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☀️ MV's Housing Math Doesn't Add Up

☀️ MV's Housing Math Doesn't Add Up

Plus: Help scientists track coastal changes

Cape Coddah
September 05, 2025

Good morning Cape Cod. Random fact that'll blow your mind:

In the 1850s, entire families in Provincetown literally floated their houses a mile across the harbor on barrels, with some wives reportedly still cleaning while their homes were adrift.

In this week’s Cape Coddah:

CapeFLYER breaks a record
New restaurant at former bank
Events and live music

Let’s get to it.

🏠 Martha's Vineyard's Math Problem

Martha's Vineyard has more than 10,500 houses categorized as vacant by the Martha's Vineyard Commission - meaning they're occupied two months or less each year while owners live elsewhere permanently. That's about 60% of all island homes.

The housing shortage has created what locals call "housing fear" and "housing nightmares." It's not that year-round residents can't afford rent - they simply can't find anywhere to live. More than 340 islanders are currently without homes.

Potter Victoria Wolf, a former NYC real estate agent, is highlighting this crisis through art - creating 1,057 ceramic cups representing the vacant homes at a 10:1 ratio. Her September exhibit will donate proceeds to Harbor Homes.

Wolf warns the crisis threatens the island's entire ecosystem: "We're going to lose the doctors and firefighters and plumbers; the electricians, gardeners, farmers, chefs, and dishwashers." Read more»

🚆 More Riders Choose Rails Over Route 6

The popular weekend train between Boston and Cape Cod just had its best summer ever. Over 10,800 passengers bought tickets for the CapeFLYER between Memorial Day and Labor Day - up from about 9,700 last year.

The train runs from Boston's South Station through several stops before ending in Hyannis, taking about two hours and forty minutes. It includes a bicycle car and café car, giving passengers a traffic-free alternative to driving over the bridges.

"By providing an affordable and reliable alternative to driving, the Cape Flyer expands access to the Cape, supports local economies, reduces traffic congestion," said Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt.

The service has operated since 2013 as a partnership between multiple transit agencies. Read more»

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🚨 Police Academy Cleans House

The new municipal police academy in East Falmouth fired its director, coordinator, and five instructors following a six-month investigation into harsh treatment of recruits.

Former Franklin County Sheriff Chris Donelan and former Falmouth Police Chief Edward Dunne were among those terminated after complaints that recruits were forced to do burpees, bear crawls, and other exercises outdoors in full uniform.

Donelan disputes the firing, claiming the investigation was simply about "recruits getting their uniforms wet and dirty during training and a ripped pocket on a coat."

The controversy comes amid increased scrutiny of police training practices statewide, particularly after State Police recruit Enrique Delgado Garcia died from injuries during a boxing match at another academy. Read more»

📸 @sunburnt_photography | 📍Rock Harbor

Tag @thecapecoddah to get your photos in the Coddah!

📷 Snap a Photo, Help Track Coastal Changes

Scientists are crowdsourcing beach monitoring through CoastSnap - a network of camera mounts where anyone can snap standardized photos to track coastal erosion and changes over time.

"Put the phone in the cradle. Take a photo. Scan the QR code," explains Bryan McCormack from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea Grant. No account needed, no personal info required.

Traditional beach monitoring requires expensive equipment and specialized technicians. But beachgoers are everywhere with cameras in their pockets, providing data scientists could never collect alone.

Massachusetts now has five CoastSnap stations - from Sandwich to New Bedford - with photos posted online for public viewing and scientific analysis.

Even family vacation photos help, as long as you also snap one of just the beach itself. Read more»

A FedEx driver in Chatham took a wrong turn and ended up getting his delivery truck stuck on the beach, captured on a neighbor's Ring camera.

The EPA and Air Force have finalized cleanup plans for two former munitions training areas at Joint Base Cape Cod.

The Massachusetts DOT filed the draft Environmental Impact Report for replacing the Cape Cod Bridges, marking a major milestone in the project.

The Stanley Cup made its way to Harwich Port last week when Florida Panthers assistant general manager Brett Peterson brought hockey's most famous trophy to The Port restaurant.

🍴 Chef Opens Restaurant in Old Bank

Marc Orfaly, former "Food and Wine" Best Chef winner and five-time James Beard Award nominee, is now culinary director of The Ocean Club Restaurant and Bar in Vineyard Haven.

Orfaly, who ran acclaimed Boston restaurants Pigalle and ReelHouse, brings his Armenian culinary background to the 85-seat restaurant located in a historic 1905 bank building near the ferry terminal. The menu features Mediterranean-influenced small plates like Za'atar Crusted Focaccia and Octopus Shawarma.

The meticulously restored building preserves original elements including a grand domed ceiling, stained glass arches, and a repurposed bank vault that now serves as a dramatic wine room. The Ocean Club operates as both a members-only club with preferred reservations and a public restaurant when space allows. Read more»

MV chef Jayden Canady, who honed his skills at The Atlantic Fish & Chop House for six years, will represent Massachusetts on Hell's Kitchen: Battle of the States premiering September 25 on FOX.

Nantucket summer resident Julian Joffe spent three summers building his own airplane from thousands of parts after surviving a 2015 engine failure crash.

Martha's Vineyard residents are frustrated over potential ferry price hikes from the Steamship Authority.

Nantucket's ACK Deer Management Project aims to harvest 2,000 deer this hunting season to address the island's overpopulation of 10,000 deer while providing 75,000 meals to food-insecure residents.

🚨 Home Invasion Stabbing Leads to Multiple Charges

A 51-year-old homeless man was arrested Wednesday in connection with a Labor Day stabbing that left a woman with facial wounds requiring helicopter transport to Rhode Island Hospital.

Edward J. Robinson faces multiple charges including attempted murder, home invasion, and assault with a dangerous weapon after the early Monday morning attack on Clamshell Lane. The victim, who knew Robinson, was flown by MedFlight to Providence for treatment.

Robinson was captured in Brockton with help from State Police and held without bail at Barnstable County House of Corrections before his Thursday arraignment in Falmouth District Court.

Police emphasize this wasn't a random attack - the victim and suspect were known to each other. The investigation remains ongoing. Read more»

👋 Meet: Kida
🐾 Siberian Husky/Black Mouth Cur
🎂 4 years old
♀︎ Male
Available to adopt at MSCPA-Cape Cod

FRIDAY - SEPTEMBER 5

Cone w/ a Cop @ CC Creamery (S. Yarmouth) | 4
Left, Right, Center, Night @ Naukabout | 5 PM
Sip & Shop @ Country Soul | 5 PM
Dance & Conversation @ Truro Central | 6:30

SATURDAY - SEPTEMBER 6

Family Arts Fest @ Cape Symphony | 9 AM
Fall Craft Fest @ Chatham Community Center | 10
Craft Fair @ Drummer Boy Park | 10 AM
Dragonfly Walk @ Thornton Burgess Society | 10
Seaside Le Mans @ Mashpee Commons | 12 PM
School Supply Decorating @ Cahoon Museum | 1
Screening of “Flow” @ Brewster Ladies Library | 2
Relay for Life @ CC Comm. College | 4:30 PM

SUNDAY - SEPTEMBER 7

Chris LeBeau @ CC Winery | 12 PM
Mike Garvan Group @ The Barley Neck | 2 PM
Caroline Brennan @ CC Beer | 3 PM
Kathleen Parks Band @ CC MOA | 3:30 PM
Sullivan Fortner @ Highfield Hall | 4 PM
Rose Clancy @ Chatham Squire | 5 PM
The Invincible Casuals @ The Beachcomber | 9

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

Friday

79 🌡️ 69 | 🌤️ | 💧6% | 💨 S 14 mph

Saturday

79 🌡️ 67 | ⛅️ | 💧 3% | 💨 S 15 mph

Sunday

71🌡️ 59 | 🌧️ | 💧 70% | 💨 WNW 8 mph

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 68ºF

433 Shore Road, North Truro
Asking $975,000
3 🛏️
1.5 🛁
1,560 sqft
0.34 acre lot

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

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