The Point

On The Point's monthly Books Show, we continue with part two of the topic "books set on the Cape and Islands." Our guests are Naturalist Dennis Minsky, and Reference Librarian Jill Erickson from the Falmouth Public Library . Our host is Mindy Todd. Listeners join in to comment and add their favorites to the list. Meanwhile, click here for a list of books we talked about on the show.

These are uncertain economic times and it’s not clear when things will be back to normal, or what a new normal will look like. On The Point, we talk about smart personal finance for all income levels, and how to manage when your income takes a hit. We also discuss socially responsible investing and ways to invest in our local economy and community.

A cluster of new coronavirus cases is linked to a house party in Chatham. Tiny Cuttyhunk Island sees its virus cases leap from zero to eight. And a flashback to when our hazards came from the sky: we mark the 1-year anniversary of the Cape tornadoes.

We live in a place where the economy relies on visitors. Some of those visitors could be your friends or family. Should we be welcoming visitors into our homes? What are the best practices to keep us all safe? We also talk about what we can learn from the spike of coronavirus cases in some states, how to combat pandemic fatigue, and the latest on vaccine development.

The Woods Hole Film Festival is bringing the films to you this summer online: y ou don’t have to be in Woods Hole to catch the great line up! On The Point, w e talk with founder and director Judy Laster about the shift to virtual and how to access the films. We also talk with three filmmakers whose work will be screened, including David Abel. His film Entangled is about the plight of the North Atlantic Right Whale and will premier at this year’s festival.

July gardens and landscapes on Cape Cod and the Islands are in the peak of their sumer glory. On The Point, our host Mindy Todd talks with Roberta Clark, horticulturist. We hear tips on how to get the most out of our flowers and vegetable gardens. Keep those cucumbers watered and watch out for signs of early tomato blight and other dreaded fungus! It's a great year for fruit so far.

Should Martha’s Vineyard have an island-wide mask policy? Hate group stickers appear in Chatham. And the state lays out its plans for the new Cape bridges.

Hurricane Bob was the last significant hurricane to hit our region, and that was nearly 30 years ago. But we shouldn’t become complacent: it’s only a question of time before we have the next major hurricane. On The Point, we talk with the National Weather Service about how to best prepare as storms approach, once they arrive, and after they leave. And we discuss why wind speed doesn’t give us an accurate measure of just how deadly a hurricane could be.

On The Point, we talk about implicit social cognition: thoughts and feelings outside of conscious awareness and control.

The new Cape bridges are going to belong to the State of Massachusetts, once the federal government pays for them. Phase 3 of the pandemic reopening begins, which is good news for gyms and museums. And toxic algae blooms are showing up in Cape ponds.