WATCH: Rare Shark Sighting In Shallow Cape Cod Marsh: Patch PM

EASTHAM, MA — Today is Friday, Nov. 20. Here's the top stories Patch has been covering south of Boston.

Robin Rowe thought looked outside her window overlooking the Bee's River Marsh in Eastham. It's normally the perfect spot for her to watch birds, turtles and small fish, but earlier this month Rowe had an unusual encounter — a dark mass in the water that turned out to be a shark.

Rowe told Boston.com she thought she was about to witness a sea otter, and she was excited, but when she saw the fin, she realized she was witnessing an even rarer occurrence.

"I got excited because I've been wanting to see a river otter," Rowe told Boston.com. "So I grabbed my binoculars and my camera — my phone — and went out onto the porch to see if it popped up again. And then I saw it swim and I said, 'This is not an otter. Definitely not an otter.'"

Check out the full story to see the video.

Top Stories South of Boston

Braintree Orders Weekly COVID-19 Testing For Nursing Home Staff

Mayor Charles Kokoros issued an emergency order requiring weekly coronavirus testing for all employees at long-term care, rehabilitation and assisted living facilities.

The order became effective at 11:50 p.m., Saturday and requires testing regardless of the nature of the work being performed at the facility. Kokoros said he believes the order will minimize the spread of COVID-19 amongst one of Braintree's most vulnerable populations. About 90 percent of the town's 120 coronavirus deaths have come from nursing homes, Kokoros said.

"This is a preventative measure we need to take to ensure that what occurred in these facilities does not happen again," Kokoros said.

Foxborough Health Director Retiring Sooner, Town Ramps Up Hiring Amid Pandemic

Town officials were left scrambling to accelerate succession plans after learning Public Health Director Pauline Zajdel is retiring earlier than expected.

At Tuesday's selectmen meeting, Assistant Town Manager Michael Johns told the board Zajdel moved up her departure date from the year's end to Thanksgiving week. Johns and Town Manager William Keegan said the new timeline forces officials to reevaluate how they will fill the vacancy, which was already a priority because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Braintree Teen Makes Hundreds Of Masks For Veterans, Children

Since early in the coronavirus pandemic, LouAnna Kelly has wanted to make a difference and play a part in lessening the spread.

So she put the sewing skills she got from her grandmother to good use and started making masks for veterans, children, seniors and anyone else in need. Kelly grabbed her sewing needle and some fabric, and since the spring, she's made over 200 masks.

Across Massachusetts

MA High School Basketball, Hockey Players To Mask Up This Winter

While basketball and hockey will be played with rule modifications, indoor track is pushed to late February and wrestling to the spring.

Malden Teacher Featured In New Reebok Campaign: WATCH

Courtney Gold, an art teacher at the Ferryway School, took part in a new campaign highlighting educators during COVID-19.