 hours, given the water temperature, the woman's physical condition and other factors.

"The 36-hour point should be about nine o'clock (Sunday), so if we do a first-light search in the morning that will take us through that 36-hour point,'' Lieut. Stephanie Burns, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Coast Guard, told The Canadian Press. "At that point we'll evaluate whether or not to actually suspend or possibly keep searching.'' Read this update from CTV here.
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Romney blows it with conservatives on Gay Right & Same Sex Marriage

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 — Gov. Mitt Romney, the Massachusetts Republican who has built a presidential campaign on a broad appeal for conservative support, is drawing sharply increased criticism from conservative activists for his advocacy of gay rights in a 1994 letter.  Mr. Romney’s standing among conservatives is being hurt by a letter he sent to the Log Cabin Club of Massachusetts saying that he would be a stronger advocate for gay rights than Senator Edward M. Kennedy, his opponent in a Senate race, in a position that stands in contrast to his current role as a champion of a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

“We must make equality for gays and lesbians a mainstream concern,” Mr. Romney wrote in a detailed plea for the support of the club, a gay Republican organization. The circulation of the letter by gay rights groups in recent weeks has set off a storm of outrage among social conservatives, and by Friday was looming as a serious complication to Mr. Romney’s hopes.  Aides to Mr. Romney, who did not dispute the letter’s legitimacy.. read the rest of this New York Times story here.  and the Globe story here, and below read the BayWindows column by Laura Kiritsy (below right) which scooped the mainstream media on this story here:

Romney is a big fat liar

The fact that there’s intense interest in a letter Mitt Romney wrote to the Massachusetts Log Cabin Club 12 years ago in which he pledged to be a more ardent advocate for gay rights than U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy isn’t a surprise. (See “Follow That Trail,” page 15.) Romney is an all-but-declared candidate for president who’s staked his candidacy on social conservatism. Any hint of hypocrisy on Romney’s part with regard to LGBT issues is of great use for political reporters, GOP primary opponents and LGBT activists alike. What is surprising, though, is the depth of Romney’s hypocrisy.

In 1994, when Romney was running for U.S. Senate against Ted Kennedy, he engaged in a lengthy interview with Bay Windows during which he discussed his views on employment nondiscrimination legislation, the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy — and civil marriage rights for same-sex couples (see “Mitt’s secret gay history II,” page 10). The interview was published Aug. 25, 1994. His views on gay issues in 1994 are largely at odds with his stated views today... Read the rest of the Bay Windows story here, and comment below.

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Anti-gay marriage forces mobilize
Rallies aim to turn up heat on lawmakers to allow vote

A Catholic political advocacy group is organizing rallies this weekend in New Bedford and two other cities to urge state legislators to vote on a proposed 2008 ballot question to ban same-sex marriage in Massachusetts.  Catholic Citizenship, a member of the coalition that sponsored the petition drive for the ballot question, hopes the events will show legislators that citizens do not want them to "use procedural moves to avoid a vote," said Bea Martins, the group's public policy coordinator for the Fall River diocese area.

On Nov. 9, state legislators dodged a vote on the ballot question by voting 109-87 to recess the Constitutional Convention to Jan. 2, the last day of the legislative year.
Gov. Mitt Romney is one of several plaintiffs who filed a complaint with the Supreme Judicial Court saying the Legislature has violated the state constitution by not voting on the ballot question and asking the court to put the question on the ballot in 2008... Read the rest of this Standard-Times story here.
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Gay marriage activists rally on Cape Cod

BARNSTABLE - The gay marriage debate on Beacon Hill spilled over to the Cape yesterday afternoon, with partisans on both sides of the issue demonstrating outside the Barnstable Superior Courthouse.

About 100 gay marriage opponents gathered in the parking lot outside the courthouse to urge the Legislature to vote on a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would ban gay marriage. If lawmakers endorse the amendment by Jan. 2, the proposed amendment would go before voters as a ballot question in 2008... Read the rest of this Cape Cod Times story here.
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Joel Meyerowitz gets a new pair of shoes
We’re Not in Keds Anymore

Over the centuries, doctors, holy men, philosophers, psychologists have argued about where to locate the sanctum sanctorum of human consciousness. Is it in the heart, the head, the liver, the stomach ... points farther south? Despite the best efforts of the pharmaceutical industry, it is still anyone’s game. One might imagine, for example, a photographer restating the famous Descartes dictum to reflect a different view: “I see, therefore I am.”

Certainly Joel Meyerowitz has relied on an eagle eye to create a celebrated array of work, from the raw and wrenching panoramas of the World Trade Center destruction (collected in a new book, “Aftermath,” from Phaidon) to lively New York streetscapes and atmospheric Cape Cod landscapes. But he has come to locate his own spirit farther south than even the viscera. “Going to get a new pair of Keds for the baseball season was something I really looked forward to when I was a kid,” Mr. Meyerowitz said. “I could see myself in them streaking down the base paths, covering the territory as if I had put on winged shoes. Especially after a long winter of heavy leather shoes, those new Keds were really liberating.”

While Mr. Meyerowitz may wish that almost 50 years had not passed before rediscovering that his heart was really in his feet, he is thrilled to have had the fact brought home in style. In 1998, for his 60th birthday, his wife, Maggie Barrett, gave him a pair of shoes like no other. He had to travel down to E. Vogel, the 127-year-old custom cobbler in Lower Manhattan, to have his feet measured so the shoes could be made... Read the rest of this New York Times story here.
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Patrick, Murray take aim at new energy projects
Special focus’ being placed on alternative power sources, Cape Wind

It was one of Deval L. Patrick’s more memorable claims during his campaign: If the state could develop new industries based around advances in alternative energy, “the whole world would be our customer.” Now as he structures a new administration and its agenda before taking office next month, the governor-elect is facing the task of translating his big idea into green kilowatts and jobs, turning energy crises into economic opportunity.

Having formed a working group to focus on energy and environmental issues, and included alternative energy executives on the team preparing his economic development agenda, Mr. Patrick said he wants to designate high-level staff members to coordinate renewable energy efforts within his administration.

“I think it’s very important to have a special focus on energy,” Mr. Patrick said. Referring to a decision to create a labor secretariat to focus on employment issues, he wants a similar coordinator to oversee renewable energy work in his new administration. “I’m looking at how we create structures and organization in order to give it that kind of emphasis and focus,” he said. rom his view, a lot is riding on making the state a leader in the field... Susan F. Tierney, a former federal energy administrator and state environmental secretary who is co-chairman of the Patrick-Murray working group on energy and environment, says the Cape Wind offshore turbine project, while controversial, could also prove a bonus for developing turbine technologies here.

War in the Middle East, growing concern over global warming, and a surge in new capital and foundation funding available for alternative energy projects are all pushing the alternative energy agenda forward here, Ms. Tierney said. .. Read the rest of this  Worcester Telegram story here, and comment below.
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Mayors look to Patrick camp for a 'new partnership'

As Governor-elect Deval Patrick prepares to take the oath of office, leaders of the 13 cities north of Boston are voicing a common hope that the new administration will be considerably more responsive and helpful to municipalities than the current occupant of the corner office.

"I think expectations among municipal leaders, especially in cities, are high for what we would generally call a new partnership around revenue sharing and things like" investing in infrastructure and education, said Malden Mayor Richard C. Howard. Amid such upbeat assessments, some leaders are also cautioning that the new governor's promises -- positive as they are -- may be difficult to achieve.

"I wonder where he's going to find the money," said Beverly Mayor William F. Scanlon Jr... Governor Mitt Romney got off to a rocky start with the state's municipal leaders, making deep cuts in local aid soon after entering office to help cover a looming state deficit. The relationship with local governments did not improve much from there... Lynn Mayor Edward J. Clancy, a Democrat who was also neutral on the race, praised Patrick for "being honest about the income tax" and for showing "courage" in favoring the proposed wind farm off Cape Cod. "After that, I can't think of a thing I agreed with him on."  Read the rest of this Globe story here.

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Vineyard hospital renovation ok'ed, Richard Dreyfuss lectures on civics

     ^{This week had Spring-like days to bike through Ocean Park in Oak Bluffs} 

Martha's Vineyard NEWS, December 8, 2006

MVC Approves Hospital Plan
Commission Vote Is Unanimous Despite Stubborn Reservations Over Location of Building; Offsite Parking Is Out
The Martha's Vineyard Commission last night unanimously approved the $42 million renovation and expansion of the Martha's Vineyard Hospital despite widespread misgivings with the existing location.

Gift from Patricia Nanon Family Preserves Chilmark Arts Colony
Patricia N. Nanon, the feisty choreographer who founded The Yard as an informal dance theatre project in 1972, next month will grant full ownership of her multimillion dollar property in the wooded hills of Chilmark to the singular Island arts colony.

Actor Launches Civics Roadshow on Island
Oscar-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss had a full house in the Katharine Cornell Theatre in Vineyard Haven on Wednesday night for a conversation leagues away from the blockbuster film that put both him and Martha's Vineyard on the map: reintroducing civics to the public school curriculum.

Danish Study Is Boost for Wind Farms
In the most comprehensive scientific analysis on offshore wind farms to date, a Danish government report released last week found little or no environmental impacts from the world's two largest offshore projects.

Presidential Medal of Freedom Awarded to David McCullough
David McCullough, the prize-winning historian and West Tisbury resident whose acclaimed works of nonfiction have all been written from his home off Music street, will receive the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom at a White House ceremony next week. 

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Sexual harassment charges at Nauset Regional Middle School, Eastham first to pursue land-based wind power,

      ^{The amphitheater at Eastham's Natuonal Seashore Visitor Center is decoreated for Fall - John Fitts photo}

Lower Cape NEWS, December 8, 2006

Eastham first to pursue land-based wind power
By Marilyn Miller
Eastham is poised to become the first Lower Cape town to sail boldly toward land-based wind power.  The town’s Energy Committee in January will issue Requests for Proposals from private developers to install up to four, 400-foot-tall wind turbines on two parcels of town-owned property in North Eastham.

Sexual harassment charges at NRMS
By Donna Tunney
ORLEANS — The parents of two Nauset Regional Middle School students, both girls, are headed to the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office next Thursday to discuss sexual harassment complaints their daughters lodged against a male student, the girls’ mothers told The Cape Codder. 

Cape Wind supporters, detractors find what suit their objectives in new study
By Craig Salters
An eight-year study of the world’s two largest offshore wind farms, in Denmark, has concluded that those projects have had minimal impact on birds, fish or the surrounding environment. [more]

Outreach Council bundles kindness, respect, help
After she suffered a heart attack in the early 1990s, “Dorothy” needed help. Fortunately, a caring outreach worker with the Council On Aging helped connect her with services that could help, like a home health aid, Elder Services and the Lower Cape Outreach Council – which was a huge help.

Gifts of Hope Donations
To contribute to Gifts of Hope, send your tax-deductible contribution to: Lower Cape Outreach Council, P.O. Box 2013, Orleans, MA 02653. If you wish your donation to be made in honor or memory of someone, please note that and it will be recorded on the list published weekly in The Cape Codder for the duration of the campaign. [more]
First test of Article 12 postponed. The controversy over Article 12 in Provincetown is dying down, but soon townspeople will see just exactly what effect it will have on condominium conversions, affordable housing and preserving the town’s economic base.

Historic commission tables Sou’Wester condo application
By Matt Rice
At the request of the applicants, a review by the Historic Business District Commission of a controversial 22-unit condominium complex for the former Sou’Wester site, located at the corner of Main Street and Barn Hill Road in Chatham, was tabled until Jan. 17.

Housing summit tackles action plan
By Steve Desroches
The Provincetown Housing Summit reconvened yesterday, Dec. 7, to approve a 16-page action plan to tackle the town’s severe housing crisis. Sixty town residents participated in creating the plan. [more]

Survivors recall Pearl Harbor, 65 years later
By Nicole Muller
Gilbert Goodwin and Charles Filosa have more in common than growing up in Massachusetts and retiring to South Yarmouth. Both octogenarians were at Pearl Harbor on the “Day of Infamy,” when 353 Japanese planes inflicted close to 4,000 casualties and sank or damaged 18 ships in a two-hour attack.

Selectmen address Nauset, Pochet
By Matthew Belson
The animosity between the Orleans and Chatham over the closures at Nauset Beach last summer appears to be fading as the two communities work to resolve beach management issues.

 Read the rest of The Cape Codder here, and comment below.

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Extreme makeover? Stomping out sound, Housing report

   ^{Reflection of Uncle Tim's Bridge in Wellfleet} 

Outer Cape NEWS, November 5, 2006

In the News
Firing a legal shot across the planning board’s bow, Provincetown’s town counsel has refuted the board’s letter to the state Attorney General, which claims that the affordable housing zoning amendment passed at Special Town Meeting last month is not legal. Despite that disagreement, town counsel did, however, give the opinion that the planning board did not exceed its authority when it wrote the letter. In Provincetown: damage to piles at the pier from bore worms not as bad as feared; Provincetown Theater gets boost from Schoolman Trust; Bead Garden hit by smash and grab this weekend; two meetings are planned to get input on town manager search; Rep. O’Leary talked with state democratic committee members about his vote to not table the same sex marriage question...

In the Arts Emilio Estevez’s earnest “Bobby” has rewards among its flaws. But it doesn’t come close to capturing what Robert F. Kennedy ...

Extreme makeover? By Pru Sowers. PROVINCETOWN — A series of proposed ideas to give a physical and virtual makeover to the town was met with diverse  reactions from about 50 residents who attended a design “charette” last week. The audience first listened to ideas presented by Icon Architecture, the Boston-based firm hired to design an interactive facelift for Provincetown to help stimulate tourism, then broke into smaller work groups to organize their responses. While the work groups all agreed that the focus should be on telling the myriad stories of Provincetown’s past and present, there was disagreement over how to present those stories...

Stomping out sound By Ann Wood. Aaron Larget-Caplan picked up the electric guitar for the same reasons most teenage boys do — he wanted to be a rock star. ...

Housing report proposes significant changes By Pru Sowers. PROVINCETOWN – When the work groups formed during September’s Housing Summit meet Thursday, Dec. 7, to give their final reports on how to solve the affordable housing crisis here, the proposed solutions will range from small to extraordinary. The “new construction” work group found 20 existing land parcels that may be suitable for new affordable housing developments. In particular, the group proposed that the town develop a 3.5-acre portion of the town’s cemetery — leaving a one-acre buffer for cemetery expansion – in order to create 20 to 35 affordable or community housing units...

Advocate Archives A fifty-mile southeast gale roared through Provincetown last Monday night, turning the harbor into seething breakers, flinging white suds crashing into the air ...

High hopes entertained for PHS hoopsters
By Kevin Mullaney. The Provincetown High School boy’s basketball team begins the season Tuesday at home against Harwich with a ...

Read the rest of the Banner here.

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Deer ticks explode, Slaughterhouse Drive, CG rescues cameraman

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We search the web every day to bring you stories about the cape found inhundreds of off cape media, stories you ill not see in the any of the local newspapers this morning.
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Lyme disease threat grows
Some cape deer have hundreds of ticks on them

 BOXBOROUGH - It seems that everyone knows someone who has been infected with Lyme disease in Boxborough. In the last few years, the number of cases in the area have sky-rocketed.

But residents are divided as to the best solution for countering the disease-carrying deer ticks. And the question of whether the deer population has anything to do with the increase of cases has been debated.Dr. Sam Telford, a professor at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, said controlling the herd will control the disease.   "A number of peer-reviewed studies have demonstrated that deer density predicts deer tick density," he said. "Several other studies show that deer reduction on a small scale, island situations, will reduce [the population] of ticks once the ticks have become a nuisance."

Telford has spent much of his time on the Cape Cod and the Islands where the number of reported cases of Lyme disease have exploded. He said he has seen deer with as many as a couple hundred ticks on them... Read the rest of this Beacon story here, and comment below.
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North Attleborough board irked
Hired town's wiring inspector to perform electrical work at their homes, one on Cape Cod

NORTH ATTLEBORO - Three selectmen have been reported to the state ethics commission for having the town's wiring inspector Paul LaFratta, who the board of selectmen appoints, perform electrical work at their homes.

Selectmen John Rhyno, Marjorie Kraskouskas and James Wood were contacted by the ethics commission this week after an anonymous person reported that LaFratta had done electrical work for each of them. All paid for the work done, and board members said it was their interest in supporting local businesses that led them to hiring LaFratta for the work.

... Rhyno said he did not hire LaFratta directly. The wiring inspector, who has a side business as an electrician, was hired by a general contractor to perform electrical work at the selectman's house on Cape Cod... Read the rest of this Sun Chronicle story here.
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Freezer ship to unload in New Bedford
Services 9 trawlers too small to carry the fish back safely

The new year will bring a 350-foot freezer ship into the port of New Bedford to unload frozen herring and mackerel caught in offshore waters by a fleet of up to nine trawlers that are too small to carry the fish back to shore safely. James Odlin, president of Atlantic Pelagic Seafood in Portland, Maine, said the American Freedom will serve as a giant freezer, allowing more fishermen to target offshore stocks of Atlantic herring and mackerel that swim from Labrador, Canada, to North Carolina.

The current fleet of large, mid-water trawlers — equipped with refrigeration systems to carry the fish back to onshore processing and freezing plants — has yet to reach the annual total allowable catch levels for herring and mackerel set by federal fishing regulators, Mr. Odlin said. In 2005, fishermen caught less than 30 percent of the quota for the offshore fishery. The quota for the inshore Gulf of Maine fishery was reached by December of that year... Red the rest of this Standard-Times here. Read previous story (3rd item) about another freezer ship here.
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Ill cameraman airlifted from lobster boat
Cinematographer was seasick south of Nantucket

BOSTON - A documentary film cameraman was medically evacuated by a Coast Guard helicopter tonight after reportedly suffering from seasickness about 161 miles east of Nantucket, Mass.

The 36-year old cameraman's condition became serious after two days of sickness aboard fishing vessel Direction of Westport, Mass.

Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England received a distress call over HF radio channel 2182 around 4 p.m. requesting medical evacuation for the ailing cameraman.

An HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter launched from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod and arrived on-scene around 7:45 p.m. Weather conditions at the time of the hoist were four to six-foot seas and winds from 15-20 knots.

The cameraman was hoisted from the 77-foot fishing vessel and is scheduled to be flown to Hyannis Barnstable Airport to be transferred to EMS.   "Seasickness certainly varies from case to case," said Petty Officer Etta Smith, a Coast Guard spokeswoman.
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Country Christmas Founder Recalls Early Days on Cape Cod
Turned Ramona CA into a Currier & Ives picture

Geoff Cahoon has fond childhood memories of Christmas in New England. When he moved to Julian, about 15 years ago, he brought those memories with him.

"I was brought up on Cape Cod," he said. "When I got into town, after seeing my first Christmas here, I asked people how come everybody's not doing something?"

He already had ideas for what he would like to see happen in Julian.

"I just thought, Currier & Ives style," he said "Simple garland, red ribbons and white lights... That was my dream, to make a Currier & Ives picture"... Read the rest of this Ramona Journal story here. 
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Slaughterhouse Drive

 WESTPORT - Meat-producing farmers in the area are working together to bring a slaughterhouse to southeastern Massachusetts after the lone facility in the area closed last spring.

A dozen farmers, mostly from Westport and Dartmouth, have formed Southeastern Massachusetts Meat Producers in hopes of opening a USDA-certified meat processing plant, though it appears to be a longshot, said Paul Schmid, a beef farmer at River Rock Farm off Fisherville Lane and chairman of the Westport Finance Committee.Since the South Dartmouth slaughterhouse closed, farmers have had to make the 100-mile trek to the closest facility in Groton, between Lowell and Fitchburg. There are also a few members from farms in Rhode Island, which is also without a certified facility.

Schmid said producing beef may be the only way for farmers to survive in the area. A slaughterhouse is important," Schmid said. "As you know, the dairy business has been terrible for Northeastern farmers. They have to get much bigger or go out of business, but there's not enough land here to get that big."

Producing beef for restaurants in Boston, Cape Cod and Providence is a great opportunity for local farmers, he said. "There is a great demand for grass-fed meat"... Read the rest of this Herald-News story here, and comment below.
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Researcher has an eye for endangered right whales
And she identifies them in Cape Cod Bay from Lake Michigan

MILWAUKEE - Marilyn Marx's view of the water is spectacular. From her second-story home office window, the world renowned whale researcher can look up from her computer to watch the gulls and cormorants as they dive for fish, or lose her thoughts in the trawlers and cargo ships as they cruise in and out of port.

The only thing that makes this scene at all peculiar is that the body of water that Marx is looking at isn't the Atlantic but Lake Michigan. And her home: Milwaukee. For more than two decades, Marx has been observing and photographing the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

A researcher for the New England Aquarium in Boston, she is one of only a handful of people who can recognize and identify the 350 or so right whales of the North Atlantic.

And she does it from her Wisconsin home. Marx moved to the East Coast in the early 1980s after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she studied art history and English.

"I wanted to do something interesting," she said, remembering her move to Massachusetts. And she wanted to find a job that would allow her to work with the environment. She landed a summer internship at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, Mass., where she worked for nothing until she was offered a job that fall of 1985, studying the foraging and feeding behaviors of right whales in Cape Cod Bay... Read the rest of this Sun-Herald story here.

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Dennis village eyed for cultural arts district, Yarmouth Selectmen blast draft report of task force, Groups work together to ease hunger, Cape Wind touts Danish wind farm study

      ^{A new 152 page report from Denmark about this wind farm dominated the news this week}

Mid Cape NEWS, Thursday, December 7, 2006

Survivors remember Pearl Harbor By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com Gilbert Goodwin and Charles Filosa have more in common than growing up in Massachusetts and retiring to South Yarmouth. Among their many blessings, both octogenarians count their ships' locations at Pearl Harbor on the "Day of Infamy," when 353 Japanese planes inflicted close to 4,000 casualties and sank or damaged 18 ships in a two-hour attack... [more]

Dennis village eyed for cultural arts district By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com In response to artists' requests, Dennis Town Planner Dan Fortier and the economic development committee are examining the possibility of rezoning part of Dennis village.  "Community comments, particularly those of artists, have indicated that we should look into a zoning district that would encourage a local artists' community," Fortier said last week at a public hearing on the proposal. "We tried to look at the major art facility in town, the Cape Playhouse and the property around it, to see if we could do something that would allow more of the town's artists to operate businesses in the vicinity"... [more]

Back from the brink By Joe Burns/ jburns@cnc.com They came here to get out of the cold, but what they got was a lot more than just a cot. For them, NOAH Shelter was a gateway to a path that took them out from under the shadow of despair into the light of a reclaimed life. On Nov.29, three of those who were pulled back from the brink returned to NOAH Shelter. All are members of the Duffy Health Center Advisory Board. They came to assist those still living on the street by participating in the Duffy Center's Winter Survival Fair... [more]

Groups work together to ease hunger By Craig Salters/ Csalters@cnc.com It's a typical Monday morning and Mary Anderson, executive director of the Family Pantry in Harwich, can't help but make a quick inventory of the shelves as she takes a guest on a tour of the pantry and surrounding warehouse. "We have no mayo or crackers, at the moment," says Anderson, pretty much to herself, as she walks past one section of what is an otherwise well-stocked pantry, complete with cans of beans, boxes of macaroni, pallets of cereal boxes and, in a nearby freezer, turkeys and various other meats... [more]

Get ready for the big 'Christmas Bird Count' By Rich Eldred/ reldred@cnc.com Christmas time's a coming, as Bill Monroe sang many years ago, and while that turns many folks' thoughts to gift wrap, carols, chestnuts on the fire... [more]

Around Yarmouth Dec. 15 flu clinic by appointment only The Yarmouth Board of Health will host a flu clinic 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15 at the parish life center... [more]

Healing with music and laughter By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com Focus on Healing, with licensed, certified instructor Mary Jane Doonan, meets for one hour, weekly, at two Cape locations. Walk-ins are welcome. *... [more]

A community in harmony By Joe Burns/ jburns@cnc.com A Joyous Christmas The Cape Cod Chorale will perform Vivaldi's "Gloria," Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus" and favorite fireside carols... [more]

Cape Wind touts Danish wind farm study By Craig Salters/ csalters@cnc.com An eight-year study of the world's two largest offshore wind farms has concluded that those projects have had minimal impact on birds, fish or the surrounding environment. At an international conference last month in Denmark, researchers released their study, "Danish Offshore Wind - Key Environmental Issues," a review by Danish energy and government agencies on their 80-turbine Horns Rev and 72-turbine Nysted sites. In it, they label waterbird collisions with turbines "rare events" and stated that construction and operation of the turbines had no serious long-term effects to nearby fish and seal populations... [more]

Are D-Y schools good learning environments? By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District Superintendent Carol Woodbury gave the school committee food for thought Monday night when she asked, "How... [more]

Educators, community benefit from foundation's grants By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com Seven educators will begin 2007 with the funding to make dreams come true, thanks to the Education Foundation for Dennis and Yarmouth. The foundation's... [more]

Wrestling with recidivism By Joe Burns/ jburns@cnc.com "The government is responsible for maintaining peace. The community is responsible for making peace," said Judge Joseph Reardon, paraphrasing... [more]

With revenue down, county evaluates needs By Douglas Karlson/ dkarlson@cnc.com Faced with a long list of human service needs and a shrinking budget, Barnstable county government will likely have some tough decisions to make next... [more]

Around Dennis Firewood giveaway is Dec. 16 The annual resident-only firewood giveaway is Saturday, Dec. 16. The poplar and oak, is a by-product of conservation... [more]

Narrowly escaping death LeRoy Weber of Orleans is a lucky man - and he's the first to say so. On Sunday morning, Dec. 7, 1941, Weber waited on the top deck of the light cruiser... [more]

Selectmen blast draft report of task force By Craig Salters/ csalters@cnc.com Here's an understatement: Yarmouth selectmen Tuesday night coolly received a draft report by the Cape Cod Commission 21st Century Task Force. "It's... [more]

Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School Choir at Disney Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School Concert Chorale members performed Sunday as part of the Walt Disney World Candlelight Processional and Massed... [more]

Vets remember American Legion Post 197 honors the survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor with a ceremony at Yarmouth Town Hall this morning (Thursday) at 11 a.m.... [more]

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Cape Light Compact and Con Edison Solutions Announce Electricity Prices

Cape & Vineyard electricity rates to decrease by 10-13%

Today, the Cape Light Compact and Con Edison Solutions announced that residential and commercial electricity prices on the Cape and Martha's Vineyard will decrease by 10-13% from the rates in effect in January 2006.

According to Bob Mahoney, Chairman of the Cape Light Compact, Cape & Vineyard consumers will welcome the rate decrease as the prices are "very competitive and offer customers savings and price stability."

The rate change is guaranteed to remain in effect for a six month period (from the customer's January meter reading to their July meter reading).  The actual cost per kWh will be 11.652 cents for residential customers and 11.671 cents  per kWh for commercial customers.  The rate for industrial customers will be 12.871 cents per kWh and will be in effect from January 2007 through March 2007.

In addition the rate cut, Con Edison Solutions also announced an extension on the "one cent" price break.  Originally offered through October, it will now be extended through the end of the year.

The Cape Light Compact chose Con Edison Solutions as its competitive power supplier in November of 2004.  Read the press release regarding the appointment here. 

About the Cape Light Compact
The Cape Light Compact, as administered through Barnstable County, is a regional energy services organization made up of all 21 towns of Barnstable and Dukes counties. The purpose of the Compact is to represent and protect consumer interests in a restructured utility industry. As authorized by each town, the Compact operates the regional energy efficiency program and works with the combined buying power of the region's 197,000 electric consumers to negotiate for lower cost electricity and other public benefits.  For more information, go to the website, www.capelightcompact.org.

About ConEdison Solutions
Established in 1997, ConEdison Solutions is a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc., one of the nation's largest and longest-operating investor-owned energy holding companies.  ConEdison Solutions is a leading energy services company that provides cost-effective energy solutions for commercial, industrial, residential and government customers.  ConEdison Solutions presently serves electric commodity customers in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington, D.C.

Based in White Plains, New York, with offices in Burlington, Massachusetts; Cherry Hill, New Jersey; Arlington, Virginia and Houston, Texas, the company's dedicated team of energy professionals delivers a broad range of commodity, consulting, demand-side management, and performance contracting services.  ConEdison Solutions creates customized programs and services tailored to help customers achieve their individual energy objectives.

Visit the Consolidated Edison web site at www.conedison.com  for information on all Consolidated Edison companies. Click here to learn more about the Solutions.

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Tampa Museum apologizes for Whydah, Cape's deer get next 2 weeks off

     Cape Cod stories from Off Cape media on Thursday, December 7, 2006

A mighty wind in Plymouth
County prisioners may be annoyed

The wind never stops blowing and it just blew $40,000 into Plymouth County — an investment that county officials are hoping to turn into a lot more.

The state sent the $40,000 grant to pay for a wind monitoring tower on the Plymouth County Farm on Obery Street. The ultimate goal is to erect a series of windmills in the area that could put a big dent in the county jail's $1 million annual electric bill.

The biggest question may be whether these windmills attract the same opposition that has stymied the Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound — a series of 130 windmills that could provide three-quarters of the power for Cape Cod.

This is likely to be different. Instead of opponents named Kennedy, Cronkite and McCullough (who are worried that Cape Wind will spoil their views), the only people to worry about don't even have names — they have numbers, as in prisoners in the county jail who could be bothered by the turbine noise. But Sheriff Joseph McDonald said the noise from Route 3 would be louder than the noise from four to 10 windmills that could be placed on a 100-acre wooded site owned by the county... Read the of this Enterprise story here, and comment below.
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E.On to build U.K.'s biggest wind farm
Will prevent about 230,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions yearly

LONDON --German power company E.ON AG said Thursday it will begin construction at the start of 2007 on Robin Rigg, the U.K.'s largest offshore wind farm with a capacity of 180 megawatts. The project will cost about euro500 million (US$665.3 million).

E.On U.K. plans to build 60 three-megawatt turbines to be situated off the coast of Scotland. Robin Rigg is expected to enter service in early 2009 and will produce approximately 550 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, enough to meet the average annual electricity needs of about 150,000 homes.

The wind farm will prevent about 230,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, the company said... In the U.K., E.On currently operates Scroby Sands, a 60 megawatt offshore wind farm off England's east coast, which entered service in 2004. See the Globe report here.
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Canadian company to seek permit for western Maine wind farm

KIBBY TOWNSHIP, Maine --TransCanada, an energy company based in Calgary, Alberta, plans to apply within 30 days for a permit to build a $250 million to $300 million wind farm on two western Maine mountains.

TransCanada will ask the Land Use Regulation Commission for permission to install 44 turbines on 13.7 miles of ridge line on Kibby Mountain and Kibby Range, just south of the Quebec border.

"We have satisfied ourselves that is an appropriate site for wind power," said Nick Di Domenico, TransCanada's project manager.

The company received LURC approval last year to erect three meteorological towers to measure wind velocity, Di Domenico said. It also conducted other environmental studies, including the project's impact on wetlands and bats.

An earlier project in Franklin County now under review by LURC is Maine Mountain Power LLC's $130 million proposal to build 30 wind towers atop the Redington Pond Range and Black Nubble mountains in Redington Township, near Carrabassett Valley... Read the rest of this Globe story here.
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Tampa Museum of Science & Industry makes slave ship apology

The head of the Museum of Science and Industry apologized Wednesday for a plan to use artifacts from a former slave ship in a pirate exhibit. And just so there's no confusion, MOSI president Wit Ostrenko said, he will not try to bring the Whydah exhibit to Tampa at a later time.

"I would like to apologize to anyone in the community that I may have offended in my consideration of bringing this controversial exhibition to MOSI," Ostrenko said in a statement released through a museum spokeswoman. Late Sunday evening, Ostrenko released a statement that said MOSI had decided not to bring the Whydah (pronounced WID-ah) to Tampa "at this time," which left some residents who opposed the plan wondering whether Ostrenko hoped to land the display later. A pitch 14 years ago for a Channelside-area pirate museum using artifacts from a slave ship failed after community outrage was expressed.

The Whydah was overtaken by pirates days before it sank in 1717 off Cape Cod. Built in 1715, the ship's primary role was transporting slaves.

Read the previous story (item two) here. See the St. Petersburg Times story here, and comment below.
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Shotgun season to end, but deer can't rest
Cape Cod deer spared next two weeks

Although the Vineyard's two-week deer shotgun season ends one-half hour after sunset Saturday, Island deer will receive no respite from hunting pressure.

On Monday, Dec. 11, the state's muzzleloader season starts. Hunters using a variety or one-shot muzzle loading rifles will have until one half hour after sunset on Saturday, Dec. 30 to bag a deer.

This week Environmental Police Sergeant Patrick Grady said that with the exception of a hunter shot with buckshot on Saturday it has been a relatively quiet shotgun season. Calls have included complaints about trespassing, illegal tree stands, and baiting, he said. Sgt. Grady issued one citation to a hunter, part of a party of hunters, who was not carrying his hunting license.

Although hunting success varies among hunters, the number of deer taken in the first week of shotgun season remained about the same as last year. The new factor is the addition of an added week of shotgun hunting.

After hearing strong support from Islanders concerned about an increase in tick-borne diseases, the state Fisheries and Wildlife board last spring voted to increase the Vineyard season from six to 12 days in an effort to further control the deer herd. Other than the Cape Cod district, all of the state's hunting districts, including Nantucket, now have a two-week shotgun season... Read the rest of this Martha's Vineyard Times story here, and comment below.
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Police search for shooter in Vineyard deer-hunting accident

A Tisbury man is recovering after his back and arm were pierced with buckshot Saturday afternoon while hunting alone for deer in the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest. The shooter did not respond to the wounded man's shouts and apparently fled the scene, police say...  The incident occurred on the sixth day of the Vineyard's newly expanded 12-day deer shotgun hunting season. Deer hunters in Massachusetts are restricted to shotguns, which have a short range, and hunting accidents are relatively rare, according to state records.

Hunters typically fire deer slugs, one-ounce lead bullets. But, when hunting deer at close range in heavy cover, hunters may use buckshot, which are shells loaded with a set number of small balls, depending on the size of the load... Read the rest of this Martha's Vineyard Times story here, and comment below.

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School still possible, County revs down - Human Services in danger, A few KI pills are here

   ^{Birdhouses near the Sandwich boardwalk.} 

Upper Cape NEWS, December 7, 2006

At food pantry, the work goes on By Paul Gately/ pgately@cnc.com They come in all shapes and sizes and ages. They all have individual needs, likes and dislikes. They also have something in common - they need help securing food. At this time of year, the plight of the hungry takes on more meaning. So the Bourne Friends Food Pantry kicks into overdrive. The goal? No one goes without... [more]

A community in harmony By Joe Burns/ jburns@cnc.com On a Saturday morning, 70 or more men and women, dressed in sweatshirts, sweaters and slacks, gathered at Corpus Christi Church in East Sandwich. As they sat in rows of folding chairs, chatting quietly, the ordinariness and informality of the scene offered no hint of the extraordinary event that was about to occur. But at a signal from a lone figure sitting at a podium, what had been a seemingly random collection of Cape Codders became a single instrument of beauty as their voices filled the room with song... [more]

With revenue down, county evaluates needs By Douglas Karlson/ dkarlson@cnc.com Faced with a long list of human service needs and a shrinking budget, Barnstable county government will likely have some tough decisions to make next spring. Funds for the county budget come from the Registry of Deeds. But with fewer real estate transactions due to a sluggish housing market, revenue is expected to decrease. In fact, according to County Commissioner Bill Doherty on right, once core services are funded, there might not be any discretionary funding left for health and human services. "We're not very optimistic," he said. "The general feeling is we have to take a tough look at human services."  Doherty reported revenue was down 30 percent over the first three months of the fiscal year. "Although there's been a little strengthening, there hasn't been enough to make up for the shortfall and that's troubling," said Doherty, who added the county will have to draw down reserves to fund the budget. That budget, for fiscal 2008, probably won't be finalized until June... [more]

Scaled-down school still possible By Paul Gately/ pgately@cnc.com Bourne Selectwoman Linda Zuern resigned from the school building committee last week just 24 hours after voters for a second time rejected funding a $13.2 million project cost overrun for a new elementary school. Selectmen, however, hope a scaled-back Buzzards Bay grade school can still be built off Scenic Highway. Selectmen on Tuesday night appointed member John Harrington to the building panel. "If they want someone warm and fuzzy, it's not going to be me," Harrington said... [more]

'KI' tablets to be distributed By Silene Gordon/ sgordon@cnc.com It took years, but potassium iodide pills will soon be distributed to Upper Cape residents who want them. The pills help protect the thyroid in the event of a nuclear accident. According to Sandwich Health Agent David Mason, the town has received 52,000 pills, or enough for two pills per person... [more]

School plan down, but not out By Paul Gately/ News analysis Everything related to the controversial proposal to build a Buzzards Bay elementary school and early childhood learning center off Scenic Highway... [more]

Get ready for the big 'Christmas Bird Count' By Rich Eldred/ reldred@cnc.com Christmas time's a coming, as Bill Monroe sang many years ago, and while that turns many folks' thoughts to gift wrap, carols, chestnuts on the fire... [more]

Locals dig idea of turning up headstones By Silene Gordon/ sgordon@cnc.com It will be an underwater archaeological dig of sorts if local history buffs move forward with a plan to don hip boots and waders in an effort to find... [more]

New surface makes Keith Field a diamond gem By Paul Gately/ pgately@cnc.com Keith Field in Sagamore village has a new state-of-the-art infield - and a new beginning. Bourne kids and grownups have played on the ballfield with... [more]

Event raises funds, awareness about SIDS By Silene Gordon/ sgordon@cnc.com There was a benefit on behalf of the Paige Victoria Perry Fund last week in Sandwich to raise money and awareness for sudden infant death syndrome. More... [more]

Around Bourne Director in revamped DNR at issue Town Counsel Robert Troy may meet with the Department of Natural Resources Advisory Review Committee to consider... [more]

In Bourne vote, the answer is still 'no' By Paul Gately/ pgately@cnc.com Bourne voters for the second time in less than two months overwhelmingly rejected a $13.2 million request last week to fund a cost overrun on... [more]

Bourne police notes Bourne helped Wareham police arrest three teens Thursday night following an armed house invasion at 3221 Cranberry Highway. Wareham police said the... [more]

Education in brief Two more MMA trustee terms ending The terms of Massachusetts Maritime Academy trustees Arthur Desrocher and Adm. William Flanagan expire March 1,... [more]

Bourne School news
BMS presents 'The Nutcracker' Bourne Middle School will present its version of "The Nutcracker" at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, at Bourne... [more]

Read the rest of the Upper Cape Codder here, and comment below.

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School funds, lobsters, leather, shellfish & Santa

     ^{Fishing weirs off Chatham by John Fitts. Ususally made of locust,  fishermen say they last longer than iron}

Chatham & Harwich NEWS, December 6, 2006

Chatham Headlines 

40B Condo Project Gets Go-ahead From State
CHATHAM --- The state has determined that a proposed 12-unit condominium development on Main Street is eligible for a Chapter 40B comprehensive permit.   FULL STORY

Sou'Wester Historical Concerns Bringing Two Commissions Closer
CHATHAM --- With two commissions having authority over "historic" structures, it can be confusing just who has jurisdiction where.  At its most problematic, this can lead to tangled lines of communication, and a disconnect over how best to protect historic structures.
FULL STORY

Chatham Fish And Lobster Expanding Into Pampered Palate Space
by Tim Wood 
CHATHAM --- Chatham Fish and Lobster is planning to expand its retail shop at The Cornfield development into the space recently vacated by the Pampered Palate Café.   FULL STORY

Scrimshaw Leather Closes After 41 Years On Chatham's Main Street
by Tim Wood
 CHATHAM --- Old Scrimshaw Leather, a fixture on Main Street for more than 40 years, closed its doors last week.   FULL STORY

Chatham Welcomes ‘Christmas By The Sea' This Weekend
by Alan Pollock
CHATHAM - For revelers who'll be welcoming Christmas by the Sea this weekend, it's the most wonderful time of the year.   FULL STORY

Committee Explores Protecting Shellfish Beds From Wayward Boats
by Alan Pollock
CHATHAM - Though it doesn't appear to have been a major problem in the past, the waterways committee is taking a closer look at how to protect Stage Harbor's shellfish beds from wayward boats during storms.   FULL STORY

Helping  Neighbors Fund Drive
Holiday Season Tough On Families, Children
Parents work hard to make their children's holiday season bright and happy.  Keeping those visions of sugarplums dancing in the little ones' heads, however, can be an intensely stressful experience for parents.  For single parents, the financial burden of the season is often especially heavy.  And on Cape Cod, the holidays coincide with an annual downturn in income for many local residents.   FULL STORY

Harwich Headlines

School Department 5.98 Budget Increase Faces Opposition
HARWICH --- Calling it a "maintenance of effort budget," school officials this week defended a request for a 5.98 percent increase in FY 2008. Superintendent of School Dr. Carolyn Cragin said the request takes into consideration the fiscal constraints facing communities in Massachusetts.   FULL STORY

Towns Ready To Issue Contract For Long Pond Alum Treatment
HARWICH --- Phosphorus inactivation treatment designed to improve the health of Long Pond is anticipated to begin in late spring. The Long Pond Study Group has been examining treatment proposals and is poised to issue a contract to ENSR International, Inc., an environmental consulting group from Westford.   FULL STORY

Selectmen Take Over Setting Of Cranberry Valley Golf Fees
by William F. Galvin
HARWICH ---When the golf committee takes testimony on Monday in a public hearing designed to shape fees for the 2007 season, it will for the first time be doing so in an advisory capacity. The final decision on setting those fees now rests with selectmen.   FULL STORY

Harwich Fishermen Want To Lease Town Land For Gear Storage
by William F. Galvin
HARWICH --- As the complexion of this community changes from rural to suburban, fishermen have gotten squeezed on some of their more traditional habits, such as the storage of gear on residential properties.   FULL STORY

New Health Agent Will Focus on Food Safety Inspections
by William F. Galvin
HARWICH --- Earlier in the month, Board of Health Chairman Dr. Stanley Kocot told selectmen the health and safety of citizens of the town may be compromised because the shortage in staff, led to a reduction in food inspections.    FULL STORY

Three Harwich Residents Join Gubernatorial Transition Team
by Alan Pollock
HARWICH - Three Harwich residents are among six Cape Codders appointed to help establish the administration and the policies of Governor-elect Deval Patrick.  The three, Margo Fenn, Andrea Silbert and Dan Wolf, say they're proud to be part of one of the most inclusive, transparent gubernatorial transition teams ever created.   FULL STORY

Editorial

South Beach + Monomoy = ?
What does the connection of South Beach and South Monomoy Island mean?  A lot --- or perhaps nothing much.  If geology is your thing, this is a major event.  The movement of the Nauset barrier beach system is much-studied, and the changes since the 1987 breakthrough have gone pretty much according to prediction.  Alterations to landforms usually happen over long stretches of time, yet here is the opportunity to actually observe how natural processes work to shape the shoreline.    FULL STORY

Sports

Despite Valiant Effort, Cape Tech/Harwich Falls To Ipswich
QUINCY - For a second, Jake Nickerson didn't know who to turn to.  In stepped Mike Burgess. The two seniors hugged and held onto one another, as rivulets of tears flowed fast down their faces.    FULL STORY

These Super Crusaders Will Not Be Forgotten
QUINCY - The gory gash under his right eye didn't faze him.  It was a nasty little cut, so gruesome, in fact, that when the hit occurred, he temporarily lost his eyesight and thought his eyeball had been separated from the socket.   FULL STORY

Read these and the rest of the Cape Cod Chronicle stories here and comment below.

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Golf fee flap, Library budget tight, Override can be averted, Big Bird coming

     ^{Painting at the Herring River in Harwich} 

Harwich NEWS, December 6, 2006

Get ready for the big ’Christmas Bird Count’ By Rich Eldred/ reldred@cnc.com "Christmas Time’s a Coming," as Bill Monroe sang many years ago, and while that turns many folks’ thoughts to gift wrap, carols, chestnuts costs $600 for residents and $1,000 for nonresidents. Over the past five years, said head golf pro Dennis Hoye, the course has experienced a loss of about 500 memberships, or about 100 every year. One reason for the drop, Hoye speculated, was the increase over that time from $400 to $600 for resident memberships. But the drop in membership was stemmed this year with the addition of non-resident members... [more]

Golf fees flap erupts By Douglas Karlson/ dkarlson@cnc.com Fears that membership fees at Cranberry Valley Golf Course might go up have apparently sparked an e-mail exchange among resident members. A membership... [more]

Busy Brooks bemoans budget By Douglas Karlson/ dkarlson@cnc.com Business is booming at Brooks Free Library, and that's a problem. When the override failed in May 2005, Brooks Free Library responded by cutting both staff and hours of operation. But library use is on the increase, and library staff say they're having trouble keeping up. Library director Virginia Hewitt reported to selectmen Monday that the library may have been overly optimistic in setting hours following the failed override... [more]

Lombard says override can be averted By Douglas Karlson/ dkarlson@cnc.com Harwich is $1.4 million short of the revenue needed to fund a preliminary FY2008 budget that now stands at $46 million. But according to acting Town Administrator Stephen Lombard, with a combination of budget cuts and state aid, the town is within "striking distance" of closing that gap. Lombard delivered an assessment of the town's financial position to selectmen Monday, and he summarized the accomplishments made during his six-month stint as acting town administrator. The new town administrator, James Merriam, starts work today, Dec. 6... [more]

Gifts of Hope: Businesses give back to community through LCOC By Debi Boucher Stetson Many Cape businesses believe in giving back to the community that supports them. And many Lower Cape businesses realize one of the most direct ways... [more]

Drug forum tonight High school officials along with members of the police department and sheriff's office will host a community forum to discuss drugs in schools tonight,... [more]

Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen THE HOUSE AND SENATE.Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives and senators' votes on two roll calls from prior legislative sessions. There... [more]

Donations to date to Gifts of Hope Mrs. James Davis: $2,000 William Rhodes: $1,000 Maureen and Kevin Brosnan: $500 In memory of my deceased wife, Hope McWilliam Ford: $400 Emma-Marie... [more]

Around Town Hall
Christmas concert to benefit Meetinghouse Get ready for some surprise guests at a candlelight Christmas concert, say the Friends of the South Harwich... [more]

Read the rest of the Oracle here, and comment below.

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Cape Air Show, We're the 7th healthiest state, Election set spending records, Is the home market crashing?

       Cape Cod stories from Off Cape media on Wednesday, December 6, 2006

State to host Air Force Week events
Cape Cod Air Show on August 25-27

The Boston region has been selected as one of six locations to host Air Force Week next summer, the Air Force announced yesterday. The event will be hosted by the Massachusetts Air National Guard and will culminate in conjunction with the Cape Cod Air Show on Aug. 25-27, featuring the Thunderbirds above, the elite demonstration team. The other five locations are Atlanta, Honolulu, Phoenix, Sacramento, and St. Louis.
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Campaign spending peaks in 2006 - $42.3 million spent by all
Chris Mihos spent $3.7M,  Healey 9.4M  of their own dough, Gabrieli spent $9.4 through the September Primary

BOSTON -- Of all the money spent during this year's record-breaking campaign for governor, more than half came from just three donors -- Kerry Healey, Christy Mihos and Chris Gabrieli.
    All three, who also happened to be candidates, lost.
    The presence of multimillionaire candidates helped drive the total amount spent on the campaign for governor during the two-year election cycle to $42.3 million, according to a report released yesterday.
    That smashes the previous record of $30.6 million set during the 2002 campaign, when Gov. Mitt Romney pumped $6.3 million of his own money into his winning campaign, according to the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance. Romney decided not to seek re-election as he explores a possible run for president in 2008.
    "The two factors that drove the governor's race was the vacancy in the office and the presence of several wealthy candidates who put in a significant amount of their own money," said Denis Kennedy, a spokesman for the campaign finance office. "In the last election the only candidate spending a significant amount on his own campaign was Mitt Romney."
    Romney's would-be Republican successor, Lt. Gov. Healey, was the top spender. Healey, whose husband is head of an investment management firm, reported spending about $13.2 million in her unsuccessful campaign, with $9.4 million coming out of her pocket...  Independent Christy Mihos, whose family started the Christy's convenience store chain, came in third in the personal spending race, pouring $3.7 million of his own money into his failed bid... Read the rest of this MetroWest story here, and comment below..
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Mass. is ranked seventh healthiest state
We're up from 9 th place last year

Massachusetts jumped two notches and ranked as the seventh healthiest state in the country in an annual report released yesterday, which found that the Bay State had a high immunization rate for children, a low infant mortality rate, and a low percentage of residents without health insurance. The rankings -- by United Health Foundation, an independent, nonprofit foundation funded by the healthcare company UnitedHealth Group -- also found that the rate of uninsured dropped by 16 percent in the last year in Massachusetts and that the infant mortality rate has fallen by 40 percent since 1990. Minnesota topped the rankings as the country's healthiest state for the fourth straight year. Three New England states -- Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont -- also finished among the top five. Read the rest in The Globe here.
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Patrick's backers plan to spend $1m on inaugural gala
5-day celebration envisioned including a party on Cape Cod

Governor -elect Deval L. Patrick's supporters plan to accept donations from corporate and individual sponsors to pay for an inaugural celebration that is expected to cost about $1 million, more than any in state history, and stretch over five days next month, organizers said yesterday.

In addition to the Jan. 4 swearing-in ceremony, the festivities are likely to include a pre-inaugural party for donors and an inaugural bash for more than 10,000 people, possibly featuring the Boston Pops, according to Steve Grossman, a top Democratic fund-raiser who is working on the events. Organizers are also considering an interfaith prayer service, an event for children that is being billed as a "youth inaugural," and a series of gatherings across the state in which Patrick will thank supporters.
The inauguration will take place Thursday, Jan. 4. On the following Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Patrick would probably travel around the state, with stops tentatively set for Pittsfield, Springfield, Cape Cod, and Southeastern Massachusetts... Read the Globe story here, and comment below.
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The Hidden Truth About Home Prices
You might think the market is crashing

Down in Naples, Fla., a fast-growing city on the Gulf of Mexico, there was an auction of houses about a month ago. An auction isn’t the usual way to sell a home, but it can make sense for people who don’t want to leave their houses on the market for months at a time and also don’t want to take the first offer to come along. So on a Saturday morning inside the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club, a few dozen houses went on the block in front of about 500 bidders.

Based on the official housing statistics, you might have guessed that the sellers would have made out just fine, despite all the talk of a real estate slump. According to one widely followed real estate index — tabulated by the government agency that regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — the average house in Naples sold for 20 percent more this summer than it would have a year earlier. But that wasn’t what happened at the auction. In fact, if you were at the beach club that Saturday, you could have been excused for thinking that the real estate market was crashing.  One three-bedroom ranch house with a pool sold for $671,000. In 2005, the same house sold for $809,000... Read the rest of this  NY Times story here, and comment below.
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Not "Cape Cod", but we knew you'd want to know:
Vice President's lebian daughter, Mary, is pregnant

WASHINGTON - Mary Cheney (on right pointing with partner Heather Poe), the openly gay daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne, is pregnant.

Mary Cheney, 37, and her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe, 45, are expecting a baby, said Lea Anne McBride, a spokeswoman for the vice president. The baby is due in late spring.

"The vice president and Mrs. Cheney are looking forward with eager anticipation to the arrival of their sixth granddaughter," McBride said.

The vice president's other, older daughter, Elizabeth Cheney, is on leave as deputy assistant secretary of state after having her fifth child with her husband in July.

Mary Cheney was an aide to her father during the 2004 campaign, as was Elizabeth, and now is vice president for consumer advocacy at AOL.

McBride declined to elaborate on the circumstances of Mary Cheney's pregnancy. Mary Cheney and Poe moved from Colorado to Virginia a year ago to be closer to the Cheney family.

The Washington Post first reported the news Wednesday here.

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Kendrick license on hold, Readon still holding court, the police want to hear from you

     ^{A couple future sailors size up a lapstrake dory at the Cape Cod Maritime Museum on South Street}

Barnstable NEWS, December 5, 2006

Reardon still holding court
On Tuesday, the day before his retirement as First Justice of 1st Barnstable District Court, Judge Joseph Reardon spoke on the need for the court system “not just to maintain peace, but to create peace.”

Phone in your thoughts for police accreditation
The Barnstable Police Department wants to hear from you. Actually, the person assessing the department’s accreditation bid through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) wants to hear from you.

Studds remembered for his courage and commitment
BOSTON – To his political followers, he was an environmentalist and a champion of gay and lesbian rights. To his constituents, he was articulate and steadfast. To his friends, he was intensely private and fervently devoted to his work.

One Kendrick’s case filed, but license on hold
The importance of solid evidence was made evident at this week’s meeting of the Licensing Board when board members, expressing little recourse, reluctantly filed cases against Kendrick’s Casual Dining and Lounge at 72 North St., Hyannis. But in a turnaround of events following the hearing, the board slated another show-cause session for Dec. 18 on new allegations that while Kendrick’s is required on its license to serve food, it has not been doing so. The board also held up the annual license renewal until the Dec. 18 hearing.

Long distance learning
Five up-and-coming Russian business and political leaders are spending the week on Cape Cod learning about the latest environmental technology.

Where to stroll this holiday season
Stroll in Barnstable Village Wednesday night, Centerville a week later and Osterville on Dec. 15.

Lighting the light next Wednesday night
Sunday night's tree lighting in West Barnstable in front of West Parish Church drew roughly 200 spirited onlookers. For more on other village holiday activities.

 Read the rest of The Patriot here, and comment below.

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Report: Little harm from offshore wind farms in Denmark

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is now available in an updated version here.
_________________________________________________________

  The photos shown are taken from the PDF of the Danish report link below

15 years' experience shows that offshore wind farms can be built and run without significant damage to the marine environment

Special to cctoday by Jack Coleman
 
A major report just released in Denmark finds negligible impacts to birds, fish and mammals from the two largest offshore wind farms in the world at Horns Rev and Nysted.

"Danish experience for the past 15 years shows that offshore wind farms, if placed right, can be engineered and operated without significant damage to the marine environment and vulnerable species," state the executive summary of the report, titled "Danish Offshore Wind -- Key Environmental Issues," released over the weekend at a conference in Copenhagen on the results of an eight-year long monitoring program.

The report's findings could provide an important boost to the Cape Wind project proposed for Nantucket Sound, now in its sixth year of a rigorous regulatory review.

Among those attending was Craig Olmsted, vice president of development for Cape Wind, the Boston- and Yarmouth-based company seeking to build a 130-turbine wind farm, America's first, in Nantucket Sound.

"Listening to the scientists at the conference who had done the studies it was really clear -- offshore wind farms in Denmark have been good neighbors, to birds, fish and people," Olmsted said in a press release issued today by Cape Wind.

Researchers found that "even big wind farms pose low risks to birds, mammals and fish, even though there will be changes on the living conditions of some species by an increase in habitat heterogeneity."

The wind farms scrutinized in the report were the 80-turbine Horns Rev project (shown at right) situated seven to eight miles off Jutland in the North Sea, the largest in the world as measured by turbines, and the 72-turbine Nysted project in the Baltic Sea six miles off Lolland in southern Denmark. The Nysted wind farm (shown in the photo above left) has the highest generating capacity of any of the world's two dozen offshore wind farms, at 165.5 MW, enough to power 150,000 Danish households, according to the report.

The 144-page report, which includes a wealth of photos, diagrams, charts, maps and attribution, described specific impacts from offshore wind turbines -- to seabed flora and fauna, fish, birds, sea mammals such as porpoises and seals, sociological and economic effects and changes to the coastline ("coastal morphology").

Among its key findings:

• "The Thermal Animal Detection System (TADS) provides empirical evidence that waterbird collisions are rare events. Collision risk modeling and bird tracking by radar as well as visual observations show that many waterbird species tend to avoid the wind farm, changing flight direction some kilometers away to deflect their path around the site. Birds flying through the wind farm tend to alter altitude to avoid the risk of collision. Under adverse weather conditions, which were thought to be likely to increase collision risk, results show that waterbirds tend to avoid flying." In addition, "radar studies at Horns Rev and Nysted (charts above on right) also confirm that many bird entering the wind farms reorientate to fly down between turbine rows, frequently equidistant between turbines, further minimizing collision risk.  
• "Abundance and biomass of the benthic communities increased at the wind farm sites compared to the native infauna communities. A consequence from the change in community structure was a local increase in biomass at the wind turbine sites by 50 to 150 times." And an "initial colonization of high numbers of the common mussel was found at both wind farm sites.
• "Both wind farm areas were found to be part of much larger foraging areas used by seals. No general change in behaviour at sea or on land could be linked to the construction or operation of the wind farms. The only effect detected on land was a reduction in the number of seals on land during pile driving operations at Nysted." Also, "Only a slight decrease in porpoise avoidance was found at Horns Rev during construction and no effect of the operation of the wind farm was seen. A clear decrease in the abundance of porpoises was found at Nysted during construction and operation of the wind farm, with indications of a slow recovery."
• "At both wind farm sites, fish were often found swimming around the artificial reef structures apparently searching for food and shelter."
• "Investigations into the effects on fish and fish behaviour from electromagnetic fields were made at Nysted. Data have documented some effects from the cable route on fish behaviour indicating avoidance of the cable as well as attraction, depending on the species."
• "A sociological and environmental economic study reveals that both the local and national populations are positive towards the offshore wind farms."

Citizen's group & Alliance respond

“After eight years of study, they've concluded that there's virtually no harm," said Barbara Hill, executive director of the pro-wind farm Clean Power Now advocacy group. "This certainly does underscore many of the benefits of the Cape Wind project, as revealed by the DEIS (draft environmental impact statement) released by the Army Corps of Engineers.”

Also attending the conference, and making trips to three offshore wind farms during a week-long visit to Denmark, was Susan Nickerson, executive director of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, a well-funded local group opposed to Cape Wind.

Nickerson cautioned the results of the report are “site-specific” for the Horns Rev and Nysted projects, not Cape Wind. While findings of negligible impacts to marine life, birds and the environment are “encouraging,” Nickerson said, it came as little surprise since “the siting process has been a very thorough one” in Denmark.

The small Nordic nation began an aggressive push toward conservation, renewables and extracting oil and natural gas from the North Sea in response to the Arab oil embargo of the mid-70s. What has resulted three decades later is a “government-driven” energy policy involving “national interest and public participation,” said Nickerson in a phone interview.

”It’s a very different process here,” she said. “We don’t have a national energy policy, or a national renewable energy policy. The single most important basis for siting the Cape Wind project is economic -- is it going to be profitable for a developer? It’s the reverse of how they do it in Denmark.”

While Denmark has been aggressive in pushing offshore wind, the Danes have also deemed certain coastal areas off-limits to wind turbines, Nickerson said. The report confirms this, stating that “Bird Protection and Habitat Directives areas comprising a total of 13,000 square kilometers have been designated in the Danish waters.”

The report also indicates that Denmark will proceed with plans to double the size of the Nysted and Horns Rev projects in the next few years. While wind power currently provides Denmark with 20 percent of its electricity, the report states, by 2025 it may exceed 50 percent – “out of which most is envisaged to be offshore.”

”We have come a long way since the 1980s, when most electricity consumption was based on coal and when acidification of forests and lakes by acid rain was the predominant theme in the environmental debate,” the report states.

MTC's Watson describes report as "important milestone"

Greg Watson, vice president for sustainable development and renewable energy at theMassachusetts Technology Collaborative, hailed the report as “an important milestone in offshore wind energy development.”

”Comprehensive monitoring of the world’s two largest offshore wind projects have lead Danish government officials to conclude that offshore wind farms can be developed sustainable,” Watson said via email. “That is, in ways that pose minimal environmental risks.”

”I think what is most important about the Danish report is that scientists and government officials have been able to distill general principals from the site-specific monitoring at Horns Rev and Nysted,” Watson said, “principals that, when properly considered and applied can guide developers and regulators to the design of sustainable offshore wind farms in other environments in other parts of the world.

”This is extremely encouraging news in light of the urgent need to find solutions to global climate change,” Watson said. “Wind energy remains the fastest growing and cleanest source of electricity on the world today. An understanding of how to sustainably develop the world’s vast offshore wind resources means we have a viable option for meeting current and future energy needs without further compromising the Earth’s atmosphere and the quality of life of future generations.

Cliff Carroll remains concerned about effects to commercial fishing 

Windstop.org founder Cliff Carroll, a mortgage broker and staunch opponent of Cape Wind, dismissed the report and said he was “not impressed by the spin.”

”This report states that the fishing stock has still not recovered,” Carroll wrote in an email detailing his criticisms. “It has already been four years (since the projects were built). Did I miss something?

”The report indicates an increase in mussels and their predator, the starfish,” Carroll states. “Do you realize that this usually indicates the end of the natural cycle of a marine habitat?”

Carroll also pointed out that 400,000 flights a year pass through the airspace over Nantucket Sound and Cape Wind would be situated in an area with three regional airports. “By the way, did you know that Logan/FAA just turned down four turbines planned just off Hull?” Carroll said. “The radar issue is not going away.”

”Cape Wind has been asked repeatedly to give us the oil data, the wind data and the bird radar studies,” Carroll said. “Ask yourself, what are they afraid of, what are they hiding? This report is like asking Jack Kervorkian to do a study on arsenic.”

CPN’s Barbara Hill compared the initial reaction of Danes to proposed wind farms to the local response to Cape Wind in recent years.

"The local communities did respond with concerns that were incredibly legitimate,” Hill said. "The regulatory process was more centralized and there was no real voice that could be heard from local communities. There was also a concern about the visual intrusions and tourism."

"If we are going to look at this as it relates to the Cape Wind project, those same concerns have been raised," Hill said. "The Cape Wind project continues to move forward because the public benefits outweight the perceived impacts. It continues to move on a track for the particular project. But in tandem, we are awaiting through Minerals Management Service a larger regulatory framework in order to address multiple projects of this type.

"But absent a real project, we would never have had this dialogue. There would have been no reason to."

The report, Hill said, proves that offshore wind power “is now and the future. I hope that itdoes allay some fears and concerns that people have in this country about the Cape Wind project."

The research was coordinated by an "Environmental Group" consisting of the Danish Forest and Nature Agency, the Danish Energy Authority, and Vattenfall and DONG Energy, the companies that own the two wind farms. Its cost was financed by electricity users in Denmark, the report states.

Those serving on the Environmental Group were in "continuous dialogue" with representatives from the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Danish Society of Conservation of Nature, the Danish Outdoor Council, Greenpeace, the Danish Ornithological Society and the Danish Organization for Renewable Energy. Results of the study were assessed by the International Advisory Panel of Experts on Marine Ecology (IAPEME).  See a later version of this story here.

Jack Coleman is a freelance writer, editor, blogger and former media adviser to the pro-wind farm Clean Power Now non-profit based in Hyannis. He can be reached at polnotes@yahoo.com

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British mom wants Cape man charged with son's death, Tampa axes Whydah exibit, Freezer ship for fishermen, Working group explores energy options

       Cape Cod stories from Off Cape media on Tuesday, December 5, 2006

Mother seeks charges in Brit's death
Cape Cod man is accused

LYNN -- A grief-stricken British woman, on right with son Adrian, wants to see a Cape Cod man charged with her son’s death, which occurred during a Wolcott Road sex bondage session last April.  Scott Vincent is the sole survivor of a multi-day sex session in the cellar of a neatly kept clapboard house that led to Adrian Exley’s death and homeowner Gary LeBlanc’s suicide.

Rhode Island’s coroner said Exley, 32, died of asphyxiation while wearing a rubber restraining suit on April 23 — four days after he traveled from England to Lynn to meet LeBlanc after encountering the 48-year-old oil executive on a gay bondage Web site. According to a lawsuit filed against LeBlanc’s estate by Exley’s mother Margaret Horner and the British man’s siblings, Vincent participated in the sex sessions and helped LeBlanc dispose of Exley’s body.

According to a lawsuit filed against LeBlanc’s estate by Exley’s mother Margaret Horner and the British man’s siblings, Vincent participated in the sex sessions and helped LeBlanc dispose of Exley’s body. “To me it was murder. I want Scott Vincent to be charged,” Horner said... Read the rest of this Daily Item story here.
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Museum of Science Shelves Exhibit Plans For Whydah Pirate Ship
Cape enterprise insults black people says Civil Rights leaders

TAMPA - A controversial exhibit featuring artifacts from a former slave ship, the Whydah, will not premiere at Tampa's Museum of Science and Industry next May as planned. The museum said in a two-sentence news release that the exhibit is still in the conceptual phase and that museum leaders believed, "there is insufficient time to effectively review how the sensitive history of this particular exhibition will be treated."

A coalition of black civil rights groups opposes the exhibit, which will focus on the Whydah's time after its capture by pirates. Coalition leaders feel the museum is seeking to cash in on the ship's controversial past while de-emphasizing Africans' suffering under slavery...

James Ransom, who opposed the 1993 project and the latest plan, said the exhibits insult black people because they romanticize a ship that spent most of its time conveying Africans to slavery in the New World. The ship wrecked in 1717 off Cape Cod. The wreckage was discovered in 1984...  Read the rest of this TBO story here, and comment below.
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380-foot freezer ship to help fishermen

PORTLAND - A long-time fisherman who owns five trawlers is bringing to the city a 380-foot freezer ship that will allow fishermen to target New England's healthy herring and mackerel stocks.

American Freedom is due to arrive later this week in Portland Harbor after more than $24 million in upgrades at shipyards in Norway and Poland, according to Jim Odlin, president of American Pelagic Seafood, which owns the boat.

The freezer ship will allow smaller fishing boats to pursue offshore fisheries currently targeted by larger vessels, he said.

Odlin said his "mother ship" will provide an opportunity for struggling operators of trawlers that target cod and haddock to supplement their incomes by catching and offloading high-volume fish that are plentiful... The freezer ship will have a capacity of 400 tons of fish a day caught at Georges Bank and the region south of Cape Cod, Steele said. Read the rest of this Sun Journal story here, and comment below.
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Working group explores energy options

BOSTON - Gov.-elect Deval Patrick's working group on Energy and the Environment heard an eclectic mix of concerns at Northeastern University last night, from support for Cape Wind to calls for more money for state environmental programs.
The ideas on energy policy ranged from the profound - vastly curbing greenhouse gases - to the offbeat: a Cambridge bicyclist proudly displayed the solar-powered lamp he designed for his backpack.

Patrick's working groups are scheduled to deliver reports on major state issues by Dec. 15... Jim Gordon, the president of Cape Wind, seemed to capture the enthusiasm of more than 100 people who attended last night's community hearing, many of them wearing Deval Patrick campaign buttons and stickers.

Patrick was the first gubernatorial candidate to endorse Cape Wind's proposal to place 130 wind turbines in Nantucket Sound. He has called it the critical element of a plan to make renewable energy Massachusetts' new growth industry... read the rest of this Ottaway Boston News Bureau story here, and comment below.
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Bush Poised to Allow Oil Drilling in America's Fish Basket
Area had been closed in the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez oil spill

WASHINGTON, DC, December 4, 2006 (ENS) - Sometime this week, President George W. Bush is expected to lift a presidential moratorium protecting Alaska’s Bristol Bay from oil and gas drilling that was imposed by his father.

The presidential moratorium, banning exploration and production in the Outer Continental Shelf of the North Aleutian Basin was imposed in 1989 by President George H.W. Bush in the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound two years earlier.

The area includes the commercial fishing grounds of Bristol Bay, described by Professor Rick Steiner of the University of Alaska's marine advisory program as "the breadbasket of entire Bering Sea."

House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, says lifing the moratorium would be a mistake... Read the rest of the ENS story here, and comment below.

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New Congress will help Cape, Romney will arrest Illegals, Oatrick won't,, but he mulls gamblings, Wanted: A new way to manage fisheries, We'll get wired funding

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MMA packed tight, Studds memories,

     Cape Cod stories from Off Cape media on Sunday, December 3, 2006
 
     ^{The MassachusettsMaritime Academy as seen from the capeside by John Fitts}

Student boom at Mass. Maritime makes it a tight ship — literally
Biggest incoming clllasses ever can find room on campus

BUZZARDS BAY — Massachusetts Maritime Academy officials are happy to welcome more students. The problem is, where are they going to sleep? More students than ever are choosing to attend the four-year state school and, due to an added emphasis on retention, more students stay all four years, academy President Adm. Richard Gurnon said.

But as the student body increases, so do the problems of how to house the students on campus or on the academy's training ship. And there is the added problem of attracting enough teachers to maintain class sizes.

In 1997, 74 percent of the 769-member student body lived on campus. Today, 99 percent of the academy's 1,047 students are opting for the full-college experience. The incoming freshman class in each of the past two years — 305 and 285 students respectively — are the two biggest incoming classes in school history, said Capt. Francis McDonald, dean of enrollment management.

he academy's original dormitory capacity was 880 cadets, Gurnon said. This year, almost 950 cadets live on campus. Academy officials have handled the demand by converting dormitory study lounge areas, offices and visitor rooms into student living space. In doing so, the officials staved off the prospect of placing three students in one room... Read the rest of this Standard-Times story here.
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1st Openly Gay Congressman Memorialized
Memorial at JFK Library for Gerry Studds
Friends of the nation's first openly gay congressman remembered him Saturday as a man who went to Washington to end the Vietnam War and protect the environment, then became a champion of gay rights. The packed memorial service for former U.S. Rep. Gerry Studds featured his favored choral music and stories -- some bittersweet, some humorous -- about his keen devotion to Cape Cod and his skill at balancing the oft-competing interests of commercial fishermen in his Congressional district with environmentalists concerned about dwindling ocean resources.

Studds died at age 69 on Oct. 14, 11 days after collapsing with a blood clot while walking his dog in Boston. Studds became the first openly gay congressman in 1983 after a sexual encounter with a 17-year-old page 10 years earlier became public. Studds called the relationship "a serious error in judgment" and was censured by Congress, but defended his action as a consensual connection with a young adult.

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who went public with his own homosexuality four years after Studds, told the crowd of 300 at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum that Studds inspired thousands of gays and lesbians by acknowledging his sexuality without apology.

"The important thing about what Gerry did was the reaction to it. And the reaction to it was that there was no reaction," Frank said, adding that Studds "helped Americans understand that they really aren't homophobic, they just thought they were supposed to be." Read the rest of this Salon story here.
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DIVISION 3A | IPSWICH 7, CAPE COD TECH 0
Ipswich gains school-record 7th shutout along with title

QUINCY -- George Foster is now irrelevant. And he couldn't be happier. As Ted Flaherty shook all the postgame glad hands as if his own hadn't been sweating for the past hour and a half, Foster approached the Ipswich coach long after the Tigers had wrapped up their school-record seventh shutout of the season and first Super Bowl title since 1991.

The Tigers forced Cape Cod Tech/Harwich into four turnovers (three interceptions, one fumble) and left James Hamilton , the running back Flaherty said was "always an arm tackle away from breaking a big play," with barely enough rushing yards to cross midfield in a 7-0 win in the Division 3A championship.

A member of the 1969 Tiger squad that held six teams scoreless, Foster felt it best to tell Flaherty, "Congratulations, Coach." Flaherty, buzzing, but still gracious, laughed and said "Thanks, sorry about the record."

"Hey," Foster said. "You've got the record and you've got the championship." The Tigers' defense has been as miserly as Scrooge for the last three months. The Tigers hadn't given up a touchdown since the third quarter of a Nov. 10 game against Amesbury, when the Indians' Jason Wheeler broke a 95-yarder, and it finished the season with more than 130 minutes of shutout football... Read the rest of this Globe story here,and comment below.

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Chatham Beach joins Monomoy, Lower Cape Childcare Crisis, Orleans becoming "No Place for Hate", Rocky Point parcel protected

   ^{Clamming a mile south of Chatham Light on South Beach, see story below. Photo  by John Fitts.}

Lower Cape NEWS, December 1, 2006

Topography shifts as Chatham's Southway closes By Matt Rice/ mrice@cnc.com CHATHAM - With the stability of a child’s sand castle, the Southway, once a major channel for boaters traveling between South Beach and Monomoy Island, finally succumbed to Mother Nature last week, filling in with enough sand to permanently close it. On the surface, the closure appears to be just an inconvenience for boaters, who now must travel the entire eight-mile length of Monomoy to reach the Atlantic waters east of South Beach. But the development raises questions about broader, long-term impacts to the area, and has economic ramifications. Passage through the Southway, which started its slow but steady closure following the 1987 storm that created the Chatham break outside Lighthouse Beach, was limited to roughly an hour before and an hour after high tide this summer. But after the fierce Thanksgiving Day nor’easter, the seaway became impassable. .. [more] Truro takes lead as habitat for rare species By Steve Desroches/ sdesroch@cnc.com TRURO - It sounds like good news, especially to environmentally minded Cape Codders. But it also sounds expensive, and time consuming, which is not so good. It helps protect endangered species, but even a small landscaping project might trigger a 90-day review. "It" is the new reality in Truro - a designation by a state wildlife agency of nearly the whole town as a "priority or estimated habitat for rare species." A new regulatory map published by the state Natural Heritage Program classifies the majority of Truro’s 20 square miles as rare species habitat. In fact, Truro has the distinction of being the second in the state to have so much land designated, trailing behind a tiny Berkshire town... [more]

Childcare crisis critical on Lower Cape By Matthew Belson/ mbelson@cnc.com Preparing for the birth of a child can be an exciting time filled with milestones, from fixing up the baby’s room to getting ready for the big day. But for an increasing number of working parents, the birth of a child is a source of stress due to the anxiety of finding available and affordable childcare. On the Lower Cape, especially, working families are divided into those who have childcare arrangements and those who do not. The cost of childcare depends on the age of the child and how many days the child attends, but the monthly cost can run anywhere from $800 to more than $1,000. .. [more]

Room for a view? By Steve Desroches/ sdesroch@cnc.com Plans for a small park along Provincetown Harbor are gaining momentum as the Visitor Services Board focuses on the narrow spit of land between the the harbor and MacMillan Pier parking lot... [more]

’No Place for Hate’ advances in Orleans By Matthew Belson/ mbelson@cnc.com When Jenifer Dibble, manager of The Juice Bar, organized the first informational meeting to establish Orleans as a No Place for Hate community a few weeks ago, she wasn’t sure just how much interest and support the idea would receive... [more]

Orleans Rocky point parcel protected By Matthew Belson/ mbelson@cnc.com A 1.42-acre parcel may seem like a small piece of land to protect but when it includes 500 linear feet of shorefront on Roberts Cove and Mill Pond, the adage "quality not quantity" comes to mind. Orleans Board of Selectmen approved a request from the Orleans Conservation Trust to place a conservation restriction on the property located on Rocky Point and owned by the Martin and Hopkins families. Vince Ollivier, conservation consultant for the Orleans Trust, said the property, along with two other parcels have been in the Martin and Hopkins family for generations.  "The Martin/Hopkins family, as most of the people who place a conservation restriction, are very connected to their land," said Ollivier.The property that will be placed under a conservation restriction will remain private but help preserve the shoreline... [more]

Harwich Parade plans marching on By Douglas Karlson/ dkarlson@cnc.com According to Confucius, all great journeys begin with one small step. It appears to be the case for parades, too. About a dozen proponents took... [more]

Jubilation education: BHS Gospel Choir taps into tradition By Joe Burns/ jburns@cnc.com It’s Tuesday morning, but at Barnstable High it sounds like Sunday as 30 hand-clapping, body-swaying students set the music room rocking with... [more]

Patrick taps Cape Codders for transition teams By Douglas Karlson/ dkarlson@cnc.com She lost her bid for the lieutenant governor’s slot, but Andrea Silbert of Harwich didn’t go unnoticed by governor-elect Deval Patrick,... [more]

Provincetown: Around Town Selectmen approve dune shack letter At the request of the Cape Cod National Seashore General Management Plan Implementation Advisory Committee, the... [more]

Orleans: Main Street cheer Sundays at the Snow library The First Encounter Jazz Ensemble will play at Snow Library Sunday, Dec. 3, from 2:30 to 4 p.m. in the Craine Room. The... [more]

With revenue down, county evaluates needs By Douglas Karlson/ dkarlson@cnc.com Faced with a long list of human service needs and a shrinking budget, the county government likely has some tough decisions to make this spring. Funds... [more]

Harwich: Around Town Happy birthday Drug forum Dec. 6 Drugs in schools will be the topic of a community forum Wednesday, Dec. 6. The event, starting at 6:30 p.m. in Harwich... [more]

Hills hire medical consultant to review examiner's report By Marilyn Miller/ mmiller@cnc.com EASTHAM - Jamie Veara, the lawyer representing the family of David Hill, the 23-year-old Eastham man who was fatally wounded by Orleans Police Officer... [more]

Harwich aims for orderly flu shot clinic this year By Douglas Karlson/ dkarlson@cnc.com HARWICH -- Last year it was mayhem at the town's flu shot clinic, when twice the people expected showed up, and hundreds were turned away. This year,... [more]

Toys For Tots luncheon Dec. 7 The Cape Cod Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America is hosting its annual Toys for Tots luncheon Thursday, Dec. 7, at the Hyannis... [more]

Selectmen, 4-1, agree to keep pursuing beach issue By Marilyn Miller/ mmiller@cnc.com Eastham Selectman Ken Collins admits that when he saw former Selectman Joy Brookshire and Peter Whitlock in the audience at the Nov. 20 meeting, "I... [more]

Eastham: Things have changed Selectman Ken Collins could not believe it when he took a tour of the Eastham Elementary School last week. This was the school he graduated from in... [more]

Legislature moves to place defibrillators at health clubs By Priscilla Yeon A bill requiring automatic external defibrillators in health clubs has been sent to the governor's desk. Lawmakers hope the proposed law will save... [more]

Last chance to bid at Chatham's Festival of Trees The Chatham Garden Club's and the Chatham Historical Society's four-day Festival of Trees event will soon come to a close. It continues today, Dec.... [more]

Heart-savers By Matthew Belson/ mbelson@cnc.com When cardiac arrest occurs there is little disagreement among emergency care providers that the speed at which care is given is critical to a person's... [more]

CVS looking into returning pharmacy service By Matt Rice/ mrice@cnc.com Left out in the cold without a pharmacy calling it home, the town of Chatham could get some help from an old friend. After pulling its pharmacy section... [more]

Breeze to add Chatham stop By Matt Rice/ mrice@cnc.com CHATHAM - Selectmen were pleasantly surprised this week to learn that the H2O Breeze bus will soon add a Crowell Road stop to its existing route,... [more]

Chatham: Changes to shellfish regulations for Buck's Creek Acting on the recommendation from shellfish constable Stuart Moore, the Chatham Board of Selectmen approved a two-tote daily limit (roughly 1,600... [more]

Get ready for the big 'Christmas Bird Count' By Rich Eldred/ reldred@cnc.com Christmas time's a Coming, as Bill Monroe sang many years ago, and while that turns many folks' thoughts to gift wrap, carols, chestnuts on the fire... [more]

'Sea of Lights' festival starts Dec. 8 By Matthew Belson/ mbelson@cnc.com A Sea of Lights is the theme for this year's annual Brewster for the Holidays Festival to be held the weekend of Dec. 8, 9 and 10. Organizers are... [more]

Brewster: Tranquil waters Time to prepare for the holiday decorating contest The Brewster for the Holidays committee reminds all businesses in Brewster and private residences... [more]

Lower Cape AA meetings Alcoholic Anonymous meetings listed by town, with the following designations: O-Open (all are welcome); C-Closed (alcoholics only); B-Beginners; D-Discussion;... [more]

'Christmas in the Harwiches' offers weekend of events By Douglas Karlson/ dkarlson@cnc.com HARWICH -- If December is dawning, it must be time for Christmas In the Harwiches. The event kicks off this Friday at 5:30 p.m. with a tree-lighting... [more]

Town agrees to plow a few more private roads By Marilyn Miller/ mmiller@cnc.com The first snowflake hasn't hit the ground yet, and it's anyone's guess how bad the winter will be, but Wellfleet selectmen Tuesday approved their... [more]

Wellfleet: Around Town Taking too close a look at a gift horse? Alfred Natkin of Lieutenant Island Road likes the new bridge that the state built for the town but he doesn't... [more]

Article 12, again By Steve Desroches/ sdesroch@cnc.com PROVINCETOWN - Anger at the Provincetown Planning Board is growing after a letter was sent from the board to the Massachusetts attorney general, outlining... [more]

Tracking trends By Steve Desroches/ sdesroch@cnc.com PROVINCETOWN - So, was summer 2006 a good season for Provincetown? "It's hard to quantify," said Bill Schneider, administrative tourism... [more]

Truro: Around Town
Tax rate OK'd, drops 25 cents The Department of Revenue approved Truro's fiscal 2007 tax rate and bills went out Tuesday, Nov. 28. The first half... [more]

Read therest of The Cape Codder here, and comment below.

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Local energy expert examines Denmark's wind farm

Denmark Points Way in Alternative Energy Sources
America has been outclassed, and by an unlikely competitor

In the realm of alternative energy, there is an inconspicuous European nation that could stand to teach the U.S. a few lessons — Denmark.

 Besides being home to the world's happiest people, according to a study this year by a social psychologist at England's University of Leicester, this small country, badly battered by oil shocks in decades past, has become a leader in the field of renewable energy.

Alternatives Born From Crisis

As a nation with few energy resources of its own, Denmark had to consider its needs and rethink its policies in the face of an almost complete withdrawal of its oil supply following the 1973 Yom Kippur War between Israel and Syria and Egypt. In the 30 years since, Denmark has worked tirelessly to develop new technology and new policies.

The result is that today, renewable sources account for a greater share of the nation's energy consumption with each passing year, according to the Energistyrelsen, the Danish Energy Authority. Twenty percent of Denmark's energy needs are now met by electricity generated by wind turbines, and the proportion is steadily increasing. Thanks to advances in technology and turbine design, the cost of wind power has been reduced by 75 percent since 1970, when the programs began.

Wind-power technology has also been a driving force in the Danish economy, according to Chuck Kleekamp, president of Clean Power Now , an American nonprofit organization that informs citizens about renewable energy projects and studies Danish energy programs.

"Danish companies manufacture 40 percent of the world's supply of wind turbines, as well as having had extensive research programs for decades," Kleekamp said. "The technology also provides employment for a segment of the population in Denmark." But wind power is not the only renewable resource Denmark has explored.

Other Danish alternative-energy sources include the burning of waste products, or biomass, in combined heat and power plants; electricity generated by photovoltaic, or solar-energy, cells; and geothermal turbines powered by the escape of underground steam.

Alternative-energy technologies, as well as conservation habits, have become normal parts of life for the average Dane. High gasoline prices and heavily taxed vehicles result in fewer people driving than in the United States.

Most households have only one car, and at least one spouse typically uses the extensive Danish public transportation system for commuting, said William E. Griswold, a member of Clean Power Now, whose wife, Dorte, is Danish... Read the rest of this FoxNews story here, and comment below.

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LNG firm pays for CC Bay research, Electric rates rise again, Father Kelly pleads guilty

UPDATE:  The story below about the parent company of the local CNC weeklies this update ran here on Wednesday, and today this appeared in the Worcester Telegram;

Journal Register selling Mass. newspapers to GateHouse Media
Two dailies, five smaller papers go for $70 million

GateHouse Media Inc. announced an agreement Friday to buy The Herald News of Fall River, the Taunton Daily Gazette and five smaller publications for $70 million in cash.

The newspapers are currently owned by the Yardley, Pa.-based Journal Register Co.

Journal Register and Fairport, N.Y.-based GateHouse announced the transaction in separate news releases. Journal Register said the sale price included $2 million in "estimated working capital" in addition to the $70 million cash.

The Herald News has a circulation of 20,932, and the Gazette has a circulation of 9,437. As part of the deal, GateHouse will also acquire three weekly newspapers and two shopper publications in the southeastern Massachusetts communities of Fall River and Taunton.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year. It comes about three months after Journal Register said it was exploring the possible sale of those papers as well as those it owns in neighboring Rhode Island. Read the rest of this TAG story here, and comment below. Read the original story here.

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LNG firm will pay $23.5m in port deal
Fishermen, public to be compensated for impact, includes $750,000 to research and develop additional whale acoustic technology in Cape Cod Bay

The developers of a proposed liquefied natural gas port 13 miles off Gloucester have agreed to pay $23.5 million to compensate fishermen and the public for environmental impacts anticipated over the project's 25-year lifespan. The groundbreaking deal paved the way for the state to give its environmental approval for the project, which happened late yesterday. Final approval must still come from Governor Mitt Romney, who has until Dec. 26 to make a decision on the Excelerate Energy project. Romney has said in the past that he would prefer an offshore LNG project to one onshore, but he is still examining the issue.

Excelerate, of Texas, originally predicted that the project would cause just $2.5 million in damage to fishermen and have minimal effect on marine life. But state officials had a different conclusion , and after months of negotiations the company agreed to pay $8 million to New England fishermen to compensate for the loss of fishing grounds. Excelerate will also pay about $7 million for the use of public waters, $4 million for impacts on marine habitats and resources that may be disturbed, and $4 million to prevent harm to whales and other marine mammals...

Excelerate will pay:

• $5.3 million for improvements and public transportation to the Boston Harbor islands. The money will be managed by the Island Alliance, a group that promotes the island chain.
• $3.25 million for an acoustic buoy system on the tankers and port that would track marine mammals, so officials know where they are and if they are being affected by ship traffic or noise.
• $3 million to the state Office of Coastal Zone Management to better map and understand seafloor regions.
• $900,000 to the state Division of Marine Fisheries for a program to mark egg-producing female lobsters in the ocean, so fishermen who catch them know they should be thrown back.
• $750,000 to the state Division of Marine Fisheries to research and develop additional whale acoustic technology in Cape Cod Bay. Read the ret of this Globe story here.
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Tribute today for former Congressman Studds
Memorial service at the John F. Kennedy Library

BOSTON Former Congressman Gerry Studds will be remembered during a memorial service this afternoon at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston.
Studds was the first openly gay person elected to Congress. He died in October at the age of 69.

Studds served in Congress for twelve years, representing a district that covers Cape Cod, New Bedford and Boston's South Shore. He retired from Capitol Hill in 1997.

Gerry Studds first victory signaled a major change in Cape Cod's political life. As he was returned to congress by ever wider margins, the cape changed in many other ways as well with more and more Greater Boston residents moving down and bringing their bid city pilics with them., mostly Democratic and liberal.

Read the story about his death two months ago here.
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Rates for merged NStar go up a bit, down a bit
$2.21 a month more for omElectric customers on the Cape and Vineyard

Seven years after the parent companies of three Eastern Massachusetts electric utilities merged to become NStar Electric, NStar has finally merged the utilities themselves. That will mean a small rate break for old Boston Edison Co. customers, but rate increases of $2 to $4 a month for many Cambridge and Cape Cod customers.

NStar said late yesterday that state and federal regulators have approved the combination of Boston Edison, Cambridge Electric, and Commonwealth Electric into a single electric utility. Although NStar has operated under one name since 1999, it has still filed different rates for each operating unit. Last month, NStar sought rate increases of 2 percent to 5 percent for the three utilities to take effect on Jan. 1.

NStar yesterday filed a revised set of rate requests. For an average homeowner or small business using 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity monthly, next month's increase for a former Edison customer -- people who get NStar electricity in Boston and all Boston suburbs except Cambridge -- will be 78 cents less than NStar previously reported.

But ComElectric customers -- those on the Cape and Martha's Vineyard and communities around New Bedford and Plymouth --will have to pay an additional $2.21 a month, while Cambridge customers' bills will rise $3.60 above the previously reported increase... Read the rest of this Globe story here, and omment below.
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Retired Falmouth priest pleads guilty to stealing church money
Falmouth Priest Bernard Kelly, a retired Catholic priest was sentenced to seven years probation for embezzling more than $500,000 from a Falmouth church and using the money to pay for items including a Lincoln Town Car and Brooks Brothers clothing. He avoided jail time this week, but the Providence Journal had this "ahead of the curve" connection by Jeff Blanchard a month ago. Kelly's personal and professional relationships with key figures in the Wessner murder investigation have placed him under scrutiny. A birthday party for Nolin, for instance, took place last spring at Kelly's Cummaquid home. Sources told the Cape Cod Times that Kelly was involved in a sexual relationship with Nolin, who Kelly employed as a handyman at the church.  

Highway Murders Case redux --
Bizarre Bridgewater 'treatment'
Bt Jeff Blanchard

BREWSTER, Mass.

Letter to Sam Sutter

Dear Sam:

CONGRATULATIONS on your election as the next district attorney of Bristol County, Mass., and congratulations as well on your decision to reopen the Highway Murders case.

My first reaction when I read that in the papers was: Wow, finally someone with the guts to tackle the big one. Then I thought, wait a minute. He doesn't take office for two months! Is he warning someone? And what's it mean, anyway, to reopen a murder investigation (into the serial slaughter of 11 women over a six-month period of 1988) when it was never closed by either of the D.A.'s who came before you, whatever you think about their pursuit of those responsible?

Nonetheless, it seems appropriate that the new day of reckoning falls on Jan. 1, your first day back in the office where your career as a prosecutor got its start. Jan. 1 is also the birthday of a New Bedford native named Kenny Junier, who is serving a life sentence just up the road in the state prison at Norfolk, a medium-security campus with an average daily population of 1,250, including 275 murderers.

Far be it from me, Sam, to accuse this man of anything, much less orchestrating a serial killing that has stumped the law for 18 years, despite the involvement of investigators at every level from New Bedford's Weld Square to Washington, including several top profilers from the FBI, a forensic anthropologist from the Smithsonian and a raft of state and local police, several of whom have known Junier since grade school.

The investigation was clouded by external events from the beginning -- most notably by the abduction of the then-D.A.'s wife, who was locked in the trunk of her own car just as the murders began, and by the presidential election campaign going on at the time between the D.A.'s friend, Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, and George H. W. Bush, father of the current president -- a race decided in no small measure by the furor stirred up over this state's record on prison furloughs.

It wasn't until Election Day of 1988 that Ron Pina, the D.A., acknowledged for the first time publicly the possibility of a serial killing.

A convicted rapist who has spent most of his life behind bars, Kenny Junier started out 30 years ago in Walpole (where his fellow inmates crushed part of him in a workshop vice) and then won a transfer to the Bridgewater Treatment Center for the Sexually Dangerous, before eventually getting sent to Norfolk. It was his Bridgewater years that you two should talk about, Sam.

This is the road less traveled that could make a difference.

From what I can gather, through interviews with New Bedford police officers and sources who worked at the Bridgewater Treatment Center, the release program that Kenny Junier participated in was not so much liberal or permissive as bizarre. In Junier's case, it meant six-days-a-week out, one day in -- or enough freedom for this sadistic rapist to establish a routine complete with a car, a rental apartment near Weld Square and a job on a highway crew. He wasn't alone, either.

Among the privileged Bridgewater inmates who made the Whaling City their get-away in 1988 was Ronny Leftwich, who had been jailed for an assault on a 67-year-old Nantucket woman -- a crime that the police chief described as the worst he'd ever seen -- transferred to Bridgewater, released on furlough, deemed "out-of-bounds" after six months and brought back in, and released again in 1995 into the custody of Father Martin-Henri, who had founded a monastery to minister to felons and drug addicts.

Leftwich was then rearrested, in Martin-Henri's murder, in which Lefty has always maintained his innocence, while admitting to having dumped the body.

He is now doing life at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Shirley.

Which, unfortunately, Sam, is not to suggest that your job is half-done. Lefty and Junier had other friends in New Bedford who are not currently behind bars, ex-cons and public servants alike.

Established 50 years ago by the Harvard-trained psychologist Harry Kozol, Bridgewater is a continuing experiment in the rehabilitation of sex offenders. What makes it unique in the land is not its population -- deviants and predators can be found all over the prison system. But at Bridgewater the inmates serve civil commitments, with their freedom and other privileges decided by a select group of therapists, some with track records that favor inmates at the expense of public safety.

Of those who should not have been released, it is obvious in retrospect: Nathaniel Bar-Jonah (David Brown), the child cannibal who was allowed to leave on the promise that he would move to Montana, which he did, near a playground where he found his victims; Michael Kelley, whose friendship with his keepers led to the murders of two women, including one who was mentally handicapped; and, most recently, Paul Nolin, who was convicted in the 2003 murder of an aspiring golf pro from Falmouth.

Nolin's case could have served as a clarion call for drastic change, or even as a simple reminder that Bridgewater's past is a problem for the future, but the lessons seem all but lost on an ill-informed public, which is nothing new for critics of the Treatment Center.

As far back as 1992, one therapist there was warning anyone who would listen of the dangers ahead. She even compiled a list of 26 inmates who were purged from the Treatment Center in the early 1990s, men who were privy to the darkest jailhouse secrets regarding corruption, drugs, porn, sex and so on, and were either released outright or transferred to other jails. The list was circulated among the highest government officials as part of an affidavit filed in a federal lawsuit at the time, but as far as anyone knows, the only lasting effect was to get the therapist fired.

Some of the 26 re-offended and are now back behind bars, some aren't.

Paul Nolin's path from convicted rapist to convicted killer is a study in how the Treatment Center operates, and why we should all be worried about its future.

Nolin's primary therapist was a Catholic priest named Donald Turlick, a licensed counselor with a private practice on Cape Cod and a résumé that features Kenny Junier and Michael Kelley as previous patients whose freedom he recommended.

After Nolin was released from prison he moved into the priest's home in Mashpee, next door to the Cape Cod Children's Museum.

Turlick's fellow Catholic priest Bernard Kelly, a friend since their seminary days in the 1950s, then employed Nolin as a handyman at St. Joseph's, in Woods Hole, and at his home in the Cummaquid village, in Yarmouth.

To Father Kelly, Bridgewater is known as "the university," and Nolin was a graduate, someone he can entrust with the keys to the church despite Nolin's rape and torture of a young boy whom he tied to a tree and left in the woods.

As the handyman, Nolin had complete access to church grounds, including a stand-alone bell tower he used as his private party spot and, late one night three years ago, as an enticement for a new acquaintance, whom he stabbed to death and stuffed under some rocks outside the boathouse of a nearby estate.

Nolin's murder trial revealed that he, Kelly and Turlick were linked every which way -- socially, sexually, financially, as priest-penitent and patient-counselor. Nolin's lawyer was the husband of Turlick's lawyer, and Nolin was named as a major benefactor in Kelly's will.

But Nolin alone was held responsible for the murder. Turlick disappeared without so much as a reprimand, and Kelly was removed from St. Joseph's for alleged financial improprieties.

His oft-delayed trial is now slated for Nov. 14 -- next Tuesday. It remains an open question as to how far back investigators will go in searching for money, but among his many parish jobs there was only one where Turlick and Kelly worked together -- St. Francis Xavier, in Hyannis, home of the Joseph P. Kennedy altar.

For what it's worth. 

Read the Projo version here, and comment below 

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SSA issues weather warning for Stroll, Roggeveen files recount, Toolan attorney argues motions to suppress evidence

      ^{The weather was mild this week for the stroll until Friday, see weather alert below}

Nantucket NEWS, December 1, 2006

Weather-related message from the SSA

Steamship Authority general manager Wayne Lamson is advising travelers to be prepared for weather-related cancellations over the busy Christmas Stroll weekend. He issued the following statement Thursday: "A high wind watch is in effect from Friday afternoon through Friday night for Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket Counties. A strong cold front is expected to move through the area tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow night. Wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph will be possible. We will try to keep operating as long as it is safe to do so but it is looking like some trips may be cancelled during this period, especially on the Nantucket route. The timing could not be worse as this is Nantucket’s Christmas Stroll weekend. We will do the best we can to provide as much service as possible. "  . . .More

 

Gallery hopping for Stroll

Many island galleries reopen for the Christmas Stroll weekend. For a complete list, click here for Eye on Art.

Toolan attorney argues motions to suppress evidence
Defense motions to suppress evidence in the murder case against former Manhattan bank executive Thomas Toolan were heard this week in Barnstable Superior Court....More

Town appeals $1.2M Waste Options finding
The town has taken its contract dispute with landfill operator Waste Options to Superior Court, after an independent arbitrator last week ruled the Rhode Island company...More

Ben Simons named new curator of Nantucket Historical Association
The Nantucket Historical Association has chosen its new chief curator, and it stayed in-house to do it. Acting curator Ben Simons, who joined the NHA in 2002, will...More

Single mom gives back to a fund that once helped her family
As the Dec. 3 deadline for the Inky Santa’s Toy Drive nears, a mother remembers a time when she needed to reach out and call the Inky Santa hotline. Nancy, who asked...More

 Reac the rest of the Inquirer & Mirror here.

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Wiily's Gym sold, Airport audit, Councilers stifle comments

     ^{The entrance of Hyannis Harbor}

Barnstable NEWS, December 1, 2006

 Read the rest of the Patriot here.

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Hospital review stalls, Housing Bank renews efforts, SSA wants to charge Hy-Line more

     ^{A tanback sloop chasing the car ferry out of Vineyard Harbor towards Woods Hole} 

Martha's Vineyard NEWS, December 1, 2006

Commission Review on Hospital Stalls in Procedural Tangle Over Parking Lot
The Martha's Vineyard Commission this week put off its final vote on the Martha's Vineyard Hospital expansion project.   A decision had been scheduled for this coming Thursday, but the commission instead now plans to reopen the hospital public hearing the following week, on Dec. 14, to accept additional testimony on a proposed offsite staff parking lot that has emerged as a potential stumbling block for the $42 million project.

» Full Story

Housing Bank Backers Renew Efforts to Pass Legislative Bill
An ad-hoc group of Vineyard housing advocates have decided to continue their pursuit of controversial legislation that would tax Island real estate transactions to fund affordable housing projects.
» Full Story

High School Committee Takes $14.3 Million Budget to Towns
The Martha's Vineyard Regional High School district committee this week reviewed a draft $14.3 million operating budget for the 2007-2008 fiscal year, a 4.7 per cent increase over last year.
» Full Story

Search Launched for School Principal
Following a turn of events last week that ended in the superintendent's request for the Edgartown School principal's resignation, the Edgartown school committee accepted the resignation of principal G. Paul Dulac on Wednesday morning and approved an accelerated timeline to find a permanent replacement.
» Full Story

Boat Line to Seek Higher License Fees from Competition
The Steamship Authority is expected to impose higher fees and new restrictions on the operations of its main competitor, Hy-Line Cruises, when the SSA board meets to consider Hy-Line's new licensing agreement on Tuesday.   A request from Hy-Line to cut out high speed service to the Vineyard during the winter months also is expected to receive a favorable recommendation from management. The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Candle House in the Marine Biological Laboratories complex in Woods Hole. The proposed new licensing restrictions follow several incidents last summer when Hy-Line's boat on the Nantucket service, the Grey Lady, broke down and was replaced with the Lady Martha, which was taken off the Vineyard run.
» Full Story

Foster Parents Reap Rewards of Community
Her talents drive her life. She works full time at the hospital day care center, coaches two youth hockey teams and plays three instruments - alto sax, bass clarinet and some drums. But she's not sure she would have realized those talents if she hadn't been placed in the care of the Vineyard Haven foster family that eventually adopted her.
» Full Story 

Read the rest of the Gazette here. 

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Shotgun season starts here, Boston Agency pays $5M for Cape firm, Globe picks Ipswich over Harwich, Off Season with the CCBL, $20M estate inspires Rocker charity

Shotgun formation
Faithful set their sights on deer as season begins

FORESTDALE -- Even before an unseasonably warm dawn, the pickup trucks, lights jiggling, chug up the dirt road into the Otis Fish and Game Club. It's opening day of deer shotgun season. The tracts of scrub pine and sandy fields are full of deer, they know, and the air is full of anticipation. Inside the wood-paneled clubhouse, officials of the Massachusetts Wildlife Department check in the early wave of about 300 hunters -- mostly men -- who stand around in their blaze orange outdoor wear chatting, smoking as they sip coffee, and eat bacon and eggs that Bob Medeiros flips on the big kitchen range out back.

Then, at sunup, they are on their feet, shuffling coats and slinging shotguns over their shoulders. Within a few minutes, all have taken to their trucks, dispersing into the mellow Cape Cod morning... Read the rest of this Globe story here.
_____________________________

Hub PR guru Regan buying Cape Cod advertising firm
Regan Communications buys Pierce-Cote for $5 million

Local public relations guru George Regan is spending over $5 million to buy a Cape Cod advertising firm. Regan, founder of Boston-based Regan Communications, is purchasing Pierce-Cote Advertising in Osterville, in an effort to integrate PR and advertising services for clients. “It’s a whole new rapidly changing media world,” Regan said. “This offers us a chance to expand with their resources”...

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though sources said Regan is paying more than $5 million for the firm. Pierce-Cote’s principals, including Rebecca Pierce-Merrick and staff, will remain at the agency, Regan said... Read the rest of this Herald story here.
_____________________________

Harwich has been a great story all year but picking against a Cape Ann League team would be foolish
Division 3A preview - December 1, 2006

Ipswich (10-2) vs. Cape Cod Tech (10-1)
What: Division 3A Super Bowl.
Where: Veterans Memorial Stadium, Quincy.
When: Tomorrow, 10 a.m.
Last meeting: First meeting between schools.
OUTLOOK
You only have to look at the scoring list to see who will be the focus of the defenses tomorrow. But there's one more key and that's the health of Ipswich captain and RB/LB McCarthy. When McCarthy's on the field, Ipswich is a much better team. Both schools feature 13 returning starters from the 2005 season, when each won five games.
PREDICTION
Cape Cod/Harwich has been a great story all year but picking against a Cape Ann League team would be foolish. I have to get one right.
Ipswich 24, Cape Cod/Harwich 14.  Read the Globe story here.
_____________________________

Two pitchers sign with Beavers
CCBL works for two more players

Right-handed pitchers Kevin Hammon of Sierra (Calif.) Junior College and Isaac Oakley of Cambridge High in Cambridge, Mass., have signed letters of intent to play baseball at Oregon State. They will join the program for the 2007-08 season.

Hammon was first-team all-conference in 2006 with a 12-4 record, 3.41 earned-run average and 103 strikeouts in 97 2/3 innings. He was an al-league shortstop at Rocklin (Calif.) High before enrolling at Sierra, which is also in Rocklin. His family has subsequently moved to Eugene, and he also has relatives in Roseburg.

The 6-foot-5 Oakley was a first-team All-Greater Boston all-star the past two years who assistant coach Dan Spencer noticed while on the East Coast watching OSU players in the Cape Cod League this past summer. He was 6-2, 0.98 as a junior and 6-2, 1.05 as a sophomore. Read the CV Times here.
_____________________________

A star is born with Xmas Night benefit
On using a $20 million Cape Cod estate 2 weeks a year

Mike Nastri (on right) just couldn’t see the point. How could someone own a $20 million Cape Cod estate and use it only two weeks out of the year?Nastri, the singer and bass player for Boston band Harris, brooded over this lavish waste when working as a landscaper at the vacant estate several summers ago. “I was just thinking so many people have so little,” Nastri said.

And so the idea behind the Sleep Tight Xmas Night benefit was born. This year, with a little help from friends and a big hand from his girlfriend, Megan Loftus, Nastri’s wish to do something to help the needy has become reality. A series of six shows featuring almost 25 local bands kicks off tonight at Bill’s Bar with a lineup featuring Harris, Static of the Gods, the Vershok, Furvis and Medicated Kisses.

“I thought I’d start off with some friends and a few of my favorite bands,” said Nastri, who hopes Sleep Tight becomes an annual event. “I wanted to do 25 shows, but I settled on six.”   The other shows are Tuesday through next Friday at T.T. the Bear’s Place and the Middle East in Cambridge, and Great Scott in Allston. All proceeds will benefit Toys for Tots, Rosie’s Place and the Pine Street Inn...  Read the  rest of this Herald story here, and comment below.

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Quaker Village Cookie Stroll, Packet Landing gateway, Park debate turns nasty, WY Fire Station loses ambulance

     ^{Sandy Neck is walkable today, but wait until next week}

Mid Cape NEWS, November 30, 2006

Cookie Stroll honors Bainbridge Crist By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com Imagine strolling the streets of a Currier & Ives Christmas card. You pass beautiful old sea captains' homes, tendrils of smoke wafting from chimneys, the crisp, fresh scent of winter in the nippy air. Secretly, you wonder what lies beyond the bedecked doors, what stories the lovingly preserved walls have tucked away in hidden passages. Those who dream of a simpler time are invited to live that fantasy Saturday, Dec. 9. Owners of a dozen vintage homes in the old Quaker Village of South Yarmouth will welcome the public into holiday-decorated rooms 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. during South Yarmouth Library's first-ever Holiday Cookie Stroll... [more]

Yarmouth works to create a 'gateway' at Packet Landing By Craig Salters/ csalters@cnc.com If you're an optimist, improvements to Packet Landing in South Yarmouth are taking place slowly but surely. If you're a pessimist, of course, those same improvements are taking place surely ... but slowly. Either way, plans are moving forward and Yarmouth residents could be strolling the landing's new walkways and enjoying the beautiful river view as early as Labor Day of next year. "It's been kicking around for about a decade," said DPW Director George Allaire of the $400,000 revitalization project, which received federal funds in 1996 through the efforts of U.S. Rep. William Delahunt, D-Quincy... [more]

BHS Gospel Choir taps into tradition By Joe Burns/ jburns@cnc.com It's Tuesday morning, but at Barnstable High it sounds like Sunday as 30 hand-clapping, body-swaying students set the music room rocking with a rousing... [more]

Methodist church expands, physically and spiritually By Matthew Belson/ mbelson@cnc.com There's a lot of noise coming from Northside United Methodist Church these days. But the sounds of front-end loaders ripping up old asphalt, buzzing... [more]

Talk of the town By Joe Burns/ jburns@cnc.com To streamline town council meetings and to cut back on what he and others see as disrespectful and self-serving public comments by a small group of... [more]

WY Fire Station will lose ambulance, not fire engine By Craig Salters/ Csalters@cnc.com A fire engine can serve as an ambulance, but an ambulance can't serve as a fire engine. That was the rationale given to Yarmouth selectmen Tuesday night by Yarmouth Fire Chief C. Randall Sherman as he explained the reasoning behind Town Administrator Bob Lawton's decision to temporarily remove an ambulance from the West Yarmouth Fire Station. The move - an attempt to curb overtime costs - is a reversal of an earlier decision to remove a fire engine from the station while retaining the ambulance... [more]

Review process begins for Parkers River Marine Park By Craig Salters/ csalters@cnc.com Ambitious plans for a self-sufficient marine park at the mouth of Parkers River in West Yarmouth drew a large number of residents to a Monday night hearing and left town officials with hope for the project's future. "It went well," said Karl von Hone, director of Yarmouth's Department of Natural Resources and the point man for project. .. [more]

Park debate turns nasty By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com A dispute is emerging in Dennis over how much commercial use should be allowed at Bass River Park. Article 1 of the Oct. 18, 2005 Dennis Town Meeting hearing and left town officials with hope for the project's future. "It went well," said Karl von Hone, director of Yarmouth's Department of Natural Resources and the point man for project. .. [more]

Many still priced out of housing By Joe Burns/ jburns@cnc.com Declining home prices on Cape Cod don't translate into an increase in affordable housing - at least not yet, say experts on the subject. Paul Ruchinskas,... [more]

Around Dennis Three vie for selectman's seat Sean Higgins of South Dennis and former selectmen Wayne Bergeron of Dennis and Heidi Schadt of South Dennis have taken... [more]

Food pantry is a lifeline for many By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com This holiday season, The Register has selected the Hands of Hope Food Pantry in Dennisport and the Salvation Army Food Pantry in Hyannis to receive... [more]

D-Y district reviews special education responsibilities By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com As director of special services for the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District, Gloria Lemerise has a daunting job. In addition to being responsible... [more]

Ezra H. Baker School Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF The final total collected for this year's campaign was $720.68, reported chairwoman Alice Boyle. A big thank you to... [more]

Around Yarmouth Chamber is Toys for Tots drop-off site The Yarmouth Area Chamber of Commerce will serve as a collection point for Toys for Tots donations this holiday... [more]

Airport finances explored in FAA audit By Craig Salters/ Csalters@cnc.com The Federal Aviation Administration's audit of the Barnstable Municipal Airport began Tuesday and should be completed by week's end. "We'll wrap... [more]

A sign of the times That new information board at the corner of Route 28 and Higgins Crowell Road in West Yarmouth is a gift to Yarmouth from the Rotary Club. The message... [more]

Dennis selectmen move ahead By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com Dennis selectmen agreed unanimously Nov. 20 that Jane Otis should serve as chairwoman, replacing Don Trepte, who died Nov. 12. Vice chairman Charlie... [more]

Dennis considers alternate energy options By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com Dennis selectmen will appoint an alternative energy advisory committee to find ways in which the town might encourage the development of solar and... [more]

Yarmouth roads scheduled for sealing The Yarmouth Department of Public Works recently compiled its preliminary list of roads scheduled for "chip sealing" in 2007. DPW Director... [more]

New Dennis Police HQ is on schedule By Nicole Muller/ nmuller@cnc.com Anyone who drives routinely down Bob Crowell Road in South Dennis knows that construction carries on at the new police station site. What the casual... [more]

School Notes BC High School students earn honors Matthew Anness Davis and Eric J Risley of West Barnstable achieved High Honors for the first quarter at Boston... [more]

Gospel roots and branches With roots in African and African-American traditions, gospel music grew out of the Pentacostal and Sanctified churches to become a prime influence... [more]

Buying and selling The following statistics are for the sales of single-family homes as provided by The Warren Group, publishers of the trade publication Banker & Tradesman. Median... [more]

Rectrix case has Dec. 18 court date
A federal lawsuit brought against the Barnstable Municipal Airport Commission by one of its tenants is due in court next month. The lawsuit, filed... [more]

Read the rest of The Register here, and comment below. 

 

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In like a lamb... out like a kitten

2006 hurricane season bows out quietly
Cape Cod and Florida spared any hits in 2006

Cape Cod and even Florida got away scot-free this year defying the predictions. The 2006 Atlantic hurricane season ends today with a whimper rather than a bang without a single hurricane hitting the United States.

Only three tropical storms made landfall, which was a welcomed relief from the previous two years when nearly a dozen hurricanes battered the country.

The mild 2006 Atlantic hurricane season is a stark contrast to the record-breaking hurricane season in 2005 which killed more than 1,500 people and left thousands homeless in New Orleans and along the Gulf of Mexico coast.

Such a sense of quiet was relative, however, because although 2006 might have seemed tame compared with the devastation of 2004 and 2005, the 2006  season's total of nine named storms, five hurricanes, two of them major was actually right at the historical average for the past 150 years, according to data from the National Hurricane Center.

The closest for us was Beryl off  Cape Cod in July

This year was also unusual because no tropical systems formed at all in October. This is the first time that has happened since 1994, according to the hurricane center.

Only three tropical systems affected the United States at all this year. They were Tropical Storm (not hurricane) Alberto which came ashore in Florida's Big Bend region in June, then moved north through Georgia and South Carolina.

It was followed by Tropical Storm Beryl which brushed Cape Cod in July and finally Tropical Storm Ernesto (click here to see a hi-res satellite photo) made landfalls in southern Florida on August 30 and along the North Carolina coast two days later.

Click here to see how close Beryl came to Cape Cod.

Only Alberto hit the Gulf of Mexico this year, which was welcomed news for residents of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast still trying to recover from 2005's one-two punch from hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

We will have to change the Cape Cod Hurricane doggerel to read:

June, too soon.
July, stand by.
August, if you must.
September, REMEMBER.
October, 'twas sober.

Relevant Web Sites

• NOAA Atlantic Hurricane Outlook & Seasonal Climate Summary Archive
• NOAA 2006 Atlantic Hurricane Season Reports
• NOAA El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion
• NOAA's Role in El Niño Research, Monitoring and Prediction
• NOAA Climate Prediction Center
• NOAA: El Niño Makes a Comeback
• NOAA Hurricanes Portal
• NOAA 2006 Storm Event Imagery

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Buzzards Bay man fired for smoking on his own time

Great Scott! Fired for smoking on his own time

by Jaclyn Fitzgerald & O'Ryan Johnson for the Boston Herald

A Buzzards Bay man peed into a cup and lost his job when the Scott Co. discovered he'd been inhaling more than the chemicals he sprayed on lawns - he was allegedly smoking cigarettes - according to a lawsuit he filed.

The employee, Scott Rodrigues, sued the national lawncare company yesterday for wrongful termination, claiming the company violated his civil rights. But company spokesman Jim King said the policy is meant to keep employees healthy and protect their wallets.

Read the rest of the Herald story here and comment below.

More from the Boston Globe here.

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Bournes votes no on $13M school overrun, Won't renew SeMass, Sandwich Library rocks

   ^{Its a quiet time of year along the canal in Sandwich}

Upper Cape NEWS, November 30, 2006

Agreement should end litigation By Paul Gately/ pgately@cnc.com Bourne Town Counsel Robert Troy will soon file a stipulation of dismissal with the Massachusetts Land Court, bringing to an end litigation between Bourne and Cape Cod Aggregates, the owner of the controversial sand-and gravel pit off Scenic Highway. Selectmen Tuesday night approved the execution of an agreement between CCA and the zoning board of appeals, the final result of hearings dating to 2002 when neighbors first objected to CCA operations. The agreement places controls on CCA mining and rock crushing related to noise, dust and hours of operation... [more]

One for the books By Silene Gordon/ sgordon@cnc.com Stuart Parsons recalls his first year on the job at Sandwich Public Library as exciting but a bit intimidating. "I was a nervous wreck," says the nine-year veteran, acknowledging that, as a children's librarian, his audience is made up of savvy young customers who could tell a Newbery Award Winner from a mile away... [more]

Bourne won't renew its SEMASS contract By Paul Gately/ pgately@cnc.com The Upper Cape Cod trash train will continue to rumble through Bourne and across the canal twice a day, bound for the giant incinerator in Rochester, but come January it will no longer carry Bourne's trash and garbage. Town Administrator Thomas Guerino said Bourne's $750,000 contract with SEMASS expires in January and will not be renewed. At that point, Bourne municipal solid waste will be collected and buried in the town landfill off MacArthur Boulevard... [more]

Bourne wants answers on rotary project By Paul Gately/ pgately@cnc.com Bourne selectmen are taking issue with state plans to eliminate Connery Circle at the MacArthur Boulevard entrance to the Massachusetts Military Reservation, saying transportation planning should focus instead on fixing - or getting rid of - the Bourne rotary. Selectmen will write to state transportation and highway officials - as well as the town's Beacon Hill delegation - the message that Bourne's major priority is to undertake an overhaul or redesign of the traffic-choked circle at the foot of the Bourne Bridge... [more]

'Holly Days' are here again By Silene Gordon/ sgordon@cnc.com After a successful first run last year with its Holly Days in Sandwich campaign, the Sandwich Chamber of Commerce is bringing back its lineup of holiday... [more]

House plan presents challenge By Paul Gately/ pgately@cnc.com The Bourne appeals board has opted to follow the spirit of a new bylaw rather than the exact wording for a house upgrade at 91 Sandwich Road, Bourne... [more]

Bourne may reverse field and hold 2008 Town Meeting before the annual election By Paul Gately/ Upper Cape Codder Bourne voters in 2008 may conduct Annual Town Meeting business before they go to the polls in the annual election if a recommendation by the Bylaw... [more]

Bourne rejects $13.2 million school cost overrun funding second time By Paul Gately/ Upper Cape Codder Bourne voters for the second time in less than two months overwhelmingly rejected a $13.2 million request Wednesday to fund a cost overrun on a proposed Buzzards Bay elementary school construction proposal for which they approved $26.8 million three years ago. “This whole project was snake bit from the very start,” said an elderly voter from Precinct 3 outside the Bourne Middle School on Wednesday afternoon. “And I didn’t appreciate having to vote on this issue twice.”  The debt exclusion request to override Proposition 2½ and salvage a project years in the design, and for which the town expended much political capital, failed on a 2,336-1,423 vote. .. [more]

Housing prices still out of line By Joe Burns/ jburns@cnc.com Declining home prices on Cape Cod don't translate into an increase in affordable housing - at least not yet, say experts on the subject. Paul Ruchinskas,... [more]

Around Bourne Special election results online The results of the Bourne special election to fund the cost overrun for the new elementary school held Wednesday,... [more]

School notes Texas Hold-em Poker event Tickets are available for the Texas Hold-em Poker Tournament, Casino & Dinner Buffet fund-raiser from 7 p.m. to midnight... [more]

Bourne school notes Savings Makes Sense at BMS Massachusetts Treasurer Timothy Cahill will visit Bourne Middle School Dec. 4 at 8:30 a.m., along with a marketing representative... [more]

Construction debris dumped in bog By Paul Gately/ pgately@cnc.com A major environmental infraction was discovered at Little Buttermilk Bay earlier this month just as the Bourne Conservation Department and Buzzards... [more]

Bourne looks at combining public works, landfill offices Planning is under way to combine the Bourne public works headquarters and landfill division offices in a single building at a location still to be... [more]

Schoolhouse may go on historic register The Cataumet Schoolhouse Preservation Group is pressing the town to have the one-room school off County Road placed on the U.S. Register for Historic... [more]

CPA may help preserve old Bourne records Some vital Bourne history going back to the late 18th century needs attention and refurbishing. The historical commission plans to request Community... [more]

Bourne seeks help on CanalSide issues Bourne selectmen continue to press for professional help in determining how they should deal with CanalSide Commons developer Len Cubellis and perhaps... [more]

State money for Bourne schools delayed The Bourne School Department will have to wait until January to learn if it will receive $500,000 the Legislature set aside to help the town educate... [more]

Bourne landfill could be key in Cape's future waste disposal The Cape Cod Commission thinks Bourne - with its landfill - could be a big player when the region considers its future solid waste disposal needs. Commission... [more]

Bourne may have new food pantry site by 2008 The Bourne Friends Food Pantry may be operating out of a new location by the end of 2008. Bourne selectmen