WCAI's Sean Corcoran is joined by Patrick Cassidy of the Cape Cod Times to discuss some of the top local news stories of the year.
Among the stories they discuss: problems throughout the year lead to the NRC launching a comprehensive, multi-week inspection of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station; a worker at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station was fired after being found to have falsified fire watch records at the plant; Mashpee's superintendent of schools stands trial in a breaking and entering case, later apologized for "ordeal" and gets $425,000 payout from the Mashpee School Committee as he leaves the district; Sen. Dan Wolf decides not to run for reelection to state senate; Rep. Brian Mannal resigns from politics and drops out of the race to replace Wolf; groundwater contamination is found at the Barnstable County Fire and Rescue training academy, and the nearby airport may be another source of that pollution; local fishing icon faces conspiracy charges: Carlos Rafael allegedly told undercover federal agents how he evaded fishing quotas; construction halted after neighbors of a Wampanoag-backed casino in Taunton file suit, judge says federal decision on land into trust was flawed; long-sought project to replace Hyannis firehouse gets green light on fourth try; Catholic agency takes over management of NOAH Shelter; Bourne police chief says nonprofit Hoxie Center at Sagamore Beach falsified invoices; FBI investigates school bomb threats; a 22-year-old man, who friends describe as a champion swimmer, drowns during lifeguard tryouts in Orleans; Cape Cod Community College trustees recommend maximum raise for president despite no-confidence vote by faculty and staff; asbestos project at Teaticket School to cost $300K, displace students until cleanup finished in November; elevated lead levels found at Peebles School in Bourne, results first for Bourne district from state-wide sampling program; Hyannis Golf Course site chosen for long-sought performing arts center; Oysterfest organizers reel after norovirus from local oysters sickens 75 and results in no fresh, local oysters at Oysterfest; local philanthropist leads charge to rescue Cape Wildlife Center; police say man intentionally drove off lookout deck into Cape Cod Canal; Washburn the pregnant manatee went to Mystic Connecticut aquarium before heading to Florida.
(Please note: This show was recorded in mid-December, before two Falmouth teens were involved in a fatal, single-car accident on Dec. 22. That tragic story certainly stands among the most important stories of the year.)