The Mabel Sets Sail, Bound for Hudson Waters
By BRETT FERRY
The seven teens seem almost casual about heading to sea in a 28-foot
open boat. They field questions about their trip with responses like,
"It should be interesting."
They are a part of Vineyard Voyagers, an Island maritime program for
young people that gives them the chance to have significant encounters
with the sea. The students, all of them from the charter school, signed
on to this voyage for various reasons, but each of them will fulfill an
independent school project along the way.
Varsity Lacrosse Team Loses by a Goal in Vineyard's First
State Championship
By BRETT FERRY
In the first high school state championship game ever played
on-Island, the boys' varsity lacrosse team of the Martha's
Vineyard Regional High School finished its season yesterday two goals
shy of a Division III state title.
Connecticut Developer Refiles Massive Housing Proposal for Woodlands
By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer
The developers of the Down Island Golf Club slipped back onto the
scene this week, quietly reviving a dormant plan for a massive
affordable housing project in the southern woodlands section of Oak
Bluffs.
An attorney who represents Connecticut developer Corey Kupersmith
wrote a letter to the Martha's Vineyard Commission late last week,
asking to have the housing plan put back on an active track.
Homeland Security Yields Big Grants
Close to a Million in Federal Dollars Is Designated for Steamship
Authority and for Town of Oak Bluffs
By JULIA WELLS
Homeland security came home this week when federal officials
announced the award of two hefty grants totaling some $900,000 to
improve port security on the Vineyard and in Woods Hole.
The money will go to the Steamship Authority ($624,000) and the Oak
Bluffs emergency management department ($285,000).
Boat Line Proposes to Run Van from Wharf to Park-and-Ride
By JONATHAN BURKE
Tisbury selectmen next week will consider the Steamship
Authority's proposal to run a shuttle service between the town
park-and-ride lot and the Vineyard Haven ferry terminal.
Under terms of the proposal, from June 25 through the end of the
year, from 5:30 am to 9:00 pm, the SSA would "dedicate a van to
run continuously between the terminal and the lot."
Refuse District Waits Beacon Hill Vote
By MANDY LOCKE
Less than three weeks before the close of the fiscal year, the
Island's waste handler is anxiously awaiting legislative
authorization to correct its financial missteps.
For Island Graduates, The Time of Their Lives
Not an Empty Seat at the Tabernacle; Sun Breaks Out
By KATE STAMELL
Proud families and friends filled the Tabernacle Sunday afternoon to
honor and support the accomplishments of the Class of 2003 at the
Martha's Vineyard Regional High School.
At Charter School, an Affirmation of Doing Right
By C.K. WOLFSON
It was as if the buoyant mood and fellowship at the Martha's
Vineyard Public Charter School's graduation created a force field
that staved off Saturday morning's threatened rain. More than 150
smiling, mingling people gradually made their way across the grass
behind the volleyball court, and handshake by handshake, hug by hug,
ambled into the large white tent.
A federal civil rights investigation of the Oak Bluffs and Tisbury
schools has cited both for failing to meet the instructional needs of
their growing population of Brazilian students.
The investigation was triggered by a parent complaint in November
which alleged that the schools' lack of trained teachers,
interpreters and appropriate materials was shortchanging Brazilian
students.
Barbara Dacey knows what keeps a song on the radio. For the past 18
years, she's worked at WMVY, sifting through popular music and
engineering a special blend of tunes for the eclectic Island radio
station.
The station is throwing itself a 20th birthday party at the Hot Tin
Roof on Thursday, June 12, with singer/songwriters Dar Williams and
Patty Larkin. The event is aimed at dedicated listeners, as tickets are
not for sale, but are being given away over the air.