WCAI News Director Sean Corcoran hosts a discussion with area journalists about the top local news stories of the week. Joining Sean this week are Patrick Cassidy of the Cape Cod Times; Tim Wood of the Cape Cod Chronicle; Sara Brown of the Martha's Vineyard Gazette; Sam Houghton of the Mashpee Enterprise; Ed Miller of the Provincetown Banner; Joshua Balling of the Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror; and Barry Stringfellow of the Martha's Vineyard Times.
Among the stories they discuss this week: New Bedford fishing icon Carlos Rafael faces conspiracy charges after allegedly telling undercover federal agents how he evades fishing quotas; outgoing Mashpee Schools Superintendent Brian Hyde resigns from his job but takes a $425,000 payout; the Dennis Port pub Rum Runners gets shut down for 10 days; state Representative Tim Madden says he won't seek reelection; the Army Corps of Engineers admits its work played a roll in ongoing beach erosion in Sandwich; the former Zooquarium building in Yarmouth is set to become a pirate museum; a plan is underway by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife agency to possibly create a large reserve of shrub land in Mashpee; a young man dies after being hit by an SUV; Dukes County looks at how it can address the heroin epidemic; the Truro Planning Board wants to ease restrictions on affordable housing; a boat dock on Nantucket sells for $4.75 million; a push is underway for a plastic bag ban on Martha's Vineyard; and folksinger Don McLean cancels Cape concert after students protest.