The Cape Coddah
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☀️ Whitey the Lab: Edgartown's K9 Hero

☀️ Whitey the Lab: Edgartown's K9 Hero

Plus: The Cape Cod chowder institution turning 45

Cape Coddah
March 06, 2026

In partnership with

Good morning Cape Cod. Today is the 2-year anniversary of this newsletter! Two years ago today, this newsletter was just an idea and a Google Doc. Now it's a Friday morning ritual for 8,700+, and that's entirely because of you. Thanks for two years of reading, responding, and making this community what it is. 🎉

To celebrate, we’re offering 10% off all of our Cape Cod merch with promo code: 2YEARS

In this week’s Cape Coddah:

Harwich rejects new real estate tax
Home insurance surge
Events and live music

Let’s get to it.

🏖️ Sandy Neck Built a Dune. Winter Tested It.

A new protective dune at Sandy Neck Beach made from 20,000 cubic yards of trucked-in sand withstood two nor'easters and February's blizzard, keeping the parking lot and gatehouse safe from coastal erosion.

The $6.6M coastal resiliency project, funded by grants and Sandy Neck Enterprise Fund with no taxpayer money, combines dune restoration with retreat by relocating parking, constructing a new gatehouse farther from the ocean, and moving compressor shacks to higher ground. The project protects a park generating $1.1M annually.

Every Massachusetts municipality must have a hazard mitigation plan assessing dangers from 11 natural disasters. Cape Cod towns face coastal erosion as a top priority, second only to affordable housing concerns. Chatham is establishing a sediment budget to track sand deposits and erosion, while Provincetown collaborates with Eastham, Truro, and Wellfleet on managing sediment flow. Read more»

🦮 Whitey the Lab: Edgartown's K9 Hero

Edgartown fixture Geno Courtney, 86, who owns approximately 40% of downtown and is often seen on a bench wearing a flat cap, got stuck in snow outside his home last Tuesday morning after roughly 20 inches had fallen.

Unable to move and lying exhausted at the edge of his driveway, Courtney couldn't yell or reach his phone. "People say when you get near death, you see the angel. I think I did see the angel," he said, fearing he might die.

His 12-year-old white Labrador, Whitey, lay beside him for two hours, keeping him warm and alert by periodically licking his face. Eventually, Courtney crawled through his front door and warmed up with hot soup, making a full recovery. "It was a miracle," he said. Read more»

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🚫 "Trust betrayed": Harwich Rejects Tax

Harwich Select Board is opposing the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates' home rule petition for a real estate transfer tax on home sales over $1M, arguing it won't solve the housing crisis but will increase the cost of living.

The Assembly approved the petition last month by the "thinnest of margins", 51.4% in favor, 48.6% opposed, with a 10-5 delegate vote weighted by town population. Board members slammed delegate Elizabeth Harder for never conferring with them before voting.

If approved by state lawmakers, each town would vote at Town Meeting whether to adopt a 0.5-4% tax rate, potentially generating $60M annually for affordable housing. County would keep 10% for administration, returning 90% to towns.

Six Cape communities have already sent local transfer tax petitions to the State House. Read more»

📸 @andreabunarphotography |📍Chatham

Tag @thecapecoddah to get your photos in the Coddah!

↗️ Home Insurance Costs Rival Louisiana

Outer Cape homeowners are facing surging property insurance costs and dropped policies, with Provincetown's average premium jumping 30% from $3,594 in 2018 to $4,658 in 2022, rates closer to coastal Louisiana than most of New England, according to a U.S. Treasury study.

South Wellfleet saw 7.8% of policies dropped by insurers in 2022, the highest rate in New England. Nearly 40% of Cape and Islands homes now use the state's "last resort" FAIR plan, up from 33% in 2021.

Insurance activist Paula Aschettino and agents say the state's Division of Insurance doesn't scrutinize hurricane models closely enough, with some projecting Category 5 hurricanes using weather data from New Jersey to Maine. Wellfleet's First Congregational Church saw its premium jump from $18,000 to $30,000 after cancellation. Read more»

One body was recovered and a search continues for a second person after the fishing vessel Yankee Rose overturned about 3 nautical miles northeast of Race Point on Thursday.

Chamber of Commerce CEO Paul Neidzwiecki is calling for parts of the electrical grid to be buried underground after the Blizzard of '26 left 80% of the region without power.

Chatham's July 4 parade theme is "Anchored in Freedom: Timeless Tides and Traditions", selected from 50-60 submissions for the country's 250th anniversary celebration.

Chatham received final Army Corps approval for its 10-year dredging permit after a nearly two-year delay, allowing the dredge to begin removing approximately 25,000 cubic yards of sand from Aunt Lydia's Cove.

🍻 Cold Beer, Hot Chowder, 45 Years Strong

Captain Parker's Pub in West Yarmouth is entering its 45th year after opening July 8, 1981, transforming from a seasonal "little Cape Cod shack" serving cold beer and hot chowder into a year-round fixture with over 100 seats.

Owner Gerry Manning, 76, was a history teacher at Dorchester High School who bartended on the side before a layoff pushed him to open year-round. The restaurant's New England clam chowder has won 18 competitions, including Cape Cod Chowder Festival, Boston Chowderfest, and Newport Chowder Cook-Off, and became a Jeopardy! question.

Manning credits his chefs for the recipe, made fresh daily in small batches. The menu now includes prime rib, garlic-herb chicken, and seafood like the Fisherman's Platter and warm-buttered lobster roll, employing 40-50 staff in winter and up to 100 in summer. Read more»

A court-appointed receiver wants to sell Uncle Nearest whiskey brand's $2.5M Edgartown home to pay creditors after the company allegedly failed to pay back over $100M in loans.

The Community Foundation for Nantucket launched a $300,000 preschool tuition assistance pilot program funded by three donors, providing up to $10,000 per child for 30-60 families.

Harbor Homes purchased a $1.5M permanent shelter location at 515 Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road through donations on March 3, just weeks after the winter shelter director and at least three employees left the organization.

Nantucket struggles to enforce its bylaws due to understaffed departments that can't identify violations, violators who dodge consequences for years, and Massachusetts laws capping most fines at $300.

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⚖️ Illegal Gun Dealer in Yarmouth Sentenced

Lucas Nascimento-Silva, 28, a Brazilian national living in Yarmouth, was sentenced to time served (17.5 months) and two years supervised release for selling 12 firearms and large capacity magazines without a license between August and September 2024, and now faces deportation.

Nascimento-Silva sold the firearms to a cooperating witness for cash and conspired with others to obtain guns in South Carolina and sell them in Massachusetts. He also sold ammunition and magazines, including large capacity ones.

He pleaded guilty in July 2025 to conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing firearms without a license and engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Organized Crime & Gang Unit with assistance from Massachusetts State Police and Barnstable Police. Read more»

👋 Meet: Maggie
🐾 Labrador Retriever Mix
🎂 7 years old
♀︎ Female
Available to adopt at MSCPA-Cape Cod

SUNDAY - MARCH 8

Natalja Sticco @ Cult. Cent. of CC | 3 PM
Rose Clancy @ Chatham Squire | 5 PM
Life After Dark @ Dino’s Sports Bar | 5 PM
David Hoffman @ Margaritaville | 7 PM
Echoes of Romance @ P-town UMC | 7:30 PM

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

Friday

38 🌡️ 36 | 🌧️ | 💧 86% | 💨 NE 15 mph

Saturday

48 🌡️ 44 | 🌧️ | 💧 45% | 💨 S 14 mph

Sunday

54 🌡️ 35 | 🌦️ | 💧 60% | 💨 SW 12 mph

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 34ºF

16 Old Salt Works Road, Chatham
Asking $2.5M
3 🛏️
2.5 🛁
2,426 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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