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☀ Dream Home Seized for Bridge Project

☀ Dream Home Seized for Bridge Project

Plus: Where to get the best stuffed quahogs

Cape Coddah
March 07, 2025

TOGETHER WITH:

Good morning Cape Cod, this is The Cape Coddah. We catch you up on Cape news and events faster than your neighbor Sue catches you up on the local gossip!

In this week’s Cape Coddah:

Seashore staff cuts
‘Jaws’ 50th celebration
Events and live music

Let’s get to it.

CAPE DIGEST

🚧 Homes Seized for Bridge Project

Just three months after building their dream home in Sagamore's Round Hill community, Marc and Joan Hendel received crushing news: MassDOT will seize their property through eminent domain for the Sagamore Bridge replacement project. Their home won't even be where the new bridge stands – it'll be demolished for equipment storage and eventually become green space.

They're not alone, as longtime residents like David and Cecilia Collins, who've lived in the neighborhood for 60+ years, face the same fate. While residents can't stop the taking since the bridge serves a public purpose, they've banded together as a community to fight for fair compensation in court. Read the full story.

🐢 Baby Turtles Come Back

The New England Aquarium is learning new information about loggerhead sea turtles thanks to surgically implanted tracking devices that function like an underwater E-Z Pass system. Data from 14 turtles rescued from Cape beaches in 2021-2022 reveals they're not just passing through our waters once - they're actually returning to Massachusetts each summer after heading south for winter.

"This new evidence shows they are actually using this habitat repeatedly," explains Dr. Charles Innis, noting that sea turtle strandings have skyrocketed from dozens annually before 2010 to over 500 hospitalized turtles last year, possibly due to warming oceans. The success of these rehabbed turtles gives white coats confidence in their ability to reintegrate into wild populations. Read the full story.

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🦈 Martha's Vineyard Plans 'Jaws' 50th

Martha's Vineyard is gearing up for "Amity Week" this June to celebrate the 50th anniversary of "Jaws," which was filmed on the island in 1974 before its June 1975 release. The Edgartown Board of Trade has planned a week of events including meet-and-greets with locals who worked on the film (including Jeffrey Voorhees who played Alex Kintner), Narragansett beer tastings inspired by Quint's drinking habits, film location tours, and even a Jaws-themed dog costume meetup.

Meanwhile, off-island, the Boston Pops will honor John Williams' iconic score with special screenings of the film accompanied by live orchestra performances on May 9-10 at Symphony Hall. Read the full story.

AROUND THE CAPE

Sheriff invites community members to have dinner conversations with inmates as part of the Frederick Douglass Project.

Former Mid-Cape Home Centers family leaves $1M to Kelley Foundation to support Cape nonprofits.

Firefighters rescued a FedEx driver after rising tide waters submerged his delivery truck on Lieutenant Island Road.

Bourne systems finally back online after January cyber attack, with no ransom paid.

National Guard pays Cape environmental group $26K to settle public records battle over failed machine gun range.

Maine's waters now hosting 107 Cape Cod great whites with numbers peaking in late summer.

LOCAL BUSINESS

🍽️ Best Stuffed Quahogs on the Cape?

A Redditor in the subreddit r/CapeCod asked, who has the best stuffed quahogs on the Cape? Here’s the top 5 spots to stuff your face with a stuffed quahog based on upvotes:

Skipper Chowder House - S. Yarmouth
PJ’s Family Restaurant - Wellfleet
Land Ho! - Orleans
The Clam Man - Falmouth
Retro Arcade Bar & Grille - Hyannis & Lamberts -Centerville (tie)

What say you? What’s your favorite stuffed quahog spot?

THE ISLANDS

Nantucket's only inspection station has residents lining up at 3:45 AM with relief potentially coming via new appointment system.

Lightning strikes same troubled Vineyard Wind turbine that scattered debris onto Nantucket beaches last July.

Downtown Nantucket sees major business shuffle as Miami steakhouse, Land Rover showroom, and heated pilates studio replace several beloved island staples.

MV residents overwhelmingly support deer season extension.

With Harbor waters teeming with scallops, Nantucket extends commercial scalloping season.

New "Eyes on the Prize" installment features three Vineyard talents.

🫙 THE TIP JAR

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CIVIL NEWS

👮‍♀️ Top Brass Sidelined at Falmouth Police Academy

The East Falmouth Police Academy has emptied out as suits suspended all staff instructors – including Academy Director Christopher Donelan and Coordinator Edward Dunne – amid an investigation into unspecified misconduct allegations. The Massachusetts Municipal Police Training Committee acted swiftly last week, bringing in replacement instructors from another academy to keep training on track.

The timing is particularly troubling, coming on the heels of a state audit that already exposed serious problems in police training standards. Though officials remain tight-lipped about details, one law enforcement expert noted the wholesale staff replacement suggests "the complaint has some truthfulness to it." Read the full story.

PET OF THE WEEK

👋 Meet: Sage
🐾 Chihuahua - Smooth Coated
🎂 3 years old
♀︎ Male
Available to adopt at MSCPA-Cape Cod

WHAT’S HAPPENIN’

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Pottery Brunch @ Color Me Mine | 10 AM
Farmers’ Market @ St. Barnabas Church | 12 PM
Line Dancing @ Hog Island | 5:30 PM

LIVE MUSIC 🎸

SUNDAY

Chang/Sun @ Orleans Historical Society | 3 PM
Golden Lane @ Highfield Hall | 4 PM
Zak Jacobson @ Liam Maguire’s | 9 PM

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

WEATHER

Friday

44 🌡️ 32 | 💨 | 💧0% | 💨 W 29 mph

Saturday

43 🌡️ 26 | 🌤️ | 💧 2% | 💨 W 16 mph

Sunday

41 🌡️ 31 | 🌤️ | 💧 1% | 💨 WSW 10 mph

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 37.8ºF

HOME OF THE WEEK

303 Phinneys Lane, Barnstable
Asking $635,000
4 🛌
1 🛀
1,754 square feet 
0.27 acre lot