Falmouth Resident Weighs in on Continuing Turbine Debate

Falmouth resident Eric Sockol wants voters to support removing two town owned wind turbines.

The Kennedys' Other Playground

New tales about our favorite royal family getting nutsy on Martha's Vineyard.

Snap quiz: Which of the Kennedys smoked three packs of cigarettes a day? You might suppose it was red-faced, over-weight Ted who looked like the kind of fellow who’d puff away in the dark of his limo while his driver dashed into the Dairy Queen for two Blizzards (and a third one for himself.) But no, it was Jackie O! Jackie who, as we’ve reported in this column, kayaked, swam, and cycled, only stopping to nibble carrot sticks and sip blueberry smoothies along the way to her yoga class. It came as a complete shock, then, when she died so relatively young, at the age of 64. Jackie O?! This paragon of healthy living? But no, in her final days, Jackie confided to her close friend, fashion designer Oleg Cassini, that she had smoked three packs …

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Holly Nadler

12:14 pm on Thursday, April 11, 2013

There are two kinds of people: Those for whom EVERYTHING is super-serious and those who who are grateful for the moments of humor that suddenly bubble up in this otherwise super-serious situation called life. I've heard Jackie O had a huge sense of humor, and while she might not have loved the article I wrote above (with stories gleaned from a new book; not made up, at least not by me), let's …   more ›

Letter to the Editor: Falmouth ER Wait Times are Better than State Average

Dr. Robert Davis, Medical Director of Emergency Services at Falmouth Hospital, explains why he believes ER wait times in Falmouth are now better than the state average.

  To the Editor, I am writing to correct a misperception left by your March 19 article, “Falmouth Emergency RoomWait Times Longer than State Average.” The article cites information gathered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in its Hospital Compare database to show how long patients can expect to wait in a hospital ER. This CMS website is a valuable tool for patients to obtain information about hospital services, but those referring to it need to keep in mind that the data which is used is, by necessity, as much as a year or two old. This means the actual experience in the hospital may have changed by the time someone is reading it. This is the case with the Falmouth Hospital ER wait times. The data used to determine that …

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Letter to the Editor: The Wind Turbine Cost-Benefit Ledger

Falmouth resident Mark Cool weighs in on the cost and benefit of the town's wind turbines.

  LETTER TO EDITOR It’s important to make clear the “Public Good” offered by Falmouth’s municipal wind turbines to Town Meeting. What has been the turbines usefulness to the community as a whole? The two advertised advantages, provide at past Town Meetings, have been carbon dioxide reduction and municipal revenue gain. Town Meeting needs to recognize to what extent these benefits exist before contemplating whetherto fund their removal. State data indicates Massachusetts emits 84,830,000 metric tons of CO2 annually. The Wind Turbine Option Process (WTOP) final report estimates Wind 1 and Wind 2 reduce CO2 emissions in the State by about 3306 tons annually. Dividing 3306 by 84,830,000, town owned wind turbines enable 0.00389 % reduction in …

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mark cool

7:19 pm on Tuesday, March 19, 2013

After the entertainment provide by Bill and Falmouth Neighbor... It boils down to the best choice should have been the 660 kW turbine at the wastewater treatment plant. It would have satisfied town climate action goals, met the need of the electric demand of the wastewater facility and likely, would not have been disruptive to the neighbors physically or in terms of diminished property values. No…   more ›

What Qualities Would You Like to See in the Next Pope?

Pope Benedict XVI will retire this week.

At 8 p.m. Thursday, Pope Benedict XVI will become the first pope in more than 600 years to retire.  The cardinals of the Roman Catholic church will meet in Rome this week to bid farewell to Pope Benedict as well as to decide when the conclave will begin to elect the next pope. The church has said it plans to have a new pope in place before Easter on March 31. Speculation has already started on who might be the next pope, including Cardinal Sean O'Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston.  What issues in the Roman Catholic Church would you like to see the next pope address? What qualities would you like to see in the next pope? Let us know in the comments section.

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Should Steamship Authority Ban Unaccompanied Kids?

The Steamship Authority has never required children over 5 to be chaperoned aboard its ferries to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, but that may be changing with the introduction of a new policy.

  The general manager of the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority has asked its board of directors to consider adopting a policy that would raise the minimum age at which children may ride the ferries unaccompanied. According to the minutes from the board's Feb. 12 meeting, Currently the SSA requires only that children under five years of age must be accompanied by an adult who is responsible for their care and conduct during the passage, and many other ferry operators and transportation providers have policies that require all children under the age of 12 or 13 to be accompanied by an adult.   Although management feels that the SSA should establish a similar minimum age, the Board agreed  to first solicit …

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What Do You Think About Gov. Patrick’s Travel Ban?

Do you agree with the governor's decision or was it too drastic?

All non-emergency drivers were ordered off the roads on Friday when Gov. Deval Patrick issued an executive order banning travel during the blizzard. (Editor's note: The ban is lifted statewide as of 4 p.m. Saturday.) Patrick's executive order is being praised by some and bashed by others, reported The Boston Globe. While former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, who was in charge of the commonwealth during the Blizzard of ’78, praised the governor’s move, others called the order “tyrannical” and say the strict ban and hefty fines were too much, according to The Globe. Those caught violating the ban would face up to a year in jail and a $500 fine. What do you think? Do you agree with the governor’s decision or do you think the travel ban …

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What Was Your Favorite Super Bowl Commercial? (VIDEOS)

Super Bowl ads cost as much as $3.8 million this year. Which were the best Super Bowl commercials of 2013? Which were your favorites? Watch some of them right here on Patch.

Millions of sports enthusiasts watched Super Bowl 47 on Super Bowl Sunday. Even more, likely, tuned in to watch Super Bowl commercials.  According to Ad Age, CBS essentially sold out its ad inventory for Super Bowl XLVII at prices averaging between $3.7 million and $3.8 million. More from Ad Age: The usual coterie of big sponsors is more or less on board again -- hello, Pepsi! hello Bud Light! -- accompanied by opportunistic, smaller brands that want to make a big splash, such as Century 21 and GoDaddy.com, both of which are also returning to the game. In addition to Ms. Patrick and Mr. Fogle, celebrities and pseudo-celebs on the ad roster will include Willem Dafoe, Amy Poehler, Bar Refaeli, Tracy Morgan, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Psy, …

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Letter to the Editor: Board of Health Postpones Turbine Health Survey

Resident Mark Cool weighs in on the Board of Health's decision to delay a survey examining the health effects of wind turbines.

  Falmouth's community health plan: Do you cost too much to protect? Falmouth”s Board of Health decided Monday night to hold up the board’s survey examining the health effects of wind turbines.  This position is largely due to the board’s desire to ‘wait & see’ what decision Board of Selectmen may make tonight on the future of the town owned turbines. To wait for some hint to the direction Selectmen may choose isn’t unreasonable to me.   What will be unreasonable however, given the overwhelming community outcry defining this problem primarily as a health problem, is whether the Board of Health will allow the 'Health Solution' to become the responsibility of some other local government body (i.e. Selectmen, Town Meeting or Voter). If the …

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