The Cape Coddah
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💔 Tragedy after prom

💔 Tragedy after prom

Plus: Jaws at 50: The Locals Behind the Legend

Cape Coddah
May 23, 2025

In partnership with

Good morning Cape Cod. If you can’t find some live music to your liking this weekend, I’m not sure what to tell you. Have a great Memorial Day weekend, despite this weather!

In this week’s Cape Coddah:

Who maintains the CCRT?
Sheriff's cadet charged in stabbing
Events and live music

Let’s get to it.

CAPE DIGEST

💔 Tragedy Strikes After Prom

Falmouth is mourning 18-year-old Ava Lodico, who died tragically in a rollover crash just an hour after leaving her senior prom. The accident occurred Saturday night when her Range Rover hit a tree and caught fire on Acapesket Road, only 10 minutes from the "Garden of Lights" themed celebration at the Coonamesset Inn.

Friends described Lodico as "the sweetest soul" and spoke of their shock—one had been planning a joint graduation party with her just days before. "It doesn't feel real," said friend Jazzy Fernandes.

The school provided counseling for grieving students. Visitation will be held May 27 at Chapman Funerals, with funeral services the following day at Cape Cod Church. The crash investigation continues. Read the full story.

🚒 Voters Green-Light $35M Fire Station

Voters in the Barnstable Fire District overwhelmingly approved a $35.2M plan to replace their outdated 1935 fire station with a modern facility on Phinney's Lane. The new station addresses surging emergency calls in one of Cape Cod's fastest-growing areas, which includes 10 apartment complexes, a busy industrial park with Cape Cod Potato Chips and Home Depot, plus several more developments in the pipeline.

The current station fails to meet safety codes and sits too far from where most calls originate. Construction begins after July 1, with completion expected by 2027. Property owners will pay about $0.40 per $1,000 assessed value initially, decreasing over the 30-year bond period. Read the full story.

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📸 @massmaritime | 📍 MA Maritime Academy

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🎥 50 Years Later: The Locals Who Made 'Jaws’

Fifty years after "Jaws" made a splash as the first summer blockbuster, Martha's Vineyard is celebrating its starring role as the fictional Amity Island. The Martha's Vineyard Museum's new exhibit "Jaws at 50: A Deeper Dive" opens this weekend, showcasing how islanders were crucial to the film's authentic New England feel.

From local fisherman Craig Kingsbury playing Ben Gardner to lobsterman Wayne Iacono working as an equipment ferry operator (and now owner of an iconic yellow barrel), locals provided everything from acting to behind-the-scenes support. The museum's celebration culminates with "Amity Homecoming Weekend" starting June 19th. Read the full story.

AROUND THE CAPE

A CC Canal fishing veteran explains the unwritten rules and etiquette needed to successfully fish one of the region's most challenging fishing spots.

Coast Guard Beach made Dr. Beach's prestigious Top 10 Beaches list again this year, landing at #10.

A 24-foot female basking shark, weighing 2 tons, washed up on Eastham's Kingsbury Beach this week.

Yarmouth's popular Sand Sculpture Trail returns for its 14th year with artists Sean and Tracey Fitzpatrick creating 33 intricate sand sculptures.

LOCAL BUSINESS

🦈 From the Basement to Brand Success

Brendan Stearns, a Cape Cod native, created the now-iconic "Cape Shark" logo in 2014, combining the Cape's distinctive shape with a shark silhouette. What started as homemade stickers in his basement has exploded into a thriving apparel brand with a store on Route 28 in Chatham and a print shop in Dennis.

The business also brought him together with his wife Kristina, who recognized the brilliance of the design during a chance meeting. Today, the couple sees their logo as more than just a brand – it's become a symbol that sparks connections between Cape lovers worldwide.

Cape Shark gives back through its "Respect the Locals" line, donating 20% of those sales to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy's tagging program. The brand will also sponsor Jaws Weekend on Martha's Vineyard in June, celebrating the film's 50th anniversary. Read the full story.

THE ISLANDS

SSA will test vegetable oil fuel on its MV ferry this summer, replacing diesel at a higher cost but potentially cutting emissions by 50-78%.

Scientists aboard the lift boat "Robert" have begun drilling for freshwater beneath the ocean floor off Nantucket.

MVC unanimously approved the airport terminal renovation and expansion in under 30 minutes.

A 77-year-old IL woman was cited for negligent operation after her car jumped the curb and crashed into Townpool's Main Street storefront.

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CIVIL NEWS

🚨 Sheriff's Cadet Accused in Stabbing

A Barnstable County Sheriff's cadet-in-training, 26-year-old Tatiana Jacobs of Hyannis, is being held without bail on charges of armed assault to murder after allegedly stabbing a 33-year-old man in Harwich Sunday evening.

Police found the victim lying in a pool of blood with multiple upper body injuries, including a neck puncture wound. He was airlifted in critical condition to a Boston hospital. Witnesses reported seeing Jacobs punch the man after he fell from her car, and police later found a kitchen knife in nearby woods.

Earlier that evening, police had responded to reports of the pair fighting in a Barnstable church parking lot, where they found the victim's vandalized car with a smashed windshield and flattened tires. Read the full story.

PET OF THE WEEK

👋 Meet: Cici
🐾 Jack (Parson) Russell Terrier
🎂 4 years old
♀︎ Female
Available to adopt at MSCPA-Cape Cod

WHAT’S HAPPENIN’

FRIDAY

Plant Sale @ John Wesley UMC | 9 AM
Salty Boots Line Dancing @ Neptune’s CC | 5:30

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Birdhouse Auction @ Wellfleet Pres. Hall | 11
Memorial Day @ MA National Cemetery | 1

LIVE MUSIC 🎸

SUNDAY

Bart Weisman Jazz @ Bleu Restaurant | 12 PM
Rock on the Beach II @ Barnstable PAC | 2 PM
Scott & Wally @ Blue Water Resort | 3 PM
Mayfield & Rhoads @ CC Coffee | 3 PM
Leah & Colleen @ The Lanyard | 3 PM
Mac Attack @ Falmouth Raw Bar | 4:30 PM
Grab Brothers @ Loft Shack | 5 PM
Ted Wyman @ Perks Coffee Shop | 5 PM
Melissa Ferrick @ Post Office Cabaret | 5:30 PM
John Ebersold @ The Pinthouse | 5:30 PM
Jody Moore Duo @ Popponesset Mktpl. | 6:30
Jeff Lowe & Les Kuipers @ Barley Neck Inn | 9
Boston Naturals @ Beachcomber | 9:15 PM
Maddi Ryan @ The Woodshed | 9:30 PM

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

WEATHER

Friday

56 🌡️ 47 | 🌦️ | 💧84% | 💨 WSW 17 mph

Saturday

59 🌡️ 47 | 🌧️ | 💧 80% | 💨 W 15 mph

Sunday

60🌡️ 48 | 🌤️ | 💧 16% | 💨 NW 15 mph

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 52ºF

HOME OF THE WEEK

21 High Point Drive, Brewster
Asking $1.425M
3 🛌
2.5 🛀
1,737 square feet 
1.3 acre lot

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

THANKS!

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