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☀️ A Swiftie Tax for the Cape?

☀️ A Swiftie Tax for the Cape?

Plus: New life for Wellfleet's Colony

Cape Coddah
July 10, 2026

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Good morning Cape Cod. Public service reminder: it's peak greenhead fly season. They love salt marshes, they hate wind, and they're wildly attracted to dark colors. Choose your beach setup wisely this weekend. 🪰

In this week’s Cape Coddah:

Shared plan for the coast
Babysitter’s trial leaves the Vineyard
Events and live music

Let’s get to it.

💰 A Swiftie Tax for Cape Cod?

Rhode Island just rolled out what folks are calling the "Taylor Swift Tax," and now a Cape delegate wants to bring a version of it here.

The tax is a yearly surcharge on high-end vacation homes assessed over $1M that sit empty most of the year. Owners who live in the house or rent it out more than half the year are exempt, and the money goes toward affordable housing.

Dan Gessen of Falmouth has filed a petition to let Cape Cod's 15 towns adopt something similar. His hope is to nudge owners into renting empty homes to locals, with revenue helping year-round residents afford their mortgages.

It faces a long road, though. Beacon Hill has a history of shooting down local housing taxes like this one. Read more»

🔬 The Manila Clam Lands on the Cape

There's a new clam in town, and scientists have been watching for it. The Manila clam, an invasive shellfish that's already spread across most of the Northern Hemisphere, has finally turned up right here, with some of the first confirmed sightings near Provincetown. New England was the last holdout, so its arrival was really just a matter of time.

It started with a photo texted last summer. Before long, researchers were finding plenty more around P-town and Boston Harbor. The clam's native to Japan, China, and Russia, and it's now a $7B seafood industry.

Here's the thing. It competes with native shellfish and even hybridizes with them, but it's not all bad. The clams feed crabs, birds, and small mammals, and could even take some pressure off our native softshells. Read more»

SPONSORED BY:
CHATHAM HARVESTERS

🔥 This weekend's recipe drop is one you won't want to miss.

Fresh Cape Cod black sea bass, gently oven-steamed in parchment and topped with a vibrant pistachio herb pesto that's packed with fresh flavor. It's simple to make, beautiful on the plate, and worthy of the freshest local catch.

Want the full recipe, plus fresh catch alerts, stories from our fishermen, and seasonal seafood inspiration?

Join the Chatham Harvesters summer fish share.

⛱️ A Shared Plan for a Shared Coast

Orleans, Brewster, and Dennis share about 14.5 miles of Cape Cod Bay shoreline, so it makes sense they'd team up to protect it. That's the idea behind a new regional shoreline management plan from the Center for Coastal Studies, funded by a state grant.

The core problem is sand. As seas rise, shorelines naturally rebuild themselves by moving sand along the coast, but seawalls and other structures interrupt that flow. The center identified six spots, mostly in Brewster, that could use renourishment.

The plan doesn't add new rules. Its big deliverable is a shared online data portal where town staff and residents can track the shoreline's condition in real time. Working together also saves money and gives the towns a better shot at state grants down the road. Read more»

📸 @wellfleetlifeguards |📍Wellfleet

Tag @thecapecoddah to get your photos in the Coddah!

🎭 New Life for Wellfleet's Colony

A little piece of Wellfleet history is getting a new life. The Colony, a cluster of modernist cottages built above Wellfleet Harbor back in the late 1940s, has a new owner with big plans.

Seattle philanthropist Grace Nordhoff bought the remaining six cottages and three other buildings for $3.6M in March. Her goal is to turn the place into a playwrights' retreat, working alongside Pulitzer-winning playwright Paula Vogel, who lives in Wellfleet, and retired Huntington Theatre director Michael Maso.

The spot has quite a past, once drawing stars like Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor. The restoration will take about two years, carefully preserving the original design. Then playwrights will be invited to stay free each summer through a new nonprofit called Bards on the Bay. Read more»

Andrew Coville is making a documentary called "Living the Dream" to honor his high school classmate and fellow Marine, Yarmouth native Cpl. Nick Xiarhos, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2009.

Boston's school superintendent Mary Skipper has been working remotely from her Cape Cod second home since May, on approved family medical leave to care for her husband, though the timing has drawn scrutiny as her district navigates deep budget cuts and hundreds of layoffs.

Cape Cod is rallying around Stefan and Andriana, two young J-1 summer workers from Serbia hurt in a July 4 scooter crash on their way home from their Chatham restaurant job, with a GoFundMe already raising over $16,000 for their recovery.

🎲 Wharf Opens Where It All Began

There's a nice bit of full-circle news out of Yarmouth Port. A new store called Wharf just opened in the exact spot where the very first Christmas Tree Shops got its start back in 1970.

The owner? Greg Bilezikian, son of the couple who founded that beloved chain. He grew up in the apartment above the original store, so this location runs deep for him. Wharf is all about Cape Cod memories, stocked with watercolor workbooks, board games, beachcombing guides, local art, and books about the area.

It's hands-on, too. You can paint, draw, and try things right there, with tables set up for kids. A gourmet food section featuring New England-made jams and snacks is set to open upstairs in August. A sweet new chapter in an old, familiar spot. Read more»

The Muse on Nantucket is roaring back to life with a free summer concert series dreamed up by Nantucket Crisps founder Hayden Arnot, featuring 36 artists and aimed at bringing the whole island together.

Martha's Vineyard Regional High School students got the green light to buy a mako shark mascot costume after months of effort and a few split committee votes, though whether the shark becomes the school's one and only mascot still isn't fully settled.

Adam Sandler spent part of his Nantucket weekend playing pickup basketball with a group of guys at the Backus Lane court, even calling the police non-emergency line to ask where to find a game.

Mingle in Mashpee? While I am not a Cape newbie, I am a recently retired and singled female medical professional looking for friends both female and male. I am active and am dedicated to my workouts, but am seeking company for beaching, walking, dining out and taking trips if the right ones pop up. (#103)

Not yet retired woman who calls Harwichport HOME 4-6 weeks every year ... and would love to spend even more time on Cape if I met the right person. I like pina coladas (and wine), I am into Yoga and have a full brain. I like making love (though well before midnight and bring a blanket if we're doin' it on the dunes) and prefer sun over rain. Want to escape with me? (#104)

Lovely lady 70ish from Dennis. Retired professional. Looking for gentlemen for meaningful conversations and dinner... Loves dogs, movies, occasionally trip to at a bar to sit and people watch. Loves Irish Music. (#105)

If one of these caught your eye, don't let it pass. Reply to this email with the ad number, a few words about yourself, and I'll make the introduction. Everything stays private until you both want otherwise. Let's get some people connected. ❤️

Want to place your own ad? Reply and send it over, and I'll work it into an upcoming issue.

This newsletter is free to read, always will be, and it's just me behind the scenes. Reading every local story, writing every summary, hitting send every Friday.

If this newsletter is part of your week, your support keeps it alive. A few bucks a month from readers who can chip in makes a real difference.

Monthly or annual, whatever works for you.

Thank you for your support!
~Kari

⚖️ Babysitter's Trial Leaves the Vineyard

A Martha's Vineyard woman charged with manslaughter in the death of a two-year-old will have her trial moved off-Island to Barnstable, after her lawyer argued she couldn't get a fair jury here.

Aimee Cotton was babysitting little Frank Rodenbaugh when, prosecutors say, she left him and another child alone in her vehicle for hours while she stayed inside her home. She later found him unresponsive, and he died at a Boston hospital. She was indicted in September on manslaughter and child endangerment charges.

Her attorney pointed to the deep grief across the Island, heavy local news coverage, and a wrongful death lawsuit from the family. The judge agreed to the move with the family's blessing. A trial conference is set for August 14. Read more»

👋 Meet: Trinity
🐾 Pointer
🎂 6 years old
♀︎ Female
Available to adopt at MSCPA-Cape Cod

SUNDAY - JULY 12

Bobby Morrill @ Flying Bridge | 1 PM
Andrew Geano @ Love Farms | 1 PM
Gerry Dineen @ Shipwrecked | 2 PM
Liam & Jonny @ Off the Grid | 2 PM
Phil Allen @ Island Pickle | 3 PM
Mountain Weekend @ Naukabout | 3 PM
Ken Monteiro @ CC Coffee | 3 PM
VB & The Buzz @ Chatham Moods | 3 PM
CC Orchestra @ Thacher Hall | 3 PM
Brandi Disterheft Trio @ W. Falmouth Library | 4
Bad Apple @ CC MOA | 4 PM
Mike Pierce @ The Old Casino | 4 PM
Chris Richardson @ Chapin’s Bayside | 4 PM
Bird Stewart @ Falmouth Raw Bar | 4 PM
Bryce Thomas @ CC Winery | 4 PM
Becca Hannah @ Backyard by Foley’s | 5 PM
Jim Nosler @ Oliver’s & Planck’s | 5 PM
Greg Loftus @ The Woodshed | 5 PM
Nick Moss Band @ Neptune’s CC | 5 PM
John Ebersold @ Irish Goodbye Pinthouse | 5:30
The Cape Connection @ Love Farms | 6 PM
Bobby Paluzzi @ Margaritaville | 7 PM
Dean Corsi @ Chapin’s Bayside | 7:30 PM
The Disco Biscuits @ Cape Melody Tent | 8 PM
Neighbor @ The Beachcomber | 9 PM
Chris Richardson @ The Woodshed | 9:30 PM

_{Nothing in this section is sponsored. We'll let you know when something's sponsored.}

Friday

84 🌡️ 66 | 🌦️ | 💧 84% | 💨 SSW 6 mph

Saturday

78 🌡️ 59 | 🌤️ | 💧 1% | 💨 NE 8 mph

Sunday

77 🌡️ 60 | ☀️ | 💧 0% | 💨 NNE 8 mph

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 68ºF

9 Fox Ridge Drive, Orleans
Asking $1.995M
3 🛏️
4 🛁
2,408 sqft
0.49 acre lot

_{Nothing in this section is sponsored. We'll always let you know when something's sponsored.}

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