Tick-Borne Diseases See Rise; Task Force Studies Prevention
By IAN FEIN
To many Vineyard visitors, Memorial Day marks the beginning of
summer.
But to an ever-increasing percentage of the Island population, it
represents the start of the tick-borne disease season.
And early reports suggest that the Island may be in for an
especially tick-ridden summer. Deer ticks thrive in damp environments,
which the wet spring and winter weather has certainly provided.
Tick-Borne Diseases See Rise; Task Force Studies Prevention
By IAN FEIN
To many Vineyard visitors, Memorial Day marks the beginning of
summer.
But to an ever-increasing percentage of the Island population, it
represents the start of the tick-borne disease season.
And early reports suggest that the Island may be in for an
especially tick-ridden summer. Deer ticks thrive in damp environments,
which the wet spring and winter weather has certainly provided.
Memorial Day Weekend Marks Traditional Start for the Summer Season
By MAX HART
The handwritten sign taped to the window of the Martha's
Vineyard Gourmet Cafe and Bakery in Oak Bluffs says it all: "Rain,
rain, go away! Come back in October. We beg you!"
That about sums up this week on the Vineyard, but Island residents
fear not: Memorial Day weekend is upon us. The start to summer 2005 is
here.
A story exists for everyone who stays at the Lillian Manter Memorial Hostel.
For Lillian Manter it was a love of serving others. For Tom Thatcher it was a business and home. For Arlo Guthrie it was the beginning of a song. For Amanda Cohen it was a home and playground. And for Monroe Sheppard it is one more stop in his years of involvement with hostels.
This past weekend on the 50th anniversary of the building's opening, many former hostellers, staff and family returned to celebrate and share memories. Since its current inception the hostel has welcomed more than 100,000 guests. Hostelling International USA hoped to use the weekend celebration as a way to acknowledge the Island's hospitality.
Sharply Divided Camps Face Off Over Affordable Housing Plan
By IAN FEIN
Island residents packed a Martha's Vineyard Commission meeting
last week to offer impassioned pleas both for and against an unusual
affordable housing subdivision proposed for Watcha Path Road in
Edgartown.
Proposed by a group of Vineyard residents who want to build 11 homes
on 10.9 acres, the project is under review by the commission as a
development of regional impact (DRI).
Channel Needs Emergency Dredging
By RACHEL KOVAC
Extreme silting and clogging in the channel beneath the Little
Bridge in Oak Bluffs have prompted an emergency dredging project to
protect the ecosystem in Sengekontacket Pond.
"It is very important for the life of the pond to
flush," said county manager E. Winn Davis. "That is to say
every time the tide changes it's brining in new nutrients and
taking out nutrients."
Danubia Campos can remember back six or seven years ago when she knew every Brazilian on Martha's Vineyard.
Leaders of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) now have until July 2 to decide whether they will try to convince the United States Supreme Court to hear their appeal of the much-watched case over tribal sovereignty.
Attorneys Pressing Tax Case Underscore Serious Flaws in Town
Assessment System
By IAN FEIN
BOSTON - Attorneys for Island resident William W. Graham at a
legal hearing this week charged the fundamental system West Tisbury
assessors use to determine land values and property taxes throughout the
town is seriously flawed.
NStar Labor Strike Hits Home Hard; Workers Decry Abrupt Benefit
Cutoff
By JAMES KINSELLA
Striking NStar Electric & Gas employees on the Vineyard grew
more bitter yesterday as word spread that the power distribution company
had suspended health insurance benefits for workers on strike.
"It doesn't say much for how they feel for their
employees," said Glenn Dickson of Vineyard Haven. "Usually
there's a grace period. It seems like they don't
care."
