The Cape Coddah
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☀️ The $10M Beach Fix That's Already Gone

☀️ The $10M Beach Fix That's Already Gone

Plus: Permission granted: Eat cake for breakfast

Cape Coddah
November 21, 2025

Together with:

Good morning Cape Cod. We’re gonna go ahead and call it. You’re now good to watch Hallmark Christmas movies, drink hot chocolate (and egg nog) and put up the tree. 🌲

In this week’s Cape Coddah:

Why 93 fewer kids are in Outer Cape schools
OSHA investigating fatal trench collapse
Events and live music

Let’s get to it.

🦎 Mashpee's New Outdoor Classroom

Nearly 200 Mashpee Middle-High School students gathered Monday to build a man-made vernal pool on campus, creating a "living lab" for studying endangered wetland species like wood frogs, spotted salamanders, and toads.

Science teacher Laishona Vitelli spent a year fundraising for the nearly $10,000 project, securing a $3,400 Grassroots Fund grant plus additional funding from the school district and DEP. Mass Audubon's Ian Ives and wetland ecologist Tom Biebighauser led the construction of the 40-foot-diameter pool with a buried aquatic-safe liner guaranteed to last over 1,000 years.

The seasonal wetland will dry up by late summer, allowing amphibians to breed without predation from fish. Vitelli hopes all classes—from art to literature—will use the space, with plans to add benches, interpretive signs, and ADA-accessible paths for community members to visit. Read more»

🚧 Fall River Man Dies in Sewer Project

Miguel Reis, 61, of Fall River, died Tuesday in a trench collapse while working on Yarmouth's $207M sewer project for Revoli Construction, a company fined $6,950 by OSHA after being cited for safety violations on the same project last December.

Two other workers were rescued—one buried up to his waist and another who heroically jumped in to help—and both are receiving care at Rhode Island Hospital.

The collapse occurred near 152 South Shore Drive in South Yarmouth, just two-tenths of a mile from where OSHA cited Revoli in December 2024 for leaving indoor-rated electrical extension cords on wet ground, exposing workers to electrocution hazards.

Massachusetts State Police and OSHA are investigating. Yarmouth awarded Revoli Construction a $17.9M contract for the sewer project phase in spring 2023.
Read more»

SPONSORED BY CAPE SZN

🎄 Believe in a Little Cape Cod Magic

This cozy sweatshirt combines two of the best things about the holidays: that warm, fuzzy feeling and the unmistakable charm of Cape Cod.

Perfect for cookie decorating, Hallmark movie marathons and Christmas Strolls. Soft enough to wear all season long, festive enough to make you smile every time you put it on.

Want to see your business here? Contact us.

📉 Housing Crisis Empties Outer Cape Classrooms

Elementary school enrollment on the Outer Cape dropped to 405 students this year from 411 last year, continuing a steep four-year decline from 498 students in 2021-2022, with parents and local leaders blaming the lack of affordable housing for young families.

Wellfleet has seen the steepest drop, going from 112 students four years ago to 80 now, while Truro went from 111 to 71. Both Provincetown and Truro lost seven students this year.

"People are getting pushed out of the Outer Cape," said Michelle Mucic, who had to move from Eastham to Brewster after struggling with $1,950 monthly rent, forcing her son Dominic to leave Truro Central School he loved.

The Nauset district is studying potential elementary school mergers, with consultants planning a recommendation this spring that could include closing at least one school. Read more»

📸 @kellyannadventure | 📍Bank Street Beach

Tag @thecapecoddah to get your photos in the Coddah!

🏖️ "Throwing Money Into the Wind": Sandwich Beach Erodes

Town Neck Beach in Sandwich is showing alarming erosion just 10 months after a $10M beach nourishment project concluded in January, with community members saying the sand meant to last five to seven years is already disappearing.

Roughly 320,000 cubic yards of sand was deposited on the beach by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from October 2024 to January 2025, but designer Woods Hole Group says the Corps placed sand in the wrong locations, deviating from the original design possibly to avoid environmentally sensitive areas.

"We've had no big storms this year and we've already lost 15 to 20 feet," Select Board member Robert George said. "I feel like we are just throwing our money into the wind."

Future solutions may depend on combining sand from Cape Cod Canal, Scusset Beach, and Sandwich Harbor dredging projects, but that could take two to three years to coordinate. Read more»

Fresenius Kidney Care center in Yarmouth Port is closing for 8 weeks this winter for septic system repairs, forcing dialysis patients to either travel over 2 hours round-trip to Mashpee or Plymouth or learn at-home treatment.

The FCC reached a consent decree with Robert Bellinger, who operated unlicensed pirate radio station "Three Bays Radio" on 93.1 FM from Cotuit, requiring him to pay $7,200.

Nauset Regional High School appears to have closed its architecture program taught by architect Richard Tichnor, which sent students to internships and on to study at schools like Pratt and UMass.

Kate Pierson, the B-52s vocalist known for hits like "Love Shack" and "Roam," has made Truro her part-time home where she operates Kate's Lazy Cape, a vacation rental beach house.

🍰 Eat Cake 4 Breakfast? Don't Mind If We Do

Eat Cake 4 Breakfast, the popular Brewster bakery run by siblings Tara, TJ, and Tori Nelson, is extending its season through the end of the year after a busy summer that often had lines wrapping around the building.

The shop offers daily scratch-made pastries including seven types of croissants, scones, sticky buns, danishes, cookies, Brewster Buns, cream-filled cruffins, savory quiches, and specialty coffee drinks like Brewster Bun lattes and Heath Bar cookie lattes.

For Thanksgiving, they're taking pre-orders through November 23rd for pies (apple crumble, pumpkin, pecan, mixed berry), pastries, cookies, quiches, desserts like carrot cake and pumpkin cheesecake, and homemade breads and rolls, with pickup November 25th or 26th.

The bakery is also launching themed off-season events including sip and paint nights, pie-making classes, and a Santa's workshop cookie decorating class for kids with a hot chocolate station. Read more»

A 50-foot sperm whale weighing an estimated 52 tons that washed up on Nantucket's north shore Sunday is too large and heavy to remove from the beach.

Morning Glory Farm hosted its second Free Farmers' Market at Agricultural Hall, giving away fresh produce and meat donated by Island farms to help the community during a time of need.

National Grid completed a $6M infrastructure upgrade to downtown Nantucket's underground electrical system to prevent a repeat of last year's 27-hour Christmas Stroll power outage.

If this newsletter kept you informed, connected, or just entertained this year, consider upgrading to a paid subscription to support our work. All content remains free for everyone.

Already a supporter? Thank you so much. 🙏

⚖️ Jury Convicts Man in Fatal Stabbing

Tishaun K. Miller, 43, of East Bridgewater was found guilty of first-degree murder on November 20th after a jury deliberated nearly six hours in the fatal stabbing of Douglas Rose, 41, outside a Davisville Road home in East Falmouth on September 22, 2022.

Prosecutors alleged Miller and co-defendant Charee Rainey killed Rose over a $600 drug debt after Rose allegedly stole crack cocaine. Rose's girlfriend Kimberly McCarthy testified she drove the group to find Rose, but claimed she thought they would just beat him up, not kill him.

DNA evidence showed Miller's profile on the knife found at the scene alongside Rose's DNA. Miller was also convicted of breaking and entering and conspiracy.

Rainey's trial ended in a mistrial this summer; he'll be retried next year. Miller's sentencing is scheduled for December 2nd. Read more»

👋 Meet: Goose
🐾 Doberman Pinscher
🎂 2 years old
♀︎ Male
Available to adopt at MSCPA-Cape Cod

Chamber Music Concert

The Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra opens its chamber music series with string quartets by Smetana and Shostakovich, featuring violinists Sophia Szokolay and Grant Houston, violist Sam Kelder, and cellist Tim Paek.

The program includes Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 3 and Smetana's String Quartet No. 1 "From My Life."

When: Sunday, November 23, 3-5 PM
Where: St. Christopher's Episcopal Church, 625 Main St, Chatham, MA 02633

Click here for tickets.

FRIDAY - NOVEMBER 21

Science Rocks! @ CC Museum Nat. Hist. | 10:15
Author Dr. David Martin @ JFK Museum | 10:30
Candle-Making @ Truro Vineyards | 5:30 PM
Little Women @ Chatham Drama Guild | 7:30 PM

SATURDAY - NOVEMBER 22

Holiday Shopping @ Chatham Comm. Center | 9
Gills Club @ AWSC | 9 AM
Art Lab @ Cahoon Museum | 10 AM
Eastham Turnip Festival @ Eastham | 10 AM
Memory Tree Craft @ W. Falmouth Library | 10
Open Studios @ Hatch St. Studios | 11 AM
Playwriting Workshop @ Wellfleet Library | 1 PM
Sea Glass Wrkshp @ Sandwich Arts Allnce | 1:30
Make Cranberry Relish @ S. Yarmouth Library | 2
Little Women @ Chatham Drama Guild | 2 PM

SUNDAY - NOVEMBER 23

Harvest Market @ Wellfleet Pres. Hall | 9 AM
Turkey Hunt Dive @ Electrice Ave. Beach | 10
Open Studios @ Hatch St. Studios | 11 AM
Fiber Arts Circle @ Wellfleet Library | 11 AM
Open House @ Hyannis Country Garden | 11 AM
Santa Paws (Adoption Event) @ CC Coffee | 1
Little Women @ Chatham Drama Guild | 2 PM

SUNDAY - NOVEMBER 23

Fire & Fantasy @ Dennis-Yarmouth MS | 3 PM
Fellswater @ Cult. Cent. of CC | 3 PM
Karaoke @ Knockout Pizza | 6 PM
Salted Folk @ Chatham Squire | 8 PM

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

Friday

51 🌡️ 44 | 🌥️ | 💧 1% | 💨 SW 8 mph

Saturday

49 🌡️ 35 | 🌦️ | 💧 64% | 💨 NNW 6 mph

Sunday

43🌡️ 35 | 🌤️ | 💧 4% | 💨 WSW 7 mph

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 49ºF

8 Wyndemere Bluffs Road, Harwich
Asking $2.325M
4 🛏️
2.5 🛁
1,866 sqft
6,534 square foot lot

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

Thanks for reading The Cape Coddah today. If you found something useful or entertaining, please share it with someone you know is eating a pastry for breakfast today. 🍩