High on Gay Head Cliffs, a Land Bank Beauty
New System of Trails May Result from Sale in Aquinnah
By CHRIS BURRELL
In a move that could resurrect a long-lost museum in Aquinnah and
create a network of trails over a dramatic south shore seascape, the
Martha's Vineyard Land Bank has agreed to buy the six-acre
Vanderhoop homestead just south of the Gay Head Lighthouse.
Vineyard Question: Would Paramedics Save More Lives?
By JONATHAN BURKE
A proposal by Island medical personnel would establish a regional
squad of paramedics on Martha's Vineyard.
Unlike the Island's basic and intermediate emergency medical
technicians (EMTs), paramedics can dispense prescription medication and
perform other advanced skills. The Vineyard and Nantucket are the only
two communities in Massachusetts that do not have access to paramedic
care.
In a land-use decision that has potentially far-reaching
implications for every town on the Vineyard, a superior court judge
ruled last week that the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) cannot
be sued because of sovereign immunity.
If allowed to stand, the ruling by the Hon. Richard F. Connon has
the power to turn a landmark 1983 Indian land claims settlement on its
head.
The Martha's Vineyard Preservation Trust received an
extraordinary financial boost from contributors participating in the
18th annual Taste of the Vineyard on Thursday and the Patrons Party and
Auction on Saturday night. As of yesterday the preservation trust
reported income of $170,000 from both events after expenses.
A Shadow Looming on Possible Dreams
Carly Simon Has Been Big Fundraiser for Community Services Auction;
Now She Backs Union Workers
By MANDY LOCKE
The poster child for the Possible Dreams Auction stepped into the
middle of an escalating salary dispute at Martha's Vineyard
Community Services last week.
If you tune in to one of the three new community access cable
channels, the picture is clear. The background story at the fledgling
television station is anything but.
Last week, the station manager at Martha's Vineyard Community
Television (MVTV) quit, just 3 1/2 months after she and her two children
relocated to the Vineyard from Missoula, Mont.
Vineyard Voyagers Set a Course from Island Harbor to Hudson
By BRETT FERRY
Three hours after Mabel's planned departure time, her builder,
Myles Thurlow, shimmies to the top of the main mast to attach a VHF
radio antenna. Countless details are attended to as the crew prepares to
shove off from the Coastwise Packet Co. dock and sail west.
Summer Labor Dynamic Is Annual Dance of Employers, Work Force and
Landlords
By MANDY LOCKE
Early reads on the summer work force bring more questions than
answers this year.
Through April and May, business owners scratched their heads, asking
where the workers were. This week, new arrivals in the work force
stumbled about the Vineyard, shaking their heads and wondering where the
jobs are.
Sewer Box Receives Gingerbread Facelift in Oak Bluffs Test
By CHRIS BURRELL
In Oak Bluffs, gingerbread has now become a Band-aid.
After more than two years of trying to figure out what to do about
the 38 sewer panel boxes that popped up all over downtown as part of the
new wastewater project, town leaders have decided to road-test one
solution - building a mini-cottage on top of one box.
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.
