Outbreak of War Against Iraq Will Curtail Student Travel Plans to
Countries Overseas
By CHRIS BURRELL
If war in Iraq breaks out before April vacation, students at the
Martha's Vineyard Regional High School can forget about their
travel plans to Ireland, Costa Rica and England.
That was the message this week from the regional school committee
whose regular monthly meeting Monday night drew a crowd of nearly 50
people - parents, students and at least three teachers who tried
to sway committee members to reconsider their hard-line stance on
travel.
After a Walkout, Consequences
By CHRIS BURRELL
They demonstrated against war and demanded peace, then walked out
the doors of the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School to
underscore their point.
In the eight days that followed, the 190 students who took part in
the high school's first ever walkout have now undergone an unusual
lesson in crime and punishment.
SSA Supports New Ferry Plan
Boat Line Managers Recommend Private Firm for High-Speed, Year-Round
Service Between New Bedford and Vineyard
By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer
Senior managers at the Steamship Authority are expected to recommend
today that the boat line issue a long-term license to New England Fast
Ferry LLC to operate year-round, high-speed passenger service between
New Bedford and the Vineyard.
Texas Pollsters Open Oak Bluffs Campaign on MVC Withdrawal
By JULIA WELLS
Oak Bluffs voters began receiving calls this week from a Texas
polling company in what appears to be the opening salvo for a heated
political campaign prior to a special town election on possible
secession from the Martha's Vineyard Commission.
On May 13 Oak Bluffs voters will be asked to say yes or no to town
withdrawal from the MVC.
Report Calls for Changes to Strengthen Future Role of Island
Planning Agency
By JULIA WELLS
Overhaul the review process for developments of regional impact.
Encourage districts of critical planning concern. Forge better working
relationships with the Island towns. Improve staff work. Improve public
relations. Planning, planning, planning.
These are the central themes in a comprehensive report card on the
Martha's Vineyard Commission released this week by commission
executive director Mark London.
The lobster fishery in the waters around Martha's Vineyard has
collapsed. Today a new minimum size for lobsters goes into effect. The
increase, a tiny fraction of an inch, it is being imposed in an effort
to protect juvenile lobsters. Another increase will take place on July
1, but many fisheries experts concede these steps are too late, the
horse is already out of the barn.
The Martha's Vineyard Land Bank, the Felix Neck Wildlife Trust and the Massachusetts Audubon Society closed on a land purchase last week that will protect the last key piece of undeveloped land at Felix Neck.
War with Iraq was the top subject in class and on the minds of
regional high school students and teachers on Wednesday. Close to 600
students gathered in the school Performing Arts Center to express their
opposition to the war.
Student Protest Against Iraq War Triggers Suspensions in Clash with
Administration
A peaceful student protest against war in Iraq bubbled into a
spontaneous walkout at the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School.
Oak Bluffs Police Receive Overtime Pay
By CHRIS BURRELL
Oak Bluffs police officers are about to receive the kind of windfall
most employees only dream of - getting paid for hours never
worked.
Acting decisively on a grievance filed by the police union back in
September 2001, an arbitrator last month ruled that former police chief
Joseph Carter wrongly bypassed regular police officers when it came to
filling overtime shifts.
