Start talking to people about the state of the Vineyard economy, and you can detect an edginess, an air of concern that mirrors the condition of a nation in the midst of recession, war and ongoing fear of terrorism.
The impact of the fire at the Tisbury Inn and Health Club can't yet be measured in time or money. How many dollars and how many months will it take to rebuild?
The Tisbury Inn was destroyed Saturday night by a fire that started
in mid-evening and wasn't fully extinguished until late afternoon
Sunday. More than 100 firefighters and public safety personnel were
called to the center of the town to fight the blaze at the landmark
hotel.
How many pounds of flour, how many pounds of sugar, how many pounds
of butter have passed through this place in the last 37 years? How many
scones, how many shortbreads, how many jars of beach plum jelly, how
many rhubarb pies?
No one ever counted. And no one ever wrote down the recipes.
New Bedford SSA Maneuvers Fail
By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer
The Falmouth Steamship Authority governor checked the city of New
Bedford in its own game of ferry chess yesterday, refusing to honor an
11th-hour request from the Whaling City to extend a trial high-speed
ferry project, after the city solicitor abruptly pulled the plug on the
project two weeks ago.
The developers of the Down Island Golf Club turned up the heat on
the Martha's Vineyard Commission last night, hammering home the
threat of a large low-income housing project if the golf club plan is
not approved.
If you're not feeling quite ready for the holidays, if the
festive mood hasn't grabbed you, don't worry. You're
not alone.
A friend recently said that "Christmas is about getting back to the basics, the basics that are so easily forgotten today."
A reporter was reminded of this walking through the doors of the Federated Church on South Summer street Saturday morning, where an elf workshop was in progress. Oblong tables were crammed with kids bumping elbows and building gingerbread houses. Parents stood behind them chatting with each other. Some leaned over to lend a hand, but they were ignored - so intently focused were the kids on their individual projects.
The gathering started off with just two friends, but there was no chance it would stay that way. The tenth grader had already let it slip, telling another friend the vital piece of information that can spread like wildfire among teenagers.
Vineyard Officials Clash in Fight Over Boat Line Appointment; Political Dialogue Grows Ugly
By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer
Political chaos broke out across the Vineyard this week in the
aftermath of the surprise vote by the Dukes County Commission last week
to replace J.B. Riggs Parker, the Island Steamship Authority governor
who has presided over the most divisive period at the public boat line
in recent memory.
