The Cape Coddah
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☀️ Renee Zellweger Coming to Nantucket

☀️ Renee Zellweger Coming to Nantucket

Plus: Adults only oasis on Vineyard Haven

Cape Coddah
September 18, 2026

Sponsored by

Good morning Cape Cod. Third Friday of September, days getting shorter, mornings getting cooler, and the Cape settling into that peaceful post-summer rhythm. Whatever's on the weekend agenda, hope it's a great one.

In this week’s Cape Coddah:

A win for Cape Cod Bay
Rallying around Officer Ginnetty
Events and live music

Let’s get to it.

📋 Paperwork Lapses Sideline the Fleet

The Steamship Authority's recent troubles ran deeper than earlier reports suggested, and cost one employee their job.

The Island Home, the fleet's largest ferry, was sidelined from Saturday to Tuesday over an expired FCC certificate. But an internal audit revealed the problems were widespread. The freight ferry Woods Hole had missed required Coast Guard inspections, and the Island Home had a lapsed inspection too. On top of that, the rear gates of another ferry, the Barnstable, fell into the water after getting hit by waves.

Officials didn't mince words, calling the lapses "indefensible" and "unacceptable." The employee responsible for the paperwork was terminated. The SSA is now overhauling how it tracks vessel documents, and a full written report is due at the October board meeting. Read more»

🎬 Zellweger's Coming to Nantucket

Another big film is coming to Nantucket. The Select Board voted unanimously Wednesday to let Faraway Films shoot scenes for "A Woman in the Sun" on the island November 12 and 13.

The movie stars Renee Zellweger, Sissy Spacek, and Mia Threapleton, and follows a Nantucket bartender navigating her mother's illness and her daughter's return. Notably, it focuses on the island's "dwindling middle class," which some board members saw as a refreshing counterbalance to the usual summer-playground image.

Not everyone's thrilled. The Sconset Trust worried it'll fuel overtourism, sharing a story of a stranger wandering into a resident's home to use the bathroom. But testimony from an aspiring local filmmaker who joined the scout won over a couple of skeptics.

It's the second major production here in two years. Read more»

☀️ WHAT IT TAKES TO FILL YOUR FRIDAY MORNING

Every issue starts days earlier, sorting through news, town meeting notes, business openings, and event listings so you don't have to. Just me, no staff.

It's free and always will be. Readers who chip in are the reason it stays that way.

Monthly or annual, whatever works.

Thank you for your support!
~Kari

💰 Brewster Weighs Tax Break for Locals

Brewster is dipping a toe into the residential tax exemption debate. The select board just declined to adopt one for next year, keeping a flat rate of $7.02 per $1,000 for all homes. But they voted 5-0 to study the idea of setting separate rates for first and second homes down the road.

Don't expect quick change. The study alone will take about a year, so any actual shift is at least two years out. The exemption would ease the burden on year-round residents by shifting more onto second-home owners, who make up 48 percent of Brewster's homeowners.

Chatham just adopted one, and several other Cape towns already have them. Some board members support exploring it, while others question whether it's worth the effort. Read more»

📸 @poetry_with_a_camera |📍Sandy Neck Light

Tag @thecapecoddah to get your photos in the Coddah!

☢ A Win for Cape Cod Bay

The company decommissioning the old Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth just got a firm no from the state. It won't be allowed to release radioactive wastewater into Cape Cod Bay, a decision announced Tuesday after a two-year review.

Holtec had asked to discharge up to 1.1M gallons of treated wastewater, contaminated with radioactive elements, metals, and PFAS "forever chemicals." The company argued it was the greenest disposal option and well below federal safety limits. A broad coalition of citizens, activists, fishermen, and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe fought it.

The state ruled the water counts as industrial waste, which is banned in the bay under the Ocean Sanctuaries Act. Holtec may still appeal in court. For now, the company is letting the wastewater evaporate instead. Read more»

I Almost Threw Out My Keurig. It Wasn't Broken.

Every cup from my Keurig started tasting weak, flat, stale — so I unplugged it and stuck it in a closet. Then I learned the dirty secret of grocery store K-Cups: by the time a pod reaches your kitchen, it's usually spent months going from factory to warehouse to truck to shelf. The flavor oils are long gone. Some brands even over-roast to hide it.

The fix wasn't a new machine. It was fresh pods from Angelino's, a family-owned L.A. roastery that roasts, packs, and ships within 3–5 days — straight to your door, from 39¢ a cup. Over 1,000,000 happy customers. 50+ flavors, no subscription required, and 15% off your first order, applied automatically at checkout.

Try 35¢ Pods

To celebrate its horror-comedy Widow's Bay winning a record 14 Emmys, Apple TV floated a billboard off Cape Cod promoting the show's fictional island as New England's hottest coastal destination.

A rare two-headed baby diamondback terrapin, discovered at a protected nesting site in Wellfleet, has veterinarians at Barnstable's Cape Wildlife Center closely monitoring the tiny hatchling, one of only three such turtles they've seen in the past five years.

A good Samaritan on his way to work is being hailed as a hero for pulling an unconscious driver from a car moments before it burst into flames after an early-morning crash in Harwich.

A 900-pound ocean sunfish washed ashore dead at the mouth of the Herring River in Wellfleet this week, a sadly familiar sight each fall as these gentle giants get trapped by the bay’s hook-shaped coastline and dramatic tides.

🥞 Adults-Only Oasis on Vineyard Haven

Celebrating a decade on Martha's Vineyard, the Nobnocket Boutique Inn on Vineyard Haven is the island's only adults-only property, a peaceful, European-inspired escape and one of just three Michelin Key hotels on the Vineyard.

Founded in 2016 by husband-and-wife team Simon and Annabelle Hunton, who hail from England, the inn blends U.K. charm with New England touches, think Delftware, endless tea, and quirky artifacts like a mirror from NYC's Flatiron Building. The complimentary European breakfast is a highlight, from Mediterranean eggs to stuffed French toast.

The seven-room, pet-free inn is built for romance and relaxation, with in-room fireplaces, soaking tubs, bikes, and seasonal yoga on the green. Fun fact: the building started out in 1908 as a New Bedford doctor's summer home and medical practice. Read more»

MV is launching a $1.5M effort that expands the Island's meat-processing capacity with new trailers, tackling two crises at once by managing the tick-spreading deer population and funneling donated venison to a food pantry that feeds one in five Islanders.

Nantucket's Select Board voted unanimously to remove the town's controversial Flock license plate reader cameras after strong public opposition and privacy concerns.

After 63 summers, the beloved topsail schooner Shenandoah will sail home to Vineyard Haven harbor today on its final voyage, capped by a weekend of community celebrations.

A new study funded by Nantucket nonprofit found that roughly 68% of island employers subsidize their workers' housing, with businesses collectively spending an estimated $92M a year and nearly two-thirds reporting they've lost hires to the island's steep housing costs.

🚨 Rallying Around Officer Ginnetty

Cape Cod is rallying around Barnstable police officer Peter Ginnetty, who was seriously hurt Sunday night while helping concertgoers cross the road outside the Cape Cod Melody Tent.

Ginnetty, a 19-year veteran, suffered broken bones and a leg injury when a vehicle struck him at high speed around 10 PM as ZZ Top played inside. The driver, 43-year-old Robert Brando-Hunt of Osterville, was arraigned the next day on several charges, including operating under the influence with serious injury.

A GoFundMe set up for the officer had raised around $50,000 by Wednesday. The money will help his family with hospital travel, daily expenses, and home modifications for his recovery.

Ginnetty is an Army veteran, a husband and father of two, and a former youth sports coach. Read more»

👋 Meet: Akasha
🐾 Pit Bull Terrier
🎂 2 years old
♀︎ Female
Available to adopt at MSCPA-Cape Cod

SUNDAY - SEPTEMBER 20

Mitchell Leaman @ CC Winery | 12 PM
Cory Phillips @ Love Farms | 1 PM
Leafy Greens @ Pilot House | 2 PM
Songbirds of CC @ CC MOA | 4 PM
Nicole Zuraitis @ Highfield Hall | 4 PM
Alex Medieros @ Love Farms | 4:30 PM
Chris Richardson @ Chapin’s Bayside | 5 PM
Anna Daley Young @ Hooked Bar Grille | 6 PM

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

Friday

74 🌡️ 56 | 🌤️ | 💧 9% | 💨 NNW 8 mph

Saturday

63 🌡️ 49 | 🌤️ | 💧 1% | 💨 NNE 9 mph

Sunday

64 🌡️ 59 | 🌧️ | 💧 72% | 💨 SE 9 mph

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 66ºF

18 Wendy Way, W. Dennis
Asking $4.275M
4 🛏️
6.5 🛁
4,124 sqft
0.25 acre lot

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

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