Biologists from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries detected a white shark off Monomoy Tuesday, according to a press release.

The shark spotted was a 13-foot female that was tagged by researchers in 2011.  

This is the first shark detected off the coast of Cape Cod this year.

Researchers believe white sharks come to Cape Cod to feed on the grey seals that migrate to the region every summer.

Officials are reminding beachgoers to use common sense when swimming. They recommend avoiding swimming at dawn or dusk, staying close to the shore and avoiding areas where seals congregate.

Are you ready for digital billboards on state land across the commonwealth? The Department of Transportation wants the glowing house-sized signs on its property across the state, and the revenue they'll bring to the state, according to the Boston Globe.

Under the current deal signed with Clear Channel, the state would get a cut of each billboard's revenue—either 25 percent or $90,000 per year, whichever is higher. But other states negotiated more lucrative deals.

Current state law allows these digital billboards, but prohibits any animation. So you won't see the latest Geico lizard ad or anything like that, but you may see a rotating set of images. It also requires the sign's owner to set aside time for public service announcements.

You may have passed one of these signs already. There are digital billboards in Foxborough, Medford, Stoneham and a few other locations.

Former Governor Michael Dukakis is a vocal opponent of the digital billboards (and billboards in general). He was especially angry about the lack of siting oversight for local communities.

“For the life of me, I don’t understand why we need these in the Commonwealth,” said Dukakis in an interview with the Globe. “The T is hell-bent on becoming the state’s primary visual polluter.”

What do you think? Should Massachusetts allow more of these digital billboards? Do you find them distracting while you drive? Should the state negotiate for a bigger cut of the profits? Or should they be banned altogether? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

It could have been a turning point in the race, the moment when the lights flicked on and the much-anticipated contest finally lived up to expectations for a U.S Senate race.

Would Congressman Edward Markey finally slam the door on Gabriel Gomez and dash the GOP's dream of Scott Brown redux? Could Gomez shine, narrow the polls and entice national Republican donors to start paying attention?

Instead, all anyone wanted to talk about Thursday morning was the thrilling Bruins double overtime victory in Game 3 of the NHL Eastern Conference finals. Tuukka Rask as a write-in?

At long last, Markey and Gomez shared the same debate stage. In fact, they were so close to each other in the WBZ studios they practically shared a podium. It was all Markey could do not graze Gomez as he repeatedly threw his hands up in disbelief. "Look it," he would say over and over, refuting one charge after another lobbed his way.

Neither Gomez nor Markey came across as a particularly skilled debater, but Gomez came prepared to try to knock Markey off his game and get under the veteran Congressman's skin. It didn't really work.

The two spent an hour trading familiar campaign barbs. Gomez highlighted Markey's resume as someone who has served in a deeply unpopular Congress since the days of Gerald Ford, reprising one-liners when he called him a "poster boy" for term limits and debuting new themes when he accused Markey of "putting party and politics before the people."

For Markey, he wanted voters to come away thinking of the new-to-politics Republican as a cookie-cutter candidate with the same "stale" Republican ideas that Massachusetts voters have repeatedly rejected. Those positions included Gomez's opposition to an assault weapons ban, support for cutting back on Social Security benefits and a willingness to support a Supreme Court justice who would overturn Roe v. Wade.

The openings that Gomez did give Markey, the Malden Democrat largely let slide.

Two new polls from New England College and UMass Amherst, both conducted before the debate, showed Markey leading Gomez comfortably by 12 and 11 points, respectively. In the plus column for Gomez, the Republican was leading Markey by 17 points among independent voters in the UMass Amherst survey. 

Voters, however, trusted Markey over Gomez 47-32 to handle the economy, and Gomez's supposed strength on national security with his background as a Navy SEAL did not resonate. Voters gave the edge to Markey on national security 41-33.

Next week's visit by President Barack Obama to stump for Markey in Boston should be interesting for several reasons. Not only does Markey oppose the president's position to reform Social Security, but he also gave a thumb's up to White House foil Rep. Darrell Issa, urging the California Republican to make full use of his subpoena power to learn the lessons from the Benghazi consulate attack and the IRS's targeting of the Tea Party.

While Gomez and Markey have circled June 25 on their calendars, others are more keenly eyeing June 26. Because if Markey prevails, that's when the race for his seat in Congress will begin in earnest, even if it's already begun to some degree under the Golden Dome.

Sen. Katherine Clark and Sen. Karen Spilka are both preparing to run for Markey's seat in Congress and basked in the attention at hearings this week on Beacon Hill where Spilka pushed her canine "lemon law" to regulate dog breeders, and Clark tackled the issue of access to abortion with a bill that seeks to ease parental consent laws for minors.

"As a prior hobby breeder myself, for chocolate labs . . . it's really important to me as well to have a bill that's workable, good for puppies, good for people who buy the puppies," Spilka said at a hearing Tuesday.

Defending abortion access might stir the liberal base, but it's tough to compete with a bill titled "An Act to Protect Puppies and Kittens."

Gubernatorial drinking habits may be nothing new. Bill Weld was a self-described fan of the "amber colored liquid," while Gov. Deval Patrick has always been more an oenophile, keeping a stash of wine and glasses in his desk cabinet.

But nobody was expecting Patrick to dish on getting tanked alone when he showed up for a discussion on "leadership and generational responsibility" at the Cambridge tech firm HubSpot. The governor dropped his guard a bit as he discussed the day-long manhunt for second marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Among the gems from Patrick: President Obama woke him up from a nap in his office to inquire about the search, and he was relieved that Tsarnaev had been found so that he didn't have to listen to "bitching and moaning" about his stay-at-home order.

Patrick also said he arrived at Sweet P Farm in the Berkshire around supper time on Saturday, took a swim, and proceeded to get drunk on chardonnay by himself at a nearby restaurant while reading his iPad over a dinner of duck confit, soup and salad.

When he wasn't talking candidly about how he likes to unwind, Patrick busied himself tagging bald eagle chicks and entrusting the state to the capable hands of Secretary of State William Galvin as he went to Chicago to celebrate a street named in his honor.

Meanwhile, the House acted unanimously to approve a $1.4 billion, five-year borrowing plan for public and affordable housing, and House and Senate negotiators began poring over the details of the state's fiscal 2014 budget due in three weeks.

Some House Republicans and Democrats pleaded with budget conferees not to wait for Senate President Therese Murray's welfare reform bill to act, which the Plymouth Democrat said won't be ready until late June.

Rep. Shauna O'Connell (R-Taunton) may have to wait until then to find a more receptive audience for her reform ideas than her colleagues on the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities.

O'Connell grew up in public housing and has been a vocal advocate for eliminating fraud and waste to make sure tax dollars are spent on families who truly need the benefit. However, she was put on the hot-seat at a hearing this week and grilled about the cost of her reform ideas and the burden they would place on an already stretched agency.

Nothing a few glasses of chardonnay can't fix.

STORY OF THE WEEK: Round One of the Markey-Gomez tilt goes to Patrice Bergeron and the Boston Bruins.

The TD Bank Summer Concert Series will stop in 8 towns across the Cape during the 2013 season. The series is free and fun for the whole family.

29 local bands are participating this year, including Tripping Lily, The Skiffs, Cape Tradition and the Fred Clayton Trio.

Here is the full schedule, according to the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod:

Summer Concerts on the Bandstand in Chatham

The concerts in Chatham will be performed Wednesdays from 6:00 - 7:30 pm on the bandstand in Kate Gould Park on Main Street, in collaboration with the Chatham Chamber of Commerce.

7/3/2013 The Skiffs 
7/10/2013 Tripping Lily 
7/17/2013 Kami Lyle Trio 
7/24/2013 All Worn Out Jug Band 

Summer Concerts at Parkers River Beach in Yarmouth

The concerts in Yarmouth will be performed Mondays from 6:00 - 7:30 pm at Parkers River Beach, in collaboration with the Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce.
7/1/2013 Brian Sances & The Big 3 
7/8/2013 Bart Weisman Smooth Jazz Group 
7/15/2013 The Fringe 
7/22/2013 Four Guys In Tuxes

 Summer Concerts on the Green in Falmouth

The concerts in Falmouth will take place Friday evenings from 6:00 - 7:30 pm at Peg Noonan Park, next to the Falmouth Public Library, in collaboration with the Falmouth Village Association.

7/5/2013 Bob Hayes & Cerise 
7/12/2013 Groovy Afternoon 
7/19/2013 Cape Tradition 
7/26/2013 Paradise Rock 

Summer Concerts at Brooks Park in Harwich

The concerts in Harwich will be offered on Monday evenings from 6:00-7:30 pm at Brooks Park on Oak Street at Route 39 in Harwich, in collaboration with the Town of Harwich Youth Services.

7/1/2013 Two Cool and Friends 
7/8/2013 Robertchez 
7/15/2013 JO&CO 
7/22/2013 Bart Weisman Jazz Group featuring Monica Rizzio 

Summer Concerts on the Harbor in Hyannis

The concerts in Hyannis will be offered on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 - 7:30 pm at Aselton Park in Hyannis Harbor, at the corner of Ocean and South Streets, in collaboration with the Town of Barnstable.
7/2/2013 Jeff Lowe Band
7/9/2013 Brian Sances & The Big 3 
7/16/2013 Dune Billy All-Stars 
7/23/2013 Funktapuss 

Summer Concerts at Mashpee Commons in Mashpee

The Concerts in Mashpee will be offered Thursday evenings from 6:00-7:30 pm at Mashpee Commons in Mashpee, in collaboration with Mashpee Commons.
7/4/2013 Cape Cod Conservatory Jazz Ensemble
7/11/2013 Four Guys In Tuxes 
7/18/2013 Fred Clayton Trio 
7/25/2013 Lori Colombo 

Summer Concerts at Nauset Beach in Orleans

The concerts in Orleans will take place Thursday evenings from 6:00 - 7:30 at the gazebo at Nauset Beach on Beach Road in Orleans, in collaboration with Orleans Chamber of Commerce.
7/11/2013 The Rip-It-Ups 
7/18/2013 Spampinato Bros. 
7/25/2013 Sarah Swain & The Oh Boys 
8/1/2013 Chandler Travis Philharmonette 

Summer Concerts at Heritage Museums and Gardens

The concerts in Sandwich will take place Friday evenings from 6:00 - 7:30 pm at the stage at Heritage Museums and Gardens.  Open admission for the concert begins at 5:00pm

7/5/2013 Bart Weisman Smooth Jazz Group 
7/12/2013 CrabGrass Bluegrass Band 
7/19/2013 Celtic Trio with Nikki Engstrom, Hunter Engstrom fiddle & Janine Randall
7/26/2013 George Gritzbach 

Would you like to post events, announcements and blogs to Barnstable-Hyannis Patch? Keep this article handy each time there is something you'd like to share with our community. 

To post events to the site for free: navigate to the Events page and click “Add an Event” on the right side of the page. Tell us all the details about your upcoming event, then click “post my event” at the bottom of the page.

That puts the event directly on our calendar. Add a photo and send us the link and we can feature it on the homepage

To post announcements to the site for free: simply click the Announcement option under the news tab on the homepage. On the right side of the screen you’ll see the button “Add an Announcement.” This will you take you to Patch’s new announcement form. Once there, get your brag on and tell the community all about your child's sports league win or your civic club’s new members. When you’re ready, click “publish my announcement” and it will go live to the site immediately.

With just a few clicks, you can tell the town when you get married, have a baby, graduate or make the honor roll.

You can also write a public thank-you, provide details about your group's upcoming event, or ask for volunteers. (We have a whole bunch of categories you can choose for your announcement; you'll see for yourself when you submit one.)

For extra visibility, add a photo. If you email us the link, we can help give you even more exposure.

To blog: Simply click the "start a blog" button on our homepage, click "post on Patch," and fill out the required fields. When done, hit "save and preview" and then submit it to us. At the chance you receive an error message, ("oops!" is one we see from time to time), just email the editor at sara.mannal@patch.com to see if we can see the blog on our end. More likely than not, we'll see it in our queue and will be able to click "approve."

Bookmark this page as a reference.

Texting while driving has been illegal in Massachusetts since 2010, but police around the country have said the law is difficult to enforce.

Forty percent of Massachusetts drivers say they still text while driving despite a nearly three-year-old law banning such activity and preventing any cell phone use for drivers under 18 years old, according to a poll conducted by Plymouth Rock Assurance.

With the help of a federal grant, Massachusetts State Police will begin a statewide crackdown on the illegal and dangerous practice in June.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has awarded the state a $275,000 federal grant to increase enforcement of the Safe Driving Law, which bans the sending, typing or reading of electronic messages to or from handheld devices while operating a motor vehicle and a complete ban on the use of all handheld electronic devices by junior operators while behind the wheel, according to a state police press statement Tuesday.

The law was enacted in Massachusetts Sept. 30, 2010.

The program, called “Text With One Hand, Ticket In The Other,” will make use of a “high visibility enforcement” model which uses informational road signs, command posts other tools which make the enforcement obvious to the public, according to the NHTSA website.

This specialized enforcement will take place in two to four week intervals over the next two years, according to the police statement. The first installment will occur from June 10-29 on state roadways in Andover, Dracut, Dunstable, Lawrence, Lowell, Methuen, North Andover, North Reading, Reading, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro and Wilmington.

A recent National Safety Council study has shown that nationwide, 24 percent of all crashes are related to the use of handheld electronic devices while driving, the statement says. As many as 3,000 deaths per year are caused by distracted driving, according to Boston Medical Center. 

Despite being a rather grey morning the clouds lifted just in time for the graduation ceremony at Barnstable High School Saturday afternoon. 366 seniors took their final walk and earned their High School Diploma with family, friends and faculty looking on.

Congratulations to all of the seniors of the Falmouth High School class of 2013.

Below is a full list of graduates: 

The Barnstable Police Department provided the following. It does not indicate a conviction.

Notable incidents from Thursday June 6, 2013

Police arrested Chrystal Marie Lawson, 27, of Hyannis on an outstanding warrant at Barnstable First District Court at 10:08 a.m.

Police arrested Eric C. Danforth, 25, of Cotuit while responding to a report of a disturbance on Old Post Rd. and Point Isabella Rd. at 5:31 p.m. Danforth was charged with assault and battery by dangerous weapon (pavement), assault and battery domestic violence and operating a motor vehicle with revoked license.

Police arrested Anthony L. Depaolo Jr., 25, of West Yarmouth during  a motor vehicle stop on Sea St. and Main St. at 5:58 p.m. Depaolo was charged with operating a motor vehicle after suspension of license and unsafe lane change.

Police arrested a 15-year-old juvenile on an outstanding warrant in the Cape Cod Mall parking lot at 7:49 p.m. The juvenile was also charged with carrying a dangerous weapon.

Police arrested Laura A. Woolridge, 47, who is homeless on an outstanding warrant on South St. at 8:10 p.m.

Orleans Harbormaster Dawson Farber told the Cape Cod Times that a senior lifeguard spotted a dorsal fin 150 yards off Nauset beach Sunday morning.

Swimmers were asked to get out of the water and the beach remained closed for about an hour. Nearby towns were also notified of the sighting.

State shark expert Greg Skomal has not yet confirmed that the animal, thought to be between 12 and 13 feet, was in fact a great white shark. 

Friday state biologists confirmed a great white shark tagged in 2011 was spotted Tuesday off the coast of Cape Cod. 

Last March, John Morelli underwent double transplant surgery, receiving a heart and liver during an 18-hour procedure at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Preparing for the surgery and then recovering – re-learning to eat, stand, walk and even write again – meant weeks in the hospital. It meant that his wife Stacey and sons Griffin, Tyler and Joshua spent many hours and days away from their home in East Braintree, and when they were home, everyday routines like baseball practice and making dinner became a challenge. 

Fortunately, support from the community poured in. A group created Friends of John Morelli that held a fundraiser prior to his surgery, and others prepared meals, created a schedule to give rides to practices and games for the Morelli boys and purchased vouchers for the family to use when visiting the hospital.

Those efforts, and the experience meeting other patients' families who did not have the same kind of support system, prompted John and Stacey to create the Transplant Foundation of New England.

They launched the organization last month and have started helping their first transplant candidate, a local man named Francis Buckley who has been awaiting his second heart transplant since September at Mass General.

With the assistance of a team that includes Morelli's cardiologist, several business associates and friends, the foundation's aim is to offer support, financial and otherwise, to members of the transplant community. This ranges from giving families gift cards to restaurants and grocery stores, to helping offset medical bills and providing transportation and childcare.

Morelli, who has a management background, including a stint at The Red Cross Blood Service of New England, created a detailed plan for the foundation, including guidelines on how it will operate and a lengthy list of responsibilities for the board of directors.

The vision, as outlined by Morelli on the organization's website, is to keep operating costs at or below 25 percent. He projects first-year funding to hit $500,000, increasing to $1 million in year two and $2 million by year five.

The foundation, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization, will partner with corporations, seek grants and vendors, and also look for individual and group donations.

Anyone looking to contribute can do so at http://transplantfoundationofnewengland.org/donation.html.

Having a Garage or Yard Sale? Share the details here to be added to our interactive map of sales.

Later this week we'll show you a map of sales in the area. You can also add your sale to your local Patch by clicking on it below:

• Falmouth Patch
• Martha's Vineyard Patch

If you're looking at this on your mobile device, switch to desktop view.

Catching a Cape Cod Baseball League game during the summer is a tradition for many and a must for sports fans of all ages.

This year opening day is Wednesday June 12.

All Cape Cod Baseball League games are free to attend, but donations are appreciated. 

According to pointstreak.com there are five games scheduled for opening day, times and locations are listed below. 

Father's Day is right around the corner, and the sale signs and circulars are everywhere promoting gifts like ties, electronics and other gadgets for Dad. 

But this year Patch invites you to gift your father, stepfather, uncle, grandfather or any other man that has been influential in your life with a unique tribute: share his story.

What are some of your fondest memories with Dad? What advice has he offered you that has helped you the most over the course of your life?  Why is he so special to you? Why does he deserve recognition?  (You can also take the opportunity to brag on your husband about what makes him an amazing father.)

Tell us about your Dad and share photos through our free Local Voices blogging section.  Then you can surprise him by sending him an e-card with the link.

We'll round up all of the blog posts and give them extra attention on June 16.

Happy Father's Day!

With my boots firmly planted on a sand bar a half of mile from shore, I took a second to just stand there and soak it in. It was 5AM yesterday morning and I was watching one of the most gorgeous sunrises I have seen all spring on Cape Cod. 

It was dead calm and dead silent - except for the occasional squawk of a gull or cry of a tern. I was completely alone, the sun and I.

As I continued walking along bars and through tidal pools, I began thinking how getting up before sunrise is 100% worth it when you live on Cape Cod.

This spring has been special for me, because I have seen the sunrise over a bay, harbor, estuary or beach at least a few days a week - every week - since early April.

I go fishing and then blog about my experiences at myfishingcapecod.com. It's the perfect excuse and great motivation for me to get out of bed at the crack of dawn.

Whether it's fishing the National Seashore or a local creek down the road from my house, I enjoy it all the same. 

Sunrises are my favorite, however sunsets aren't too shabby either. Especially when the soft hue of the setting sun is refracted off Cape Cod's dunes, eel grass and tranquil bays.

Fortunately the fishing so far this year has been pretty consistent. Enjoying the beautiful scenery while catching a few fish is a hard combination to be beat.

With the nicest weather of the year just around the corner, I know I will be making every effort to get outside and go fishing as often as possible. 

The sunrises and big fish are all the motivation I will need!

How about you? I'd love to hear what you think, so definitely leave a comment below.

For more visit Ryan's Cape Cod fishing blog myfishingcapecod.com

You can tour Cape Cod's only microbrewery and learn how beer is made. 

Cape Cod Beer tours are free and open to all ages. The tour takes about 45 minutes. To sample beer you must be 21 or over.

There is also a gift shop on site carrying wide variety of locally produced goods.

A tour is offered Saturdays at 1 p.m. and on Tuesdays at 11 a.m.

Cape Cod Beer started out in April 2004, brewing at the old Hyport Brewing Company at the west end of Main Street. The microbrewery moved to its current space in January 2006.

Cape Cod Beer offers several year-round beers - a pale ale, an IPA, a golden ale - and several seasonal ones - a hefeweizen, a German ale, a brown porter, a dark wheat beer and winter and holiday ales. 

Notable incidents from June 10, 2013

Police responded to a report of shoplifting at Ocean St. Job Lot on Barnstable Rd. at 12:31 p.m.

Police responded to a report of shoplifting at Seaside Selections on Main St. at 4:00 p.m.

Police responded to a report of attempted larceny at Sears on Iyannough Rd. at 6:06 p.m.

Police arrested Robert Edgar McKinnis, 42, of Forestdale while following up on a previous investigation on West Main St. at 6:42 p.m. McKinnis was charged with assault d/w on a victim over 60 and operating a motor vehicle so as to endanger.

Police arrested Eric C. Danforth, 25, of Cotuit on an outstanding warrant on Old Post Rd. at 8:54 p.m. Danforth was also charged with resisting/obstructing arrest, violating a protective order and intimidation of a witness.

Police responded to a report of shoplifting at 7-Eleven on Main St. at 11:36 p.m.

A packed hearing on Beacon Hill Tuesday dealt with the issue of possibly raising the mimimum wage for commonwealth workers, according to an Associated Press report posted on WBUR.com.

While those in favor of the wage increase believe it to be about fairness and economic justice, the AP reported business groups said raising the minimum wage would make the state less competitive.

Prior to Tuesday, SEIU Local 509 Director of Communications Jason Stephany said in a statement the minimum wage in the state has been at $8 an hour since January 2008.

"Many jobs at large retail and restaurant chains pay so little that even full-time workers must rely on public assistance for the most basic necessities," according to the statement. 

The Senate version of the bill is sponsored by Democrat Marc Pacheco of Taunton and would increase the minimum wage to $11 an hour by 2015, followed by an increase based on inflation with the Comsumer Price Index starting in 2016.

Do you think the state should increase the minimum wage? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.