Abandoning Draft Pact, Town, Tribe Call Summit

By IAN FEIN

Town and tribal officials in Aquinnah this week agreed to set aside
a preliminary but controversial document that had outlined an unusual
joint land use regulatory venture. The two governments will instead
start anew and work together in an open forum to set out mutual goals
for their small town at the western edge of the Island.

The students manning the phones at the Hebrew Center on this January night are there to kick off the first night of the 2006 SafeRides season. The student-run program provides a free and confidential ride home to any student of the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School who is not in a condition to drive safely or who wants to avoid being a passenger with an unsafe driver.

Property Tax Bills Out, Also Up in Four of Six Vineyard Towns

By IAN FEIN

Property tax bills are out - and up - in four of the six
Island towns. But property owners in Edgartown and West Tisbury will not
see their new assessments or tax bills for another few months, as town
assessors work to determine values in the wake of previous appeals from
large landowners.

The long, slender vessel with the mast towering high above Edgartown is one part sailboat and one part floating workshop.

On the deck, old saw horses and scraps of faded wood are scattered around the stern, and multicolored patches of epoxy and resin stain the fiberglass. The coaming around the cockpit is under construction, and the scarred and sun-bleached wood around it suggests it has been that way for years. Rough plywood cutouts act as temporary hatches; they are shaded by the looming mast, fastened by thousands of gleaming rivets.

The Bird's Nest is not a house quickly forgotten.

Built in the Highlands section of East Chop 130 years ago, around
the time that the United States was celebrating its first century, the
whimsical cottage is painted green and embellished with Victorian
architectural details such as corbels, St. Andrew's crosses and a
three-story tower. An octagonal cottage sits out back.

County Boards Collide Again

Two Resignations Are Tendered, Two Appointments Rescinded on Airport
Commission; Confusion Now Reigns

By JAMES KINSELLA
Gazette Senior Writer

Resignations and rescinded appointments Tuesday shattered the
fragile peace between the Dukes County Commission and the Martha's
Vineyard Airport commission.

Airport Commission Appointments Spark Resignation, Sharp Allegations

By JAMES KINSELLA
Gazette Senior Writer

Concern over actions by the Martha\'s Vineyard Airport
commission has spurred a former airport commissioner to call for an
investigation by the Massachusetts attorney general.

Concern over actions by the Martha's Vineyard Airport
commission has spurred a former airport commissioner to call for an
investigation by the Massachusetts attorney general.

West Tisbury Voters Convene Tuesday

By IAN FEIN

Two months after receiving a sharp rebuke from town voters, West
Tisbury selectmen will go back to the well on Tuesday for another
special town meeting to take up many of the same issues.

Front and center will be $170,000 in legal bills from the costly tax
case against town assessors, which a record turnout of voters rejected
at the special town meeting in November.

Town Finance Board Sharpens Opposition to Tax Case Bills

By IAN FEIN

On the eve of a pivotal town meeting, the West Tisbury finance
committee this week sharpened its opposition to payment of legal bills
linked to the Graham property tax case amid a widening swath of
questions about the roles and responsibilities of town assessors and
selectmen.