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Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Zoning Police Come for Cape Cod Lobsterman
People looking for fresh lobster know where to go on Cape Cod. For 50 years, third-generation fisherman Jon Tolley has welcomed customers to his Yarmouth home, where he offers the day's catch. His father did the same thing at the same home, using a home-based business model that Tolley's grandfather pioneered in 1930 at a different location near the Bass Hole boardwalk. The town of Yarmouth should celebrate this entrepreneurial spirit, and yet, the town ordered Tolley to cease and desist operations in March 2025—weeks before the start of a new season. The reason has nothing to do with public health, safety, sanitation, or environmental concerns. Tolley has commercial fishing and retail licenses, and he complies with all requirements. Nor has the town mentioned traffic or parking concerns. Tolley has two massive driveways that easily accommodate his customers, including many who just walk from nearby. Instead, the town is citing a zoning ordinance that prohibits sales in residential neighborhoods. The ordinance has no exceptions, even for fresh-caught lobster sold by a lobsterman in Cape Cod, where families have stayed afloat this way for centuries. According to the town, someone complained to authorities, but they will not say who. "Everyone in the town knows I have been selling there my whole life," he writes on his Facebook page. "I have sold to building inspectors, Town Hall employees, selectpersons, police, firefighters, and residents of Cape Cod and beyond." On March 7, Tolley was issued a violation notice for selling lobsters at his home, and Yarmouth has threatened him with daily fines of up to $300 if he does not cease operations. For his part, Tolley only has heard support, and he does not intend to go away quietly. He will fight back at a Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on April 10. It is unlikely that he will face the person who issued the complaint. Besides the economic implications of this move, the Building Department should consider the Constitution. The Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Clause does not allow arbitrary infringement of property rights. People can use their property in normal, productive ways, and the government cannot stop them without good reason. Cities and towns routinely try this sort of thing. Home-based enterprises make popular targets, and the results can be ironic. Zoning officials ordered Lij Shaw to shut down a recording studio that he operated behind soundproof walls at his home in "Music City" Nashville, Tennessee. If Palo Alto, California, had taken this approach with Hewlett-Packard and shut down the region's first "garage startup" in 1939, Silicon Valley might never have emerged. Once local inspectors take out their clipboards, even modest dreams can die. Zoning officials ordered single mom Bianca King to close her home-based daycare center in Lakeway, Texas. They ordered Art and Kimberly Dunckel to close a farm animal sanctuary on their rural property in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. And zoning officials blocked Peter and Annica Quakenbush from opening a green cemetery on their private woodland preserve in Brooks Township, Michigan. We have seen just about everything at our public interest law firm, the Institute for Justice, as part of our Zoning Justice Project. Far too often, what is missing is common sense. Nobody wants a tannery, nightclub, or fireworks factory next door. But people rarely cross boundaries like these. They generally regulate themselves because they want to live peaceably with their neighbors. Tolley shows how. He listens for community feedback and makes adjustments when necessary. All good businesses do the same. There is no other way to survive in one location for 50 years. Code enforcers can step in when necessary. They have a role to play. But they should not rock the lobster boat, inventing problems that do not exist. The post Zoning Police Come for Cape Cod Lobsterman appeared first on
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
$2.1M in grants awarded to Texas volunteer fire departments
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas A&M Forest Service announced that on March 5, it awarded $2.1 million in grants to rural volunteer fire departments (VFDs) across the state, per a news release from the agency. The big boost in funding, as part of the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program, will help VFDs buy lifesaving items such as training aids, dry hydrants, as well as fire and rescue equipment, according to a news release. 'Through the Rural VFD Assistance Program, we do everything we can to ensure that their firefighting capacity is strong by helping them purchase necessary equipment,' said Jason Keiningham, the Texas A&M Forest Service Capacity Building Department Head. 'This increases the ability of fire departments across the state to fight wildland fires, cooperate on different types of incidents and aid other states in times of need.' The Texas A&M Forest Service awarded a total of 94 grants to various rural VFDs, including some here in Central Texas, per the release. Bertram Volunteer Fire Department: $25,000 for fire and rescue equipment Burnet Volunteer Fire Department: $10,000 for training aids Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department: $25,000 for personal protective equipment City of Milano Volunteer Fire Department: $25,000 for personal protective equipment Over the past 24 years, the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program has awarded volunteer fire departments across the state more than $380 million. The next funding meeting for the program is set for Aug. 6. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sudbury restaurant serving Chinese and Japanese food didn't open March 5. What happened
SUDBURY — A Route 20 restaurant wasn't able to open for business on Wednesday after it experienced an overnight kitchen fire, according to Fire Chief Timothy Choate. Choate said he does not know how long Lotus Blossom, 394 Boston Post Road (Route 20), will remain closed. No one from the restaurant, which typically opens at 11:30 a.m., could be reached for comment on Wednesday. 'They will have to be closed for cleanup and repairs for the damage,' Choate said. The chief said firefighters responded to the Chinese and Japanese restaurant at 12:47 a.m. Wednesday after an alarm went off due to the business' fire suppression system being activated. Upon arrival, they found smoke coming from the building and once firefighters entered the building, they discovered fire in the kitchen, according to a Sudbury Fire Department press release. 'There will be no reopening': Lotus Flower restaurant in Framingham has closed The fire was quickly knocked down and no one was injured. Choate said the sprinkler system helped contain the fire until firefighters arrived. 'Last night, the system worked,' he said. 'What ended up happening is the fire suppression held the fire in check. Had it not operated as designed, the damage would have been much worse.' The Framingham and Wayland fire departments provided mutual aid at the scene, while Concord, Marlborough and Maynard provided station coverage. A portion of Boston Post Road remained closed for about an hour. Choate said all food in the restaurant had to be discarded, and that the town Building Department would determine when Lotus Blossom can reopen. No one from the Building Department could be reached on Wednesday. Lotus Blossom opened in 1991, according to its website. Its management said the restaurant "blends authentic recipes with contemporary influences" to "create modern dishes using traditional techniques and the finest quality ingredients." The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Sudbury Fire Department and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the state Fire Marshal's Office. Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@ For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Kitchen fire prevents Sudbury Chinese-Japanese restaurant from opening
