☀ College concerns & coyote cuisine

Good morning Cape Cod and welcome to November. This is The Cape Coddah, the weekly newsletter that’s like your Cape Cod caddie, carrying the news and events so you don’t have to.

In this week’s Cape Coddah:

• Fisherman land state grant

• Mashpee exec sentenced to prison

• Events and live music

  
  Let’s get to it.

CAPE DIGEST

Free college and empty wallets 🏫

While free community college programs have boosted Cape Cod Community College's enrollment by 25%, professors say the state hasn't properly funded the staff needed to handle the influx of students. Faculty members point out that community college professors in Massachusetts earn much less than their compadres in other states - making 70% less than California professors and 50% less than those in New York.

The base salary for a full-time faculty member with a master's degree at the college is $54,820, which is less than what teachers make at Barnstable High School. While state legislators acknowledge the funding challenges, professors worry that the college relies too heavily on part-time faculty to support new students. The faculty union is now negotiating a new contract, hoping to secure salaries more in line with other states. Read the full story.

Local fisherman land $2M grant 🎣

The Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen's Alliance has received nearly $2 million from the state to expand ocean monitoring and data collection. The funding will help equip 150 commercial fishing boats with devices to track water conditions, creating the largest network of its kind in the US. Building on a successful program that's been collecting data since the 1990s, the project will help fishermen make better business decisions while studying climate change impacts on fish populations.

Massachusetts Maritime Academy cadets will receive training on the equipment, and a new curriculum will be developed for high school students. Local fishermen say this technology is crucial as ocean changes threaten fisheries, pointing to recent disasters like the Alaska snow crab population crash due to marine heatwaves. Read the full story.

Teens’ capsized boat leads to dramatic rescue 🛟

Two teenagers and three first responders were hospitalized Saturday after a sailboat capsized in rough waters off Falmouth's Black Beach. The teens were thrown from their 14-foot sailboat around 5 PM, prompting a family member to attempt a rescue before emergency crews arrived.

First responders faced challenging conditions with high surf and wind, using both a Coast Guard boat and a sheriff's drone to locate the teens, who eventually made it to nearby shoals. The teens were treated for hypothermia, while two firefighters and a police officer received treatment for injuries sustained during the rescue. The four-hour operation concluded around 9 PM when the boat was towed to deeper water. Read the full story.

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Living large on leftovers 🍗

Cape Cod's coyote population, non-existent just 40 years ago, are now living their best life, with about 81 of them calling the National Seashore home. Two new studies reveal interesting findings about these hybrid animals - which contain DNA from coyotes, wolves, and surprisingly, domestic dogs. Researchers found that while these coyotes help control the deer population, they're also big fans of human leftovers, with up to 70% of their diet coming from garbage and pet food.

The studies show that despite common concerns, these animals aren't threatening endangered shorebirds. Instead, they're quite adaptable, eating everything from seals to turkeys, though their dumpster diving habits might lead to more human-coyote enounters. While some Cape residents remain wary, attitudes toward these clever creatures have softened since their arrival in the mid-1980s. Read the full story. 

LOCAL BUSINESS

Local mom turns tradition into snack biz 🥜

A Hyannis mother of five has launched a new Cape-based snack company called Sea Nuts. Helen Ventouris started the woman-owned business using a family pecan recipe inherited from her aunt, offering both sweet and spicy varieties. For years, she brought these candied nuts to family gatherings and holidays on Cape Cod before deciding to turn the tradition into a business.

Ventouris recently expanded the product line to include granola bars made with raw superfoods, available at various vendors around the Cape. Ventouris, who has 30 years of food business experience, says she hopes to share a taste of Cape Cod life through her products, which are available at local vendors.

🫙 THE TIP JAR

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CIVIL NEWS

Stock market shenanigans land Mashpee exec in prison ⚖️

Robert Scott Murray, a 61-year-old Mashpee resident and former CEO, has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for securities fraud involving Getty Images stock. Murray used his company, Trillium Capital, to launch a fake takeover bid that artificially inflated Getty Images' stock price from $5.06 to $7.88 per share.

After cashing in his shares for a profit of $227,543 above market value, Murray tried to cover up the scheme by making false statements and asking an acquaintance to destroy evidence. The former executive, who previously led companies like Stream Global Services and 3Com, must also serve two years of supervised release and pay back his ill-gotten gains. Read the full story.

PET OF THE WEEK

👋 Meet: Braxton
🐾 Domestic Shorthair
🎂 6 months old
♀︎ Male
Available to adopt at MSCPA-Cape Cod

WHAT’S HAPPENIN’

Friday

• CC Book Festival @ Cotuit Center for the Arts (Fri-Sun)

• Shop Local Kick-Off @ The Chocolate Rose, Mashpee (5:30 PM)

• Community Clothing Swap @ Sandbar Denim, Orleans (5:30 PM)

Saturday

• State of Wellfleet Harbor Conference @ WHAT (9 AM)

• Tis the Season Bazaar @ Federated Church of Orleans (9 AM)

• Craft Fair @ Nauset Middle School (10 AM)

• Fall Great Puzzle Race @ S. Dennis Free Public Library (10 AM)

• Sea, Sip & Shop @ Hyannis Yacht Club (11 AM)

• Importance of Horseshoe Crabs @ Osterville Village Library (1 PM)

• Come Here, Shakespeare with Rod Owens @ Wellfleet Library (2 PM)

• Reception for the Art of George Booth @ Brewster Ladies Library (2 PM)

• The Haunting (Haunted House) @ Provincetown Schools (6 PM)

• Comedian Annie Powell @ 400 East Restaurant, Harwich (8 PM)

Sunday

• Jeeps & Java @ Old Kings Coffee, W. Yarmouth (8 AM)

• Revolutionary War Experience @ Windmill Village, Brewster (12 PM)

• Documentary Screening (Miss Americana) @ Wellfleet Library (4 PM)

Live Music 🎸

Friday

• Open Mic Night @ Wellfleet Library (5 PM)

• Dan Felix @ CC Beer, Hyannis (5 PM)

• The Linda Ronstadt Experience @ Music Room, W. Yarmouth (7 PM)

• Walk of Shame @ Tomatillos, Sandwich (7 PM)

• SummerTown @ The Loft at the Cove, W. Yarmouth (8 PM)

• Grab Brothers @ Sea Dog Brew Pub, S. Yarmouth (8 PM)

• Runaway Band @ Lanes Bowl & Bistro, Mashpee (8 PM)

• Karaoke @ Jake Rooney’s, Harwich Port (8:30 PM)

• Flydown @ Shipwrecked, Falmouth (9 PM)

Saturday

• Notes for Change @ Cape Symphony, Falmouth Campus (3 PM)

• Kalliope Reed Quintet @ Performing Arts Center, Brewster (3:30 PM)

• Kyle Morrison @ CC Beer, Hyannis (5 PM)

• Celtic Ensemble Fellswater @ Cultural Center of CC, S. Yarmouth (7:30 PM)

• Dicey Riley @ Bogey’s Bar, Hyannis (8 PM)

• Grab Brothers @ Hog Island Beer, Orleans (8 PM)

• Keith Monteiro @ Shipwrecked, Falmouth (8 PM)

• Walk of Shame @ Sundancer’s, W. Dennis (9 PM)

• B&B Music Factory @ Oliver’s & Planck’s Tavern, Yarmouth (9 PM)

Sunday 

• Pianist James Rosenblum @ Brewster Ladies Library (2 PM)

• We are the Men (Choir) @ Pilgrim Church Sanctuary, Harwich (3 PM)

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

WEATHER

Friday

71 🌡️ 48 | 🌤️ | 💧40% | 💨 WSW 13 mph

Saturday

55 🌡️ 40 | 🌤️ | 💧 6% | 💨 NNW 10 mph

Sunday

51 🌡️ 37 | 🌤️ | 💧 0% | 💨 N 7 mph

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 55ºF

HOME OF THE WEEK

7 Abigails Way, Sandwich
Asking $735,000

3 🛌 
3.5 🛀 
2,215 square feet

0.45 acre lot

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

THANKS!

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