Schools Seek Finance Help
Leaders of Island School Districts Seek Reassurance from Towns that
State Local Aid Funds Will Support Education
By CHRIS BURRELL
With annual town meeting season only days away, school leaders this
week pressured Island selectmen and town financial teams to back amended
school budgets that would earmark state funds for educational spending
and avert the need to lay off teachers for next year.
Alex Lawson's future wasn't looking too bright:
He'd quit doing his homework back in seventh grade, hung out with
the wrong kids and had some run-ins with police.
Public Questions Oak Bluffs Candidates for Their Stand on MVC
Secession Issue
By CHRIS BURRELL
When it comes to the top elected post in Oak Bluffs, there's
no shortage of applicants. In the most hotly contested race on the
Island, seven candidates are vying for two seats on the board of
selectmen in a town renowned for the drama of its political stage.
Last night at the Oak Bluffs School, the candidates made their best
pitch to voters and then fielded questions from an audience seeking to
ferret out what issues would help separate the pack.
Edgartown Grants Land Owner Choice on House Size Plan
By MANDY LOCKE
The Edgartown conservation commission Wednesday night drew a line in
the sand - forcing an Edgartown Great Pond property owner to
reduce his house proposal or take his case to the Martha's
Vineyard Commission.
After a period of lying fallow, Katama Farm will be traditionally
farmed again. The Edgartown Conservation Commission on Wednesday night
agreed to lease the historic property to FARM Institute.
Their decision brings the 180-acre farm back into the Island farming
community. It also allows FARM Institute the opportunity to expand its
role of helping young people learn the ways of agriculture.
Candidate Challenge Fails in Tisbury Clash
Town Registrar Board Rules in Favor of James Douglas and Douglas
Dias's Right to Run for Selectman Post
By JONATHAN BURKE
The candidacies of James Douglas and Douglas Dias in Tisbury's
upcoming selectmen's race survived challenges Monday night.
The burden was on the challengers to prove that Mr. Douglas and Mr.
Dias are not residents of Tisbury. In each case, the town's
four-member board of registrars deadlocked 2-2, which meant the
challenges failed.
SSA Leaders Study New Bedford Service
Fast Ferry Link to Vineyard Terminals in 2004 Requires Majority
Backing from Top Boat Line Governors
By CHRIS BURRELL
WOODS HOLE - Year-round fast ferry service between the
Vineyard and New Bedford could become a reality by next year if
Steamship Authority governors approve a recommendation made by senior
managers at yesterday's monthly meeting in Woods Hole.
These uncertain days are proof that for the most part the Vineyard real estate market thrives both in good times and bad.
"People see this as a safe place to be and a safe place to put your money," said Alan Schweikert of Ocean Park Realty.
Sharon Purdy of Sandpiper Realty said, "People want a safe haven and Martha's Vineyard is a safe haven. If you live in a place like a city and can retreat to a place like the Island, that is a really special thing to be able to give to your family."
It's not heartless developers or steel wrecking balls that scare a group of historic preservationists in Oak Bluffs, but a combination of other factors that sound far more innocuous - low interest rates, a new sewer system and a surge in real estate values.
These ingredients set the stage for a building and renovation boom that, left unchecked, could ruin the town's architectural legacy.
These are the voices of an Island in a nation at war:
"I don't think we had much choice." - Charles Felder, manager of the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club.
"I honestly don't know of anyone who is supportive or ready for this." - Annelies Spykman, employee at Mocha Motts in Oak Bluffs.
"They should just go in there and take care of business. They let [Saddam Hussein] go the first time, and I think that was a mistake." - Craig Tankard of Oak Bluffs, at the Vineyard Haven A&P.
