The Sheriff’s Attitude
To the editor:
Many thanks to K.C. Myers for her article “Mental Illness and Addiction at Heart of Sheriff Race” [Sept. 29, front page]. She makes clear the distinction between the two candidates, Donna Buckley and Tim Whelan, with this anecdote about the current sheriff’s attitude toward those in his custody at the jail and to the safety of those in the community: “…only 12 of 174 inmates at the jail are enrolled in the voluntary Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) program, which offers time off their sentences if they participate. ‘They are just doing their time until they can go out and get back to drinking and drugging,’ Cummings said.”
When inmates who have not had addiction or mental health treatment are returned to our towns and their cars, only to resume their former activities, we are all in danger of being the victims of a DUI accident. Liz Matos, executive director of Prisoners’ Legal Services Massachusetts, criticizes sheriffs who, instead of dealing with the costs of recidivism, are comfortable with “the fact that jails are warehouses for people with addiction and mental illness.”
As your article points out, Sheriff Cummings has endorsed Tim Whelan. As other articles and interviews have made clear, Whelan has stated that he approves of the way Cummings has run the sheriff’s department. As this article also points out, Buckley’s focus is on helping inmates change their lives, both for their sakes and to make our communities safe. That’s why I’m voting for Donna Buckley for sheriff.
Betsy Smith
Brewster
Halting the Beach Bash
To the editor:
Regarding “Wellfleet May Ban Alcohol at Cahoon Hollow Beach” [Oct. 6, page A5], here’s a guaranteed way to extinguish the alcohol-fueled summer-long beach bash problem at Cahoon Hollow every year: in addition to banning alcohol at the beach, the town of Wellfleet should ban drop-offs there. To keep the out-of-control drunkenness from relocating, the town should also ban drop-offs at LeCount Hollow, White Crest Beach, and Newcomb Hollow Beach.
Furthermore, the town should stop leasing its parking lot at Cahoon Hollow Beach and either manage it again or close it by installing pilings to prevent parking there.
It’s beyond outrageous that Cahoon Hollow Beach has been allowed to become an infamous drinking destination for throngs of freeloading beachgoers who want to get hammered by the sea, especially because that situation creates a liability risk for the town.
Mike Rice
Wellfleet
A Rescue on the Pier
To the editor:
This past weekend, while taking photos for our friends’ wedding on the fishing pier with the Pilgrim Monument in the background, our drone was blown off the dock and into the bay. This was our last photo of all 10 groomsmen and the grooms before we were headed back for the ceremony at the Masthead Resort.
That drone had been part of our three hours of photos and was filled with footage that we knew was special. Our navy pants, white shirts, and rainbow-colored top hats and ties were all pressed and perfect, but we still wanted to get that drone back. We grabbed a net off the pier and tried to fish it out, with each of us taking turns holding belts so we wouldn’t fall in — but all to no avail. We started to get messy, but we really wanted to get that footage back.
Then our knight in shining armor (or fisherman with all his gear) Chris Townsend comes to the rescue. Chris saw our struggle, grabbed some zip ties, a long pole from his boat, and the net we had grabbed and dunked his head in the water with some goggles to scoop out our drone and save us from a much wetter and messier fate.
Chris refused to take a tip and didn’t even tell us his name. He just asked us to pay it forward. Although the drone is still drying out, we have been able to recover all the footage from the memory card.
A special shout-out to Chris for making this wedding weekend even more memorable and for showing the world that kindness still exists.
Eric Shoen
(The Orange Top Hat Groomsman)
Watertown
Lady Di: ‘Our Gateway Drug’
To the editor:
Thanks to K.C. Myers for her lovely article about Lady Di and her retirement from WOMR [“Provincetown’s Sweetheart Signs Off for Now,” Sept. 29, page C3]. For so many of us, Lady Di was our gateway drug to the wonder that is WOMR.org. (Heck, I even became a DJ!)
One of our son’s first radio memories is listening to Lady Di. In fact, while we listened to her last show from Wellfleet, our son joined us, tuning in from his apartment in Queens.
Thank you, K.C and Lady Di!
Robert S Johnson
Wellfleet and New York City
The writer is the host of Blackfish Creek and Nighthawk on WOMR-FM.
She Is Unanimous
To the editor:
Sweet Sarah!
Where does one begin? I’ve received countless comments, emails, and phone calls on K.C. Myers’s wonderful article about Lady Di. I am overwhelmed by the entire staff of the Provincetown Independent.
I sincerely hope my listeners from all over the Cape know that I have not and will never abandon them. Through their encouragement to keep Leggs Up and Dancing on air, I am now proud and honored to be involved with a new nonprofit radio station in McKeesport, Pa., WMCK-FM, Tube City Online Radio, broadcasting every Friday 5 to 7 p.m. and rebroadcasting Mondays 5 to 7 and Wednesdays 3 to 5. We are working out the kinks and should be live on air in the very near future. In the meantime, I am prerecording my programs and am in constant contact with listeners via email: [email protected] for comments and requests.
I must thank John Braden, executive director at WOMR, along with all the staff and board of directors who have supported me throughout the past 22-plus years and honored Lady Di at my retirement party at Payomet. WOMR is and will always be a part of me and Leggs Up and Dancing.
Sending tons of hugs to everyone — and I am unanimous in this.
Lady Di (Vernon Porter)
Sandwich
