Barnstable's Most Read Stories Of 2022

BARNSTABLE, MA — The year is nearly over, and, with 2023 quickly approaching, it's worth taking a look back at the biggest stories of the year locally.

Here are the three stories that garnered the most readers on the Barnstable Patch in 2023:

Lost Puppy Found On Road By MA Family Actually A Coyote

A local family got more than they signed up for when they brought home a puppy they found lost and distressed on a busy Massachusetts road.

It turns out he wasn't a puppy at all — at least not the kind the family was expecting. The little bundle of fluff was an Eastern coyote pup separated from his family, according to the Cape Wildlife Center in Cape Cod.

More Than 300 Cold-Stunned Turtles Rescued On Cape Cod: What To Know

Sea turtles are ectothermic, meaning their body temperature is regulated by the temperature of the water they're swimming in. That means as the waters around Cape Cod cool, most turtles make their way south toward warmer temperatures.

But, every year, a number of juvenile sea turtles don't make the trip, leaving them susceptible to becoming cold-stunned as they are trapped by the hook of the Cape, Mass Audobon officials said. That can be deadly, which is where Mass Audobon comes in.

Barnstable Police Thwart Possible Murder With Routine Traffic Stop

Two men are facing various charges including conspiring to commit murder after a Barnstable police officer pulled them over and found drugs, ammunition and two sawed-off shotguns in their car.

On April 18, an officer was en route to a report of gunshots when he met a vehicle on Attucks Lane traveling toward him at a high rate of speed, according to Barnstable police. The officer pulled over the vehicle and, during a search, discovered the sawed-off shotguns, multiple boxes of ammunition, and narcotics.