So… based on our most popular stories, you like turkeys.
Well, we like gravy. These are our favorite stories that you overlooked.
Laura’s Favorite 2015 Stories:
–Learning something in the course of writing an article is part of the joy of journalism. Having covered police matters and court cases for more than 20 years on Cape Cod, I knew there were some aspects of the legal system I did not quick understand. But with all the controversy nationwide on police shootings, I thought it would be interesting to give the issue a
A seemingly guilty ham sandwich.
local angle. What came out of it was some new understanding on my part and my story: Indict A Ham Sandwich? The District Attorney Decides – An Essay (Special Note: This is Brian’s favorite story that has ever run on Cape Cod Wave)
–At Cape Cod Wave, we consider ourselves a magazine, not a newspaper and we don’t try to break news. But sometimes we
Mark Finneran lets his feelings about town hall be known via a sign on his house.
do. We were the only media to cover a major election controversy that happened right before the Falmouth town elections. We heard about it a few days before the election and worked to get the story done prior to the voting. It was, as one Cape Cod Wave reader said, “That’s what I call over-the-weekend, in-depth reporting.” The story: Falmouth Election Controversy.
—First Sign of Cape Cod Spring: Par-Tee Freeze Opens: Many others may disagree, but spring has always been the sweetest season for me on Cape Cod. There are the early spring flowers and the warming temperatures and the longer days. But there is nothing sweeter than when the ice cream shops begin to open. And the first one, braving the February elements, is Steve & Sue’s Par-tee Freeze on West Main Street in Hyannis. This is the ultimate business story: how do you sell ice cream in a blizzard? Answer: With a smile, of course.
–The Brazen Belles are a distinct Cape Cod phenomenon, a local burlesque troupe, bursting at the seams with talent: singing, dancing and comedy. Interviewing the members of the group was a hoot, especially since, as one of them said, “We take the performances seriously, but we don’t take ourselves seriously.” The story is Secrets of a Brazen Belle: Rhythm, Attitude & Lingerie
–There is a lot of transgender talk around these days and so, again, I was fortunate to be the only reporter covering the story when a transgender author came to a local Falmouth middle school to talk about a new book. Speaking to teachers, parents, students, librarians, and booksellers about the book, Cape Cod Wave brought our readers a first look at the issue of transgender students in the schools: Be Who You Are: Transgender Issue Comes To Falmouth Schools.
Brian’s Favorite 2015 Stories:
— While I love everything about Cape Cod Wave, there was a project I started years before this online magazine, and this year it was published as a book “ALMOST, 12 Electric Months Chasing A Silicon Valley Dream”. So yeah, my favorite Cape Cod
ALMOST
Wave story of 2015 is a selfish one announcing the publication of this book. My co-author is Hap Klopp, the founder of The Noth Face. The book is a look at what it’s like when your dreams almost come true in Silicon Valley.
— The combination of my Surfcasting story and Piping Plover story, while not technically one story, seem a bookend set to an
No driving on the beach.
exploration of changes to the Outer Cape, which is my favorite place on Earth.
— No one loves local Cape Cod music more than I do. Well, okay, Cat Wilson does. That’s why I did a story on the local radio icon, who hosts the long-running show, The Cheap Seats. Wilson is one of the nicest and funniest people I’ve ever met, and she loves local music – Cat Wilson’s Cheap Seats
Senator Edward Kennedy and John Salerno at a party.
— One of the biggest music stars on Cape Cod for decades was John Salerno, but that’s only part of the Falmouth musician’s story. He also spent 25 years as Senator Ted Kennedy’s personal piano player, and his stories of the Senator as well as of the old Cape music scene fascinated me – John Salerno – Senator Kennedy’s Piano Player, Cape Cod’s Bandleader
— It was a small moment at a spectactular place but it’s stuck with me all year. I went to Lecount Hollow Beach and ran into Dana Franchitto coming off the beach with an armful of trash, in a story I called, A Quiet Hero On A Wellfleet Beach.
