​The Cape Cod Commission, on behalf of the Barnstable County Board of Regional Commissioners and the Barnstable County Economic Development Council (BCEDC), has awarded more than $136,000.00 in grant funds through the Barnstable County License Plate Grant Program to support COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency projects. 
The Barnstable County Board of Regional Commissioners voted unanimously to award the following six grants:
$25,0000.00 to Sustainable Cape Center for Agricultural Preservation and Education to expand access to locally grown and produced foods;
$25,000.00 to Love Live Local for the Cape Cod Resilience Fund to provide economic relief to Cape Cod’s small business community;
$24,802.00 to Cape Cod Community College to develop the curriculum for the Massachusetts Community Health Worker program;
$25,000.00 to the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod to support Cape Cod arts and cultural organizations as they work to recover and reopen;
$11,545.00 to Cape Cod Young Professionals to support workforce retention and development through CCYP’s new Laser-Focused Coaching Program; and,
$25,000.00 to the Lower Cape Community Development Corporation to provide comprehensive business support to Lower-Cape based small businesses.

​The Barnstable County License Plate Grant Program, funded by proceeds from the sale of Cape Cod and Islands specialty license plates, is intended to support regional priorities for economic development and achievement of long-term economic diversity and sustainability. 
The funding was made available to local or regional governmental or nonprofit agencies for projects that support recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic and resiliency to such impacts in the future. Projects proposed were required to address a documented impact of the pandemic and align with and support implementation of the region’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). 
Eighteen proposals were submitted in response to a Request for Proposals issued in June. The BCEDC recommended six proposals for funding, which were approved by the Barnstable County Board of Regional Commissioners.

​On Apr. 25, 1901, New York Governor Benjamin Odell Jr. signed into law a bill requiring owners of motor vehicles to register with the state. It also mandated that every automobile or motorcycle bear “the separate initials of the owner’s name placed upon the back thereof in a conspicuous place, the letters forming such initials to be at least three inches in height.” Owners were expected to provide their own identifying letters, and in those early days there were no restrictions on materials, style or color. Some used metal house letters on leather or wood, others painted the letters directly on their vehicles, according to license plate collector and historian Keith Marvin.
Though the new law put an extra burden on drivers, they were left “rejoicing” at news the bill was signed, wrote the New York Tribune. The reason was that, before the law passed, local regulations often differed—which meant that not only were the laws hard to follow, but also that drivers often found themselves losing out to people who got around the old-fashioned way. As the New York Times reported, “automobilists found that in many instances they were not accorded equal rights with the drivers of horses, and the confusion resulting from these various laws led to the need of a uniform standard.”

​It wasn’t a wild idea in 1901 that automobiles were suffering from the lack of official acknowledgement: the New York Tribune later echoed that “one of the objects of the law was to put a stop to the harassing of the owners of automobiles with local regulations,” and the journal Turf, Field and Farm called cars an “unnatural vehicle” in their reporting on the bill. After the licensing and registration law passed, however, local authorities—even if they controlled a highway or street—could not ban cars from using it. The law also imposed a minimum speed limit (8 mph in cities and 15 mph in rural areas) below which local speed limits could not go.
On May 2, the Times reported that 17 people had already applied for licenses and a man named George F. Chamberlain would receive the first one. By September the Tribune reported 715 had applied, and licenses totaled 1,566 by the beginning of April the following year, according to Marvin.
But, as the number of cars and drivers increased, the painted-on-initials system began to fail, for a simple reason: There were just too many people with the same initials. Hence, the modern license-plate.
On May 15, 1903, the state legislature passed a new law requiring the New York Secretary of State to assign each registered owner a number that would be displayed on the back of the vehicle. And that same year—though New York drivers would have to provide their own plates until 1910—Massachusetts became the first to distribute state-issued plates.

​A new specialty Massachusetts license plate is paying tribute to Dr. Seuss. The design featuring “The Cat In The Hat” celebrates the legacy of Springfield native Theodor Geisel.

“Dr. Seuss’s creativity has inspired generations to dream big and his own ingenuity taught millions the joy of learning,” said Sen. James T. Welch, of West Springfield, in a statement. “We’re lucky to be able to call Dr. Seuss our own here in Springfield and these license plates will be a reminder to all residents of the Commonwealth of the joy and impact his stories and illustrations have made in all of our lives—forever joining the spirit of Seuss and Massachusetts.”

Proceeds from sales of the plate will benefit the Springfield Museums, where the Amazing World Of Dr. Seuss Museum opened in 2017. In California, the 'Snoopy' plate proceeds go to California museums.

At least 750 people need to apply for the specialty plate before the Registry of Motor Vehicles produces it. The cost for the special plate is $40.

Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito will be at the museum Thursday to officially announce the plate. An auction for license plate numbers 1-99 will be held at a later date.

Just weeks ago it was announced that a new Dr. Seuss book will be coming out this fall, 28 years after Geisel’s death.

The Sporting, Safety, Conservation and Education Fund (SSCEF), the charitable foundation of the Falmouth Rod & Gun Club, received a financial boost with a $59,810 grant from the Massachusetts Environmental Trust (the Trust).  This funding will enable SSCEF to assist in the new conservation project to restore the Upper Childs River which runs through East Falmouth and Mashpee, fostering the return of native brook trout to this valuable water resource.
According to Trust Program Director, Kim Tilas, the Trust will provide over $500,000.00 in grants to 16 organizations this year, thanks to motorists who choose to purchase one of the Trust’s specialty license plates.  “Trust plates, including our signature Whale Plate, are the only specialty plates that exclusively fund environmental initiatives,” said Tilas.  “When you purchase a specialty plate for $100.00 from the Registry of Motor Vehicles, the $40 specialty plate fee goes directly to the Trust to fund water-focused environmental programs.”