Sixteen Feet Is the Magic Length for Determining Extra Ferry Fee
By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer
New Year's note to travelers who drive their cars on Steamship
Authority ferries: Do you know how long your automobile is?
If not, and the car is longer than 16 feet - welcome to 2004,
and please get out your wallet.
New rules went into effect at the boat line on Jan. 1, among them a
rule that imposes an extra fee on cars and trucks that are over 16 feet
in length.
An Accepting Culture Is Cited as School Eyes Marijuana Use
By CHRIS BURRELL
For students at the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School,
it's as commonplace as the pencils and notebooks: kids bringing
marijuana to school or showing up for class when they're high.
The principal describes it as "epidemic," and students
say pot is pervasive, used by a vast number of their peers on campus.
NANTUCKET - She's earned a lot of nicknames over the
years, among them Mother Trucker and the Queen of Nantucket, but beyond
all the monikers she is also the epitome of a tireless soldier -
unconditionally loved at home, often spurned and misunderstood abroad.
Boat Line Hears Worries on SSA Marketing Effort
By ALEXIS TONTI
In a lively discussion about the Steamship Authority's new
marketing program, Islanders advocated shelving plans for a glossy
magazine and cautioned SSA executives not to ignore Island businesses in
favor of courting national retailers with big budgets.
Moments before seven Island teenagers set to sea this June in a 28-foot wooden vessel bound for the Hudson River, the students speculated that the journey ahead would likely be eventful. One week, 180 miles and several storms later, the novice sailors and their vessel Mabel made it to the shores of New York. Ragged yet safe, the teens agreed: The adventure had been memorable.
Advocate for Summer Housing Pushes for Property at Airport
By ALEXIS TONTI
A leader in the push to build group housing for summer workers on
the Vineyard is calling for the Martha's Vineyard Airport
commissioners to reconsider a plan to site the housing on county land
near the airport business park.
"This is a great Island initiative and it shouldn't fail
because of shortsightedness," said Norman Rankow, chairman of the
Summer Workforce Housing Task Force. "I plan to do whatever I can
to bring the airport commissioners on board."
Vineyard Ushers in 2004 with Festive Air
Fireworks in Tisbury Mark Celebration of Last Night, First Day
By ALEXIS TONTI
Tisbury's Last Night, First Day festival offered Islanders
both the intimacy of a dinner party and the spirit of a large-scale
celebration. And at a time of year when people tend to look back and to
look ahead, it was refreshing to stop, for a few hours, and simply enjoy
the best of what the Island had to offer.
Debate over an innocuous-sounding bill in the state legislature is
pitting one up-Island school system against another.
State Attorney General Will Intervene to Appeal Tribal Sovereignty
Case
By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer
Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly quietly announced
this week that he will intervene in the Aquinnah court appeal over
sovereign immunity, adding clout to a case that will ultimately test the
strength of a historic 1983 Indian land claims settlement agreement.
"We intend to enter into the appeal on behalf of the
commonwealth," said Corey Welford, a spokesman for the state
attorney general, on Tuesday.
Port, Airline Security Ramping Up Again
By ALEXIS TONTI
As the nation moves toward the new year under a heightened terror
alert, Island security continues to tighten at the direction of the
federal Department of Homeland Security, which is again pumping money
into port and airline security on the Island.
The Steamship Authority and Hy-Line Cruises have received $515,000
from the federal department to improve security measures at their Cape
and Islands terminals.
