89 Endangered Whales Seen Off Cape Cod Coast: Patch PM

BARNSTABLE, MA — It's Tuesday, March 30. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Ever see an endangered right whale? If you were motoring around off the Cape earlier this month you probably did. There were 89 sightings of the creature on March 21, the most spotted in a single day this season.
• A police captain accused of bilking taxpayers out of more than $12,000 by skipping out early.
• Another plea to not let up on the fight against the coronavirus.
• Something doesn't compute about a company thinks workers will respond to its robot.

Scroll down for more on those and other stories Patch has been covering in Massachusetts today.

Today's Top Story

Federal officials urged boaters to slow down to avoid injuring endangered right whales after 89 of the marine creatures were seen off the coast of Cape Cod earlier this month.

The sightings on March 21 were the most right whales spotted in a single day this season, according to the Center for Coastal Studies, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving marine mammals and ecosystems. The sighting included three mothers, seen feeding their calves, the organization said.
Researchers with the center found a large group of whales while surveying south of Cape Cod Bay at Sandy Neck in West Barnstable. Further north, more whales were discovered, including one named Marlin. Researchers said Marlin "appeared to be having the time if his life, tail-slapping at the surface."

Read the full story here

Other top stories

Retired Boston cop facing charges: A retired Boston police captain was arrested Tuesday as part of a federal investigation into an overtime fraud scheme at the department's warehouse.Richard Evans, 62, of Hanover, is accused as being part of a group of officers who skipped out hours early on overtime shifts for the Evidence Control Unit he oversaw. Officers can make 1.5 times their pay in overtime working the unit.

This ain't over yet: Not by a long shot. Gov. Charlie Baker urged people not to confuse progress with victory, asking virus-weary residents to keep guard against a "false sense of security." Baker was speaking Tuesday alongside CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, who only one day before warned of "impending doom" due to rising coronavirus cases across the country. One of those places seeing an increase in cases is Massachusetts, but said Tuesday she wouldn't comment on the restrictions in individual states. She did say she was pleased to see so many in Massachusetts wearing a mask. Walensky also clarified Monday's comments to say the "impending doom" is preventable.

Good for workers? That might be a stretch: Boston Dynamics, the Waltham-based company known for its robot dog Spot, released a video of Stretch, its latest robot prototype. This robot is designed to automate repetitive box-moving in warehouses and distribution centers. Stretch can unload trucks and build pallets of boxes, according to the company. The company said Stretch makes "makes warehouse operations more efficient and safer for workers." We wonder what the workers feel about the new guy.

We hope he used Geico: A traveler from Florida brought home an unlikely souvenir — a lizard that hid in the car during the whole trip up to Massachusetts. Once the driver spotted the lizard, they brought it to the Animal Rescue League of Boston's Brewster location. The ARL said the lizard was a Brown Anole lizard and not native to Massachusetts. The little lizard's travels weren't quite over yet.