EXTRA...

Peter Pan strike looms over holiday; Don't drink the water; Dennis race benefit; Brewster school snafu; Where is Hyannis? Flocking Ospreys; Fans lament loss of "Big Game"; Baker picks Lite-Guv

TODAY's quote: "I am really unhappy that the Cape Cod Times reporting of what the EDC was working on so alarmed so many people. But the reporting was wrong."
- Dennis Town Planner Dan Fortier.

      Cape Cod's water tested
       for harmful chemicals

A Newton breast cancer research organization is studying whether pharmaceuticals, hormones, plasticizers, herbicides and other chemicals are finding their way into the Cape's public drinking supplies.
   Scientists from the Silent Spring Institute collected water samples from 20 public wells in the towns of Barnstable, Brewster, Dennis, Falmouth, Chatham and Bourne last month to test for the presence of more than 90 chemicals found in personal care products, prescription drugs and other products. Many of the chemicals are flushed down toilets, or washed down sinks and showers... Herald.

Osprey flock to Cape penthouses

Audubon census shows numbers are soaring... According to data provided by Audubon's Mark Faherty, just a few years ago there were estimated to be about 19 nesting pairs of ospreys on Cape Cod. In 2009 the Osprey Project mapped 220 nests, up from 150 in 2008... Barnstable Patriot.

Threat of Peter Pan strike looms over holiday travel plans

An expected strike vote Friday by Peter Pan Bus Lines drivers could affect buses connecting from Providence, Cape Cod, the Boston area and New York during the upcoming Thanksgiving week, drivers and other sources said...

One Boston commuter and others at the city terminal said drivers were saying a strike vote was pending and could happen next week, close to the holiday.

That included a second Peter Pan driver saying, "The ballots are in the mail." That driver said he "had no idea" if there would be a strike... Milford Daily News.
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Issues delay Stony Brook School addition in Brewster

Contracts for the construction of the Stony Brook Elementary School addition hadn't been awarded as of Wednesday afternoon.

The state inspector general's office received a complaint that the proper process for the sale of town property wasn't followed. Brewster is selling the town hall to Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School, so the town does not have to auction the property off to the highest bidder.
However, there may be some issues regarding the athletic fields in front of town hall... The Cape Codder.
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Thanksgiving race to benefit grief counseling for Cape kids

Andrea Holden died suddenly in 1990 shortly before Thanksgiving. Photo courtesy of Kecia McCaffrey

Since 2001, proceeds from the Andrea Holden 5K Thanksgiving Race have sent needy children to summer camp, provided medical assistance for seriously ill children, equipped ambulances with emergency pediatric equipment, introduced Challenge Day to Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, sent terminally ill children and their families to Dream Day on Cape Cod - and much, much more.

The Andrea Holden Foundation memorializes a 6-year-old Dennis child who died suddenly in 1990 shortly before Thanksgiving. The Foundation raises funds to improve the quality of life for children living in the mid-Cape area... The Register.
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Hyannis, Cape Cod, USA: where?

Hyannis has been a vacation center since the 19th century when President Ulysses S. Grant strolled along the Hyannis Harbor and a few years later, President Grover Cleveland visited. In 1925, Joseph P. Kennedy and his wife Rose started the Kennedy-Hyannis tradition by reserving a private beach-front cottage in Hyannisport. Over the years, the property has been enlarged and now, thanks to architect Frank Paine, it now has 14 rooms, 9 baths, and a motion picture theater. In the 1960s, the area made front page news thanks to the leisure-time habits of President John F. Kennedy and the rest of his immediate family and friends.

Geographically challenged
I am on my way to Cape Cod. Yes, I know it is in Massachusetts; however, I did not know that Cape Cod is a 413-square-mile peninsula of fields, forests, dunes, marshland, and beaches located off the Massachusetts coast. It was not until I called the 800 operator for the Peter Pan bus line and was asked, "Where on the Cape to you want to go?" OMG! There are 10 possible bus stops along the Cape.

Now was the time to open googlemaps and take a quick US geography lesson... eTurboNews.
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Football Fans Lament Loss of Big Game

"I can't believe we're not playing Nantucket this weekend. What is the world coming to?" one man lamented at Bert's barber shop in Vineyard Haven.

There was a noticeable feeling of loss around the Vineyard this week. For the first time in nearly 50 years, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard will not play the Island Cup football game this weekend, one of the most celebrated and storied traditions for both Islands that was cancelled this year for financial reasons.

The loss of the game comes at a time when the national recession is clamping down hard on the Vineyard, and for many Islanders it signals the loss of one more cherished tradition, like diving for coins off the steamship pier or horse races through the state forest on Thanksgiving day... Vineyard Gazette.
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Baker narrows list of running mates
Plymouth County DA Cruz on short list

He is battling Christy Mihos who talks of spending some of his fortune in seeking the Republican nomination. Mihos spent $4 million of his personal funds in 2006.

As part of a decision that will significantly shape next year's gubernatorial race, Republican Charles D. Baker is reviewing a final list of four potential running mates, including a district attorney, the GOP's two top legislative leaders, and a lawmaker known for her political candor, a campaign adviser said yesterday.

Baker is hoping to choose a candidate for lieutenant governor this weekend and is considering Senate minority leader Richard R. Tisei of Wakefield, House minority leader Bradley H. Jones Jr. of North Reading, Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz, and state Representative Karyn E. Polito of Shrewsbury... Globe.

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Unused Monomoy Light gets $1.5M; Money woes end island rivalry; Wareham wants another North Shore official; Off-Cape murder-suicide; Lizzie Borden to be retried; Recount reverses Barnstable vote

TODAY's quote: "Lizzie Bordon took an axe and gave her father forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done, she gave her mother forty-one." - Old doggerel.

$1,500,000 to repair unused Monomoy Lighthouse
Unlikely destinations for some stimulus funds

There's $1.5 million to fix a remote lighthouse on uninhabited Monomoy Island, off Cape Cod. Security measures to protect the Spirit of Boston party cruise ship from terrorist attacks will cost about $123,000. And the University of Massachusetts at Boston received nearly $95,000 to study pollen samples from the Viking era in Iceland.

Those are some of the Massachusetts projects being funded with taxpayer money under the federal stimulus law.. Globe.
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Financial woes halt Martha's Vineyard-Nantucket Island Cup
Historic football game will not be played this year

Recount reverses Barnstable vote

A face-lift planned for Barnstable town government received a makeover of its own yesterday as a recount reversed this month's election results, reports the Cape Cod Times.
   The ballot question, proposing to change the shape of the Barnstable Town Council, initially passed by a single vote on the Nov. 3 ballot. But the recount conducted yesterday at Barnstable Town Hall reversed the outcome, with the margin swinging 11 votes in the other direction changing the totals to 2,574 in favor and 2,584 opposed... Herald.

Something important will be missing from the Massachusetts islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket this weekend when the high school football season ends. But there is hope it will not be a permanent void...

The game, which this season was scheduled to be on Martha's Vineyard, was canceled in August largely because of budget constraints, an issue that has been plaguing high schools nationwide during the economic downturn.

The teams have met 62 times and in the early years of the series sometimes played twice in a season. Crowds in excess of 4,000 have been known to attend, with hundreds of fans flying in for the rivalry, which gives the winner bragging rights.

However, there is no regularly scheduled ferry service between the islands in non-summer months, and the approximately $12,500 cost of arranging a chartered ferry for Nantucket players and fans to make the trip to and from the Vineyard for one event became prohibitive in a time of tight budgets, Nantucket athletics director Chris Maury said... USA Today. 

See today's "It Happened TODAY" for the story of the Vineyard's winning streak.
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Wareham wants to hire Lawrence budget director Mark Andrews
Another North Shore manager is now interim PD Chief in Wareham

Andrews has twice been arrested for drunken driving, charges that dogged him during his recent job search.

Mark Andrews, city budget and finance director, has been offered a job in the Cape Cod town of Wareham. Selectmen there voted unanimously to start negotiations with Andrews during a meeting Tuesday night, according to press reports.

Andrews, a Lawrence native and former vice president at Northern Essex Community College, was hired by the city in September 2007. His current salary was $93,000. It's unclear what the Wareham job pays...

Wareham is apparently a hot spot for Merrimack Valley managers. North Andover Police Chief Richard Stanley currently works 20 hours per week in Wareham as the town's interim police chief... Lawrence Eagle-Tribune.
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Coastal communities can get state grants to halt stormwater pollution

The state has $400,000 in grants available to help shoreline communities improve coastal water quality by halting pollution runoff from roads and constructing or upgrading boat waste pump-out stations.

The grants were announced this week by Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Ian Bowles and could prove vital to North Shore towns and cities that are part of the newly designated No Discharge Area along the coast...

Massachusetts has 12 NDAs, including the coastal waters of Plymouth, Kingston, Duxbury and Harwich; Buzzards Bay; Waquoit Bay in Falmouth; Three Bays/Centerville Harbor in Barnstable; Chatham's Stage Harbor; coastal waters of Nantucket from Muskeget Island to Great Point; Cape Cod Bay; Boston Harbor; Salem Sound; the Lower North Shore and the Upper South Shore. CZM is currently working with communities and other partners to plan NDAs in Nantucket Sound, Mt. Hope Bay and the Upper North Shore, with the ultimate goal of making all Massachusetts coastal waters an NDA... Lynn Daily Item.
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Mattapoisett deaths ruled murder-suicide - Wife strangled, husband hung himself

Shirley and Joseph Battistelli

The Plymouth County district attorney's office is now treating the case of a Mattapoisett couple found dead in their home last week as a murder-suicide, after determining that 74-year-old Shirley Battistelli was strangled to death.

Shirley Battistelli was found dead Thursday on the first floor in her Tallman Street home while her husband, Joseph Leo Battistelli, 78, was found hanged in the basement. He had also suffered a gunshot wound. The couple had been married 55 years.

"The cause of death was strangulation," assistant district attorney Bridget Norton Middleton told the Standard-Times. "It was a murder-suicide"... Standard-Times. 

See original story here.
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Lizzie Borden on trial again in Taunton
Taunton mock trial marks 150-year anniversary of court

One of the region's most notorious murder trials will be recreated Thursday when the Taunton Superior Courthouse holds a mock trial of the infamous Lizzie Borden case... The event is being held to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Great Trial Court of the Commonwealth, formed in 1859 to replace the Court of Common Pleas. Each county in Massachusetts is holding mock trials and other events to mark the anniversary.Bristol County has already held Lizzie Borden mock trials in Fall River and New Bedford. There have also been symposiums on the Big Dan's rape case and the Charles Cuffe case. Cuffe was a 14-year-old black resident of New Bedford who was accused of murdering a white man in 1871 and defended by the city's first black lawyer.

The 1893 Lizzie Borden murder trial is arguably the most notorious in Massachusetts history. Born into a wealthy Fall River family, Borden was 32 years old when she was accused of brutally murdering her father and stepmother with a hatchet. Despite a substantial amount of circumstantial evidence, Borden was acquitted of the murders. No one else was ever charged with the killings... The Brockton Enterprise.

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Maersk Alabama attacked again; Another tanker master dead

Maersk Alabama attacked again with Mass. Maritime grad at helm

"There are old captains and bold captains, but there are no old, bold captains."

Captain Paul Rochford in his 1979 yearbook at the Mass. Maritime Academy.

Another graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy was the captain of the container ship Maersk Alabama when it was attacked again today by pirates off the coast of Somalia. Four pirates in a skiff came within 300 yards of the ship at 6:30 a.m. local time, but the crew repelled the attack by making evasive maneuvers and firing several warning shots, according to a statement issued by the US Navy. No injuries have been reported.

The current skipper of the Maersk Alabama is Captain Paul Rochford of Barrington, R.I., according to the Maritime Academy. Rochford graduated in 1979 and was a classmate of Richard Phillips, the Vermont resident taken hostage in a similar attack last spring...

"There are old captains and bold captains, but there are no old, bold captains," said MMA President Admiral Richard Gurnon... Globe.
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Hijacked tanker Kiri Bati Theresa VIII master is dead

On 16 November this North Korean-crewed, Kiribati-flag single-hulled Chemical Tanker named the MV Theresa VIII was hijacked in the south Somali Basin, 180 nautical miles North West of the Seychelles. Theresa VIII has a deadweight of 22,294 tonnes and a crew of 28 North Koreans. The vessel, which was heading for Mombasa, has turned around and is now heading north. File photo.

According to various reports the North Korean master of the Kiri Bati-registered chemical tanker Theresa VIII has died of his wounds after being shot.

The 1981-built ships, owned by a Virgin Islands-registered company and operated from Singapore was hijacked on Monday 180 nautical miles North West of the Seychelles. The 22,294 dwt with a crew of 28 North Koreans had been heading for Mombasa.

"Pirates fired automatic weapons on MV Maersk Alabama who responded with fire from an embarked Vessel Protection Detachment."

Meanwhile the EU Naval Force has reported that, early today,18 November, 350 nautical miles east from the Somali coast, pirates attacked the US-flag containership Maersk Alabama. The EU NAVFOR statement says: "Pirates fired automatic weapons on MV Maersk Alabama who responded with fire from an embarked Vessel Protection Detachment. The crew managed to repel the attack and no casualties were reported. The vessel was previously hijacked in April 2009."

It adds: "An EU NAVFOR Maritime Patrol Aircraft from Djibouti was tasked to investigate the situation and the closest EU NAVFOR naval vessel was tasked to search for the pirate attack group and neutralise the area." Maritime Global Net

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Para-sites? Time means a lot to Helen Shah; Last day to register; Falmouth turns off 756 street lights; Casino committee angst; Dog support at Board of Health; No one hit in Mills shooting

TODAY's quotes: "So... we'll be 'para-sites'?" - Dilbert to Dogbert.
"If we want to achieve any kind of savings this year, there can't be an appeals process."
- Falmouth Town Manager Heather Harper

Today is last day to register for primary election

The primary election to select party candidates for U.S. Senator to replace the seat held for nearly a half century by Ted Kennedy is Dec. 8.

The last day to register for this special election is today, Nov. 18. Most town clerk's offices will be open until 8 p.m. on Nov. 18 for voter registration.

A statewide election will be held to elect the new senator on Jan. 19.

Eligible voters must be a US citizen, a resident of Massachusetts, and 18 years old on or before election day Jan. 19, 2010.
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Yarmouth Board of Health down one member after impromptu resignation

"I volunteered for a board that met in the afternoon and now that the time has changed to 5 p.m., I resign immediately."
                      - Helen Shah

Helen Shah, who has served on the Yarmouth Board of Health for the past eight years, stepped down Monday after the board voted to change the meeting time.

Helen Shah has been outspoken about her desire to keep the meeting time for the board in the afternoon, but remained on the board after the meeting was changed from 3 to 4 p.m earlier this year...

Fellow board member Bill Snowden and Shah have clashed publicly on many occasions at board of health meetings and have exchanged Letters to the Editor in The Register in recent weeks...The Register.
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Yarmouth market to keep its dogs

It was a packed house for yesterday's board of health meeting, but the more than 50 people in attendance did not stay for the conclusion of eight months of personal attacks between board members and wrangling over meeting times.
   They were there for the dogs. One after the other, neighbors and customers of the Yarmouthport Village Store rose to speak in favor of allowing 4-year-old Max and his mother, 7-year-old Phoebe, to stay in the quaint Route 6A store... Herald.

No injury in Marstons Mills shooting
No one was injured, but residents of a home on Wakeby Road were shaken up after shots were fired through their front window last night, according to Barnstable police.
   Barnstable police were called to a house on Wakeby Road around 11:15 p.m. to investigate, said Sgt. Sean Sweeney.
   A father and his 13-year-old son were home at the time, Sweeney said... Herald.

Falmouth to dim 756 street lights, save $11,750

In a town with 2,573 public street lights, Falmouth could see more than a third of them go dark with a proposal to temporarily eliminate 756 of them as part of cost-saving measures for this current fiscal year.

The savings are tied to September's Special Town Meeting in which $11,750 was trimmed from the streetlight line item, but Assistant Town Manager Heather B. Harper told selectmen last night the reductions would more likely need to be in the neighborhood of $28,650 because the town is nearly halfway through the current fiscal year... Falmouth Enterprise.
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Sandwich teacher shows fifth graders organs
Lungs, embryos included

Parents of some fifth-graders at a Sandwich school were horrified when their teacher decided to invite a presenter to class who showed them cell development at different stages of growth.

It happened during a class last Thursday at the Forestdale School. The teacher allegedly had the presenter come into her class with embryos, hearts and lungs at different stages of development... Fox Boston. See the statement from school officials here.
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Palmer advisory committee member upset that Town Council voted on casino without meeting
Monson School Committee votes NO

A casino impact study committee member has expressed his frustration with the Town Council for failing to meet with his committee before five of the nine councilors came out in favor of a casino in town.

Committee member Michael J. Swiatlowski said,  "For the Town Council to assign a citizen's group nearly two years ago and to ask that they prepare a report for the Town Council on possible impacts of a casino, only to have that committee watch as five Town Council members declare their stances on the subject before holding a proper question-and-answer session is nothing short of a slap in the face."

Meanwhile, the Monson School Committee has voted unanimously against a resolution that the Massachusetts Association of School Committees is expected to vote on at its conference Wednesday on Cape Cod. School Committee Chairman Michael J. Kane said he is prepared to propose an amendment to strike language calling for the exploration of casino gaming to generate revenue for school districts... Springfield Republican.
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Getting the big picture on Cape's wastewater future

The Cape Cod wastewater conversation reminds one of the "five Ws and an H" of journalism.

• Who is going to move projects ahead? The towns working together? The county leading? The Conservation Law Foundation with a lawsuit?
• What needs to be done, and where? Sewering the entire Cape is not an option. A draft regional wastewater management plan, and analysis of land use and wastewater flow, should provide some of the answers.
• When will action be taken?
• Why billions of gallons of wastewater need to be treated has been laid out in extensive public education efforts, but debate continues over methods: sewers, innovative and alternative (I/A) systems, or natural processes.
• How all this will be paid for is perhaps the most divisive of all the concerns...
  

Barnstable Patriot.

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Octo-suer Ralph Miller; Cape hospitals reverse loss; Leonids meteor shower; Coakley wants Cape Wind; Brewster blooms; Six Regional Readiness Centers to improve Teachers; Sagamore Bridge open for Thanksgiving

TODAY's quotes: "Cape Wind merits swift approval." - Martha Coakley.

"We predict a sub-storm level outburst on Nov. 17, 2009, peaking sometime between 21:34 and 21:44 UT." - Bill Cooke of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.

"Given the history I see a lot of red flags and issues that would make anyone, any reasonable person, especially in this business, suspicious of these claims." - David Rioux on Miller's latest fire.

Sagamore open for Thanksgiving

The Army Corps of Engineers hopes to have the Sagamore Bridge fully open to traffic for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
   Work on the current phase of the bridge upgrade should be complete before the holiday. Work crews may have to return to the bridge in the week following Thanksgiving to do some preparation for next spring's phase of work, but the Corps said Monday the fall phase of the work is substantially complete... Banner.

Cape Cod Healthcare reverses loss

The parent company of Cape Cod Hospital recently reported an overall operating gain of $13 million for fiscal 2009, reversing a prior-year loss of $25.1 million, largely because of aggressive cost cutting.

Cape Cod Healthcare Inc., whose operations include Cape Cod and Falmouth hospitals, said total revenue rose 5 percent to $587 million during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. The consolidated group also produced a nonoperating gain of $6.4 million during the fiscal year as it realized a gain of about $3.4 million.. Boston Business Journal.
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Tips for watching the Leonids meteor shower tonight

A drawing of the 1833 meteor storm based on a first-person account of the by a minister, Joseph Harvey Waggoner on his way from Florida to New Orleans.

Astronomers from Caltech and NASA say a strong shower of Leonid meteors is coming in tonight. Their prediction follows an outburst on Nov. 17, 2008, that broke several years of "Leonid quiet" and heralds even more intense activity this November.

"On Nov. 17, 2009, we expect the Leonids to produce upwards of 500 meteors per hour," says Bill Cooke of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. "That's a very strong display."

According to NASA, the shower should produce a "mild but pretty sprinkling" of meteors over North America (20 to 30 meteors per hour). With the highest number of meteors streaking across the skies around 4:45 p.m. ET tonight.

The full Leonids peak will be visible for viewers in Asia this time.

Sky-watchers are advised to venture out away from bright lights between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Tuesday the 17th, when they should see 30 to 50 meteors an hour.

The Leonids meteors are bits of debris left in the wake of the Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which passes through the inner solar system every 33 years. Much of the debris has drifted across the November portion of Earth's orbit, and that's why we're able to see the Leonids this month.  Look toward the constellation Leo (the lion). Since the moon is new, you don't have to worry about moonlight ruining the show... NASA.
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Falmouth Playhouse owner has collected millions from insurers
Ralph Miller has had eight insurance claims, collected millions

The recent Miller fire in Pennsylvania. BarksdaleBlog.

Months before the Pocono Playhouse burned down, owner Ralph Miller increased the insurance on the building 25 percent. With a $1.25 million policy in force and just an $85,000 mortgage on the building, Miller could be in line for a million-dollar payout from the October blaze...

He has collected payouts on three fires that destroyed buildings: a Bucks County, Pa., warehouse in 1984, the Woodstock Playhouse in upstate New York in 1988 and the Falmouth Playhouse in Cape Cod, Mass., in 1994. The Woodstock and Falmouth fires were ruled arson, but no one was charged with setting them. Miller denies responsibility.

After Falmouth burned, however, Mount Hawley Insurance sued Miller, accusing him of having the fire set and of hiding his history of insurance claims from the earlier fires... Pocono Record.
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US Senate candidate Coakley endorses Cape Wind

According to a story by Jack Berry in today's Cape Cod Times
"Attorney General Martha Coakley appreciates the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's love for Nantucket Sound. But, as for his vision of its future, that's not a view she shares.
   Despite Kennedy's opposition, Coakley, who is running for the Senate seat formerly held by Kennedy, counts herself as a strong supporter of the Nantucket Sound wind farm, proposed to stand about six miles off the coast from Kennedy's Hyannisport home..."

Brewster Garden Club honors three teachers at Eddy School

There's a lot of talk about going green these days, but plants, they've been green since day one.  In recognition of that point, the Brewster Garden Club is giving three grants to three elementary school teachers - Rebecca McVickar, Cathy Stratico and JoAnn Borsari - in honor of their promotion of the original solar powered green energy producers...

Anyone walking into Eddy Elementary School can see the fruits of the fifth-graders' work. The main entrance is flanked by two small gardens with an arbor and the above-mentioned birdhouses, made out of recycled wood and populated by English sparrows... The Cape Codder.
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State to improve Teacher Quality with Six Regional Readiness Centers
Centers to improve teaching, learning from Pre-Kindergarten though Higher Education

Cape Cod Community College and Massachusetts Maritime Academy are regional partners

Governor Deval Patrick today joined with education and community leaders to launch the state's first-ever Readiness Centers at a gathering at Salem State College. The six regional centers will help address key priorities of improving teacher quality and bridging the achievement gap across the Commonwealth.

Readiness Centers, first announced by the Governor in October, will focus on enhancing the quality of teaching across the education continuum from early childhood through higher education and offer services and activities that address local and regional educational needs as well as statewide priorities... GovMonitor.

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Flu: big spikes in absenteeism; Harwich wind turbines get thumbs-up; Wellfleet Bay couple want a turbine; Bridge brouhaha; Teenager shot in back; U.S. May Wind Up Green With Envy

TODAY's quote: "This continues to help us become a green community and use this as an educational tool for our students." - Barry Worth, Harwich.
"The Moores will have a turbine that will cost them about $4,000 after federal and state tax credits and will save them $6,000 in their electric bills over the next 15 years" - Banner.
"People in Massachusetts have blocked a wind project in Cape Cod for eight years. They are of the 'not in my back yard' thinking even though the turbines would be six miles off the coast. We don't seem interested in modern technology as a people"... - CNBC.

Wind turbines get thumbs-up at Harwich Special TM

Working at a brisk pace, voters at the Harwich special town meeting Nov. 12 took care of 14 articles in a little less than two hour's time. Attendees authorized two historic renewable energy projects - a pair of almost 400-foot tall wind turbine in North Harwich and a 103 kw roof top solar project at the elementary school. In total, the two projects represent an $8.5 million green energy investment.
   Barry Worth, the chairman of the Utility and Energy Conservation Commission, spoke in favor of both projects, offering particular support for the ready to be built solar project... Harwich Oracle.

Wellfleet homeowners seek permit for residential turbine

A house on Chequessett Neck Road may soon be among the first on Cape Cod to have its own turbine that will provide up to 30 percent of its total electrical power needs.
   The zoning board of appeals heard the application filed by Mark Robinson of New Day Energy Company of Kingston on behalf of Arthur and Nathalie Moore, on Oct. 22, and continued the case to Dec. 12... Banner.

Wareham scientist to get medal for aiding whales

On Thursday, Wiley, 56, will receive the U.S. Commerce Department's highest award for distinguished service, the Gold Medal. The award recognizes his leadership in ground-breaking research, including the relocation in July 2007 of a 5-mile-wide shipping lane within the sanctuary - using more subtle skills, such as scientific acumen, an understanding of human nature, the patience to bring doubters along with logical arguments, and even a bit of old-fashioned pleasantry... Standard-Times.

U.S. May Wind Up Green With Envy

Green is not turning into American red, white and blue. Despite recent advances, the U.S lags far behind other major countries when it comes to clean energy investment and experts say it may never lead, let alone compete on equal terms.
   And that's after some $836 million in green technology deals in 2009-the most ever, according to Greentech Media, and another $8 billion in renewable energy loans budgeted under the Obama administration's stimulus package...
   "People in Massachusetts have blocked a wind project in Cape Cod for eight years. They are of the 'not in my back yard' thinking even though the turbines would be six miles off the coast. We don't seem interested in modern technology as a people"... CNBC.

On this day in 2006 Christopher McCowen was found guilty of murdering Christa Worthington.

Some schools across the Lower Cape are reporting student absentee rates of 20 percent and higher, presumably due to flu - swine or seasonal. A typical absentee rate is about 5 percent or 6 percent, area superintendents say.

Middle school-age children appear to be taking the biggest hit. At Nauset Regional Middle School, 106 of the school's 567 students were absent one day last week. "That's high - 19 percent," said Superintendent Richard Hoffmann ...

The flu has been making the rounds at Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School, which earlier this week had an absenteeism rate of 23 percent... The Cape Codder.
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Our dwindling herring stock

Making a living as a fisherman today requires adaptability, but it is impossible to adapt to loss of a crucial species. One adjustment I made 12 years ago was to spend a significant part of my year doing charters. I've been fishing out of Nantucket Island for 30 years. I still fish commercially on my 35-foot boat, mainly for bluefin tuna, but I spend most of the summer and early fall chartering for striped bass and other sport fish.

One thing that none of us - fishermen or charter clients - can adapt to is the overfishing and depletion of the herring stock. Atlantic herring has been the main forage fish for nearly all species, especially the tuna and striped bass I rely on. All is not well with herring populations, and the time to take precautionary action is long overdue. Independent regional fishery scientists, who are legally charged with advising the government, have spoken in one voice that we need to back off of the herring stock immediately.... Peter Kaizer, member of the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association in the Globe.
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Struggle over Chatham bridge

On the Mitchell River Bridge in Chatham, fishermen can make a little notch in the wood guardrail to keep their fishing rods in place as they bend for bait or look around, reports the Cape Cod Times.

"Try to do that on a concrete and steel bridge," said Donald Aikman, a longtime fisherman, chairman of the town's historical commission and among those who want to keep a wooden drawbridge in the historic setting.

Fans of the bridge are mobilizing to convince the Massachusetts Highway Department to drop its proposal for a new $11.1 million concrete and steel bridge on Bridge Street over the Mitchell River. Instead, they want the agency to use the federal and state money to replace the existing, deteriorating 190-foot bridge with a new timber span... Herald.
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Teenager shot in back behind Dennis motel

A 19-year-old was shot in the back early yesterday morning in what police believe to be a non-random act, reports the Cape Cod Times. At 12:35 a.m., the police found Richard Howerton of the Barnacle Motel in his room, suffering from a single gunshot wound to his back, according to Dennis police Capt. William Monahan. Howerton was shot on Janet Road, which is behind the motel, then walked back to his room, Monahan said... Herald.

CCToday note: Benjamin Galvin, 18, of 12 Wampanoag Trail in West Yarmouth, was arrested Sunday afternoon and is being held in Barnstable County Jail until his Monday morning arraignment. Read the Dennis Police Department release on the CapeCodToday.com Police & Fire blog here.

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Cape Cod in crisis? Not just yet; Theater owner a magnet for disaster; Local Police fill in for schools; Support swells for anti-bully legislation; Police Chief working in two towns.

TODAY's quote: "I've owned 70 properties in my life. Things happen."
- Ralph Miller, former owner of Falmouth Playhouse.
"The Cape isn't all about old sea captains' homes and lobster traps." - Globe Editorial.

Cape Cod in crisis? Not just yet

Antennas missing from Marconi site

An important piece of history has gone missing. An antenna that helped crack the Germans' secret code has disappeared from the Marconi site where it has been since before World War II. "It has great value," said Charles Bartlett, president of the board of directors of Chatham Marconi Maritime Center... The Cape Codder.

Cape Cod, declares the National Geographic Society in its analysis of how "iconic travel destinations'' are withstanding the pressures of overuse and development, is a "place in the balance'' - "a mixed bag of successes and worries, with the future at risk.'' It's a fair assessment, but the balance is probably better than National Geographic believes. Though an iconic travel spot, Cape Cod is also a living community, and its organic growth - as much as its quaint past or natural wonders - is part of its appeal.

National Geographic actually places the Cape in its middle category - managed less effectively than Yellowstone, but better than Long Island, Chesapeake Bay, and the Everglades. Its core assessment is overly harsh but persuasive: "Some parts are beautiful and well-managed,'' though more bike trails, conservation areas, and public transit are greatly needed. The magazine also suggested that some towns are losing their character, and that environmental quality has declined... Globe.
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Despite loss of funding, school resource officers continue at Nauset Regional High School

Although the Nauset School District no longer can pay for school resource officers at the high school campus in Eastham, the officers are there about three days a week thanks to the cooperative efforts of police departments in three of the four Nauset towns.
   Principal Tom Conrad said the Eastham, Wellfleet and Brewster police departments have worked out schedules so that they can send officers on a regular basis... The Cape Codder.

Theater owner a magnet for disaster
$1.25 million policy and an $85,000 mortgage

Months before the Pocono Playhouse burned down, owner Ralph Miller increased the insurance on the building by 25 percent. With a $1.25 million policy in force and just an $85,000 mortgage on the building, Miller could be in line for a million-dollar payout from the October blaze.

If history is any guide, he'll have to fight for payment. Over the past quarter century, Miller has had a series of run-ins with insurance companies, who have accused him of everything from fraud to arson. He has met their resistance to pay with a litany of lawsuits, claiming his properties have been damaged by fire and rain, lightning and animals.

"I've owned 70 properties in my life," Miller said. "Things happen." Things happen to Miller at an alarming rate. The Times Herald-Record has found 10 substantial insurance claims by Miller spanning a 25-year period, and those are merely the ones that resulted in litigation or otherwise ended up in the public record... Times Herald Record.
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Chief working in two towns

The police chief will continue to divide his time between the town and Cape Cod.
North Andover Chief Richard Stanley said this week that he could be working part-time as acting chief of Wareham until late next summer.
   Stanley, 53, took on the Cape Cod job in early August. The chief works four days a week in North Andover and spends his Fridays and weekends in Wareham. He uses a vacation day every Friday for the purpose... Eagle-Tribune.

Support swells for anti-bully legislation
Bills call for schools to respond aggressively

After years of delays, the Legislature appears poised to crack down on bullying among schoolchildren, with hearings beginning this week on nearly a dozen bills that would force local schools to respond more aggressively to instances of cruelty among students...

Another case that has drawn attention concerns a 12-year-old autistic boy from Cape Cod who went to his first dance at his school last year. Dancing by himself, the seventh-grader moved awkwardly, but he was having the time of his life. "He's no dance star, but he really gets into the music,'' said his mother, Theresa Jackson, who chaperoned the dance and asked that her son's name not be used... Globe.

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Oil website touches nerve with rivals; Another Saturday soaker; Judge tosses local plagiarism suit vs. "View"; Falmouth Schools Employees To Take Furlough; $2 Billion Commuter Rail Going Nowhere; Bourne Fire Dept. gets private investigation

TODAY's quote: "I said, 'Honest to God, it looks like my company [is affiliated with this].' That's my name, that's my address. But that's not my price. Welcome to the Internet."
- Chris LeBoeuf of Falmouth Coal.

Bourne Fire Dept.’s Management Structure Scrutinized.

Chief Doucette was called before selectmen to respond to complaints made by the members of the Bourne Professional Firefighters Union that neither he nor the town had been aggressive enough in pursuing complaints about Lieutenant Kelli J. Weeks... Bourne Enterprise.

Falmouth Schools Employees To Take Furlough
One day off will save $180,000

The school department was able to reduce its Fiscal Year 2010 budget by $180,000, thanks to a one-day furlough, an unpaid day off, agreed to by the school employees.

That sum amounted to the largest portion of a $900,000 budget cut the schools were asked to make after a September 29 Special Town Meeting, in which Falmouth officials made clear that the local revenues and state aid would not allow the town to balance its budget, which was short by $3.2 million.

The money will be saved by eliminating a scheduled in-service day on January 15, thereby shortening the school year by one day... Falmouth Enterprise.
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Private investigators will look into Bourne Fire Department

Bourne will hire a private investigator to review actions taken within the Bourne Fire Department over the past two years. The probe comes against a backdrop of multiple issues, not the least of which is firefighter union disenchantment with Lt. Kelli Weeks, the town refusing to comment on the cause of her earlier medical leave and a vote of no confidence in Town Administrator Thomas Guerino... Bourne Courier.

Oil website touches nerve with rivals
Full-service companies say implications are unfair

Chris LeBoeuf of Falmouth Coal on Cape Cod discovered customers were going to the site and seeing his company listed. Visit the website OrderMyOil.com, and up pops a walking, talking avatar of founder Wes Madan, extolling the virtues of his discount service, where customers can order home heating oil over the Internet. Want automated deliveries? No contract? Competitive pricing?

"No hassle," says the suit-clad image of Madan. "You take control of your energy needs." The online service has been popular with customers since its August 2008 launch, Madan said, but it hasn't made him many friends in the industry... Globe.
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Another Saturday soaker

It's Saturday. Do you know where your umbrella is? Six out of the last seven Saturdays have brought rain to SouthCoast and today will be no different, according to the National Weather Service in Taunton.
   Actually, it might be a little different; it's likely to be windier and rainier than it's been the last seven memorable weekends, with the possibility of a flash or two of lightning this afternoon and tonight... Standard-Times.

Updated forecast for TODAY

Periods of rain today, areas of fog this afternoon. Breezy with steady temperature in the upper 50s. East winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph. Chance of rain near 100 percent. Check here for update.

Judge tosses plagiarism suit vs. "View" star Elisabeth Hasselbeck

A federal judge has dismissed a Cape Cod writer's claim of plagiarism against "The View" star Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Susan Hassett claimed in a June lawsuit that parts of her self-published book on celiac disease showed up in Hasselbeck's "The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide."

But U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Tauro dismissed the case Thursday after Hassett's attorney failed to file certain paperwork in a timely manner. Hassett, who lives in Falmouth, claimed she sent Hasselbeck a copy of her own book, "Living with Celiac Disease," along with a personal note in April 2008, after learning the TV personality has the autoimmune disorder... Herald.
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$100 Million Spent To Plan Unbuilt Rail Line
$2 Billion Commuter Rail Going Nowhere Fast

In the past decade, Boston got its Big Dig and Cape Cod got its flyover. Team 5 Investigates' Kelley Tuthill uncovered one project that can't seem to get out of a costly planning phase, even though millions of taxpayer dollars have already been spent.

Every governor since William Weld in 1991 has promised to connect the New Bedford and Fall River lines to Boston. But the south coast rail has yet to arrive. The projected cost has soared from $136 million in 1996 to almost $2 billion today. "It's a lost, expensive opportunity. If we had done it earlier, the cost would have been more acceptable," said Ken Fiola, Fall River's economic development director... WCVB.

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Manatee Ilya recuperating with hot, young chick; Dennisport zoning changes; Vineyard Heroin bust; Magazine names Cape world's most scenic; Free (well, almost free) boat unsold

TODAY's quote: "I envisioned an engaging discussion about the future direction for this area that would control what someone who might want to build a hotel could do and give legal status and future options to the [cottage and RV park] property owners. From the response I have gotten, I am now researching cabin and RV zoning." - Dennis Town Planner Dan Fortier.

Zoning changes in the works for Dennisport - The end of the camps and trailers?

   The Old Wharf Road section of Dennisport rezoning will be discussed at the Dennis Economic Development Committee meeting at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 19 at the Selectmen's hearing room in the Dennis Town Hall. The meeting will be broadcast live on Channel 18 and streamed at town.dennis.ma.us.

This Old Wharf Road trailer is offered at $10,000.

Dennis Town Planner Dan Fortier is hoping to begin a discussion about the future of the Old Wharf Road section of Dennisport. At the Nov. 19 Economic Development Committee meeting, talk will center on the town's 1973 Hotel Resort Bylaw. Fortier said earlier news reports of what he has in mind gave the impression he wants to push out the cottage colonies and RV parks...

Fortier hopes to develop standards that would allow reinvestment in the properties now serving as cottage colonies and RV parks should the owners ever find their current use to be an economic disadvantage. These seasonal establishments have existed in Dennisport for 80 years or longer. Their existence has been grandfathered since 1973... The Register.
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Sale falls through on derelict Provincetown fishing boat
The sale of the Amanda Girl, a derelict fishing vessel tied to MacMillan Pier, has fallen through, disappointing pier manager Rex McKinsey.
   He is hoping someone, somewhere might be interested in the nearly free, usable boat. Back in April a knife fight broke out and the supposed new owner, Richard Stotter, was arrested... Banner.

Suspected Heroin dealers busted
Two men were arrested on felony drug charges on Tuesday as they were stepping off the ferry in Vineyard Haven, the latest in a series of major drug busts involving suspects either caught selling drugs here or trying to bring large amounts of heroin to the Vineyard... Gazette.

National Geographic Traveler magazine names world's most scenic drives

National Geographic Traveler has listed what it deems the most scenic drives in the world. Among the Drives of a Lifetime featured by National Geographic Traveler were the Florida Keys, Massachusetts' Cape Cod, Washington's Olympic Peninsula, the Seward Highway in Alaska, Provence, France, and the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

The National Geographic Traveler story begins "There are capes all along the New England coast, but when anyone talks of "the Cape," the meaning is immediately clear. This drive takes in virtually all of Cape Cod: the quiet villages along the bay side, the beautifully desolate dunelands of the outer Cape's national seashore, lively Provincetown, and the busy resorts that face Nantucket Sound..." and can be found here.
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Ilya the Manatee safe in Florida, recuperating with a hot, younger chick

Ilya and Glade rub noses. Photo: Miami Seaquarium.

Ilya, the manatee who swam to Cape Cod this summer, then prompted an October 27 rescue when he stalled in New York Harbor, is recovering nicely in the Miami Seaquarium and should be able to get back to the wild in three or four weeks, says his vet, Dr. Maya Rodriguez. "He probably lost 100 pounds, which in the manatee world is not too much," Rodriguez says. He's a big guy - 1,100 pounds and 293 centimeters (9.5 feet) - but exceptionally gentle, even among a species known for its docility. That's why Dr. Rodriguez can let him stay in a tank with an adolescent orphan female manatee named Glade. Other big male manatees would play too rough, she says, but Ilya just touches noses with Glade.

Dr. Rodriguez will wait until a cold spell to release him so that he won't be tempted to head north right away... Just a couple of weeks ago, things were looking bleak for Ilya - who is sixteen years old and is identified by his boat-accident scars (a white circle on his head and a chunk missing from his tail)... New York.
See the dramatic rescue video of Ilya below

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Warming drives off Cape Cod's namesake; High surf coming; Bourne kids get H1Ni shots; Falmouth helps seniors; 900,000 MW of offshore wind; Falmouth fires officer in ‘sexting' cas; Chatham's Real Estate Values Drop $47 M; D-Y loses transportation cut $700K

TODAY's quote: "It's horrendous." - D-Y School Committee Chairman Jim Dykeman.
"There will be a cost, but not... break the bank." - Chatham Town Manager William Hinchey.

"The potential is great, and so is the need. The U.S. must seize the opportunity to nurture and develop what the Obama Administration has identified as one of the technologies that can lead the nation to a clean energy future." - Conclusion of report: U.S . Offshore Wind Energy: A Path Forward.

Falmouth fires officer
accused in ‘sexting' case
The local police officer who allegedly texted a photograph of male genitalia to a woman this summer has been fired, Town Manager Robert Whritenour said.
   Michael Gonsalves, 40, an 18-year veteran of the force, was fired yesterday after Whritenour received a report from the independent third party who presided over the case. Whritenour declined to release details or a copy of the report because it is a personnel matter, but he said he fired Gonsalves at the recommendation of the hearing officer... Herald.

Chatham's Real Estate values drop $47 Million

Here's a way to put the recent economic downturn in perspective. Between Jan. 1, 2008 and Jan. 1, 2009, the total value of the town's real estate dropped by $47 million, according to proposed new assessments released last week. But Chatham being Chatham, that's still only 3 percent of the more than $6 billion overall value of real estate here.

Results of the state-mandated triennial revaluation were released by the town Nov. 5, the day after preliminary certification was granted by the state department of revenue. The proposed values for fiscal year 2010 were posted on the town's website and available for review at the town offices and the Eldredge Public Library. In addition, 1,800 out-of-town property owners were sent postcards advising them that the proposed values were available... Chroncle.
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Heavy Surf Expected Along East Coast National Seashores This Weekend

High surf is expected to pound national seashores over the coming days. Image from The Weather Channel.

Now that Hurricane Ida has veered eastward and been downgraded to a tropical storm, national seashores located along the East Coast from the Carolinas to Cape Cod can expect high surf and gusty conditions heading into the weekend.

While waves coming ashore Thursday evening are expected to range in height from 9 to 14 feet at Cape Hatteras National Seashore and upwards to 14-18 feet near Assateague Island National Seashore, according to The Weather Channel, by Friday evening things should really be rolling with wave heights predicted to top out from 16-20 feet from Cape Hatteras all the way to Cape Cod National Seashore. Earlier Friday the waves could reach 24 feet along the North Carolina-Virginia coastlines... National Parks Traveler.
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Photo Gallery: Neighborhood Falmouth provides resources for seniors
Approximately one-third of Falmouth's year-round population is comprised of seniors. Neighborhood Falmouth is a new organization that strives to keep those people living in the comfort of their own homes.
Clerk Joanne Voorhis and Vice president Paul Ferris Smith were both inspired when they read about a similar program in the AARP bulletin... Falmouth Bulletin.

Bourne Registering Children For First H1N1 Clinic

The Bourne Board of Health has received a small portion of the 4,000 H1N1 vaccine doses it ordered, and has begun pre-registering children ages 2 to 9 years for a flu clinic set for Saturday, November 14. Parents of children in that age group should visit Bourne Town Hall or call or the Bourne Board of Health office at 508-759-0615 and register their eligible child.

The board is offering the vaccine to those in that age bracket, Health Agent Cynthia A. Coffin said, based on susceptibility and risk, using Centers for Disease Control and state Department of Public Health guidelines... Bourne Enterprise.
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State slaps Dennis-Yarmouth with $700,000 transportation cut

The Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School district took another pounding in Gov. Deval Patrick's latest round of cuts. The district has lost another $699,811 in transportation reimbursement, down about $800,000 from fiscal 2009. This year's transportation reimbursement now stands at $285,837, or just 29 percent of the expected $985,600.Regional schools take a hit

"It's horrendous," D-Y School Committee Chairman Jim Dykeman said Monday afternoon. "The state is pushing for more regionalization, then they don't fund transportation, putting tremendous stress on school districts." In the past, transportation reimbursement has been a strong incentive to regionalize... The Register.
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Warming drives off Cape Cod's namesake

The noble Codfish.

Fishermen have known for years that they've had to steam farther and farther from shore to find the cod, haddock and winter flounder that typically fill dinner plates in New England. A new federal study documenting the warming waters of the North Atlantic confirms that they're right - and that the typical meal could eventually change to the Atlantic croaker, red hake and summer flounder normally found to the south...

Small-boat fishermen on Cape Cod caught most of their haddock and flounder, as well as the peninsula's namesake fish, in waters close to shore 20 years ago, said Tom Dempsey, of the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association. Nowadays, they have to travel as far 100 miles offshore to find those same fish, he said... CBS-News.
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U.S. could develop 900,000 MW of offshore wind

The U.S. Offshore Wind Collaborative (USOWC) released its study "U.S . Offshore Wind Energy: A Path Forward" in late October. Citing a DOE finding that the United States has the potential to develop 900,000 MW of electricity from offshore wind resources, the report recommends several steps necessary to develop the projects.

Some of the recommendations are:

• Better collaboration among government entities, universities, businesses, and stakeholders in wind development;
• Creating an informative Web site;
• Holding meeting between states with a common interest in offshore wind, as well as between the United States and its European counterparts, and
• Building trust between the public and investors about offshore wind potential.

Current efforts to develop offshore wind power in the United States include the planned 468 MW Cape Wind project near Cape Cod, a 200 MW offshore wind project in Delaware through Delmarva Power & Light and a project from Duke Energy and the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill for three planned demonstration turbines off the coast of North Carolina...Power Engineering.

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