After three years of legal maneuvers, appeals and bitter accusations
on both sides, a Dukes County superior court judge this week ruled that
the three-story garage built by Joseph G. Moujabber without a permit in
the North Bluff district of Oak Bluffs should not be demolished -
for now. Instead, the judge ordered a new review by a town architectural
board with special broad powers vested in it by the Martha's
Vineyard Commission.
When we think of the Polar Bears of Martha's Vineyard we think of tradition, acceptance,friendship, and now transition.
Political Fundraisers Heat Up in August
Four Presidential Hopefuls Will Appear on the Island Over Next Three
Weeks: Clinton, Obama, Edwards, Romney
By MIKE SECCOMBE
August, as everyone knows, is the high season of the fundraiser,
particularly the political fundraiser, on the Vineyard, the time when
those with party affiliations and deep pockets hobnob and write checks.
Rain-Delayed Possible Dreams Raise $444,000
By KATE BRANNEN
On Monday night, when people were meant to be gathered in the garden
at the Harborside Inn in Edgartown for the Possible Dreams Auction, it
poured rain and flashed lightning across the Island, vindicating the
event's organizers and their decision to enact the auction's
first rain date in its 29 year history.
Rural West Tisbury May Favor Hens and Roosters - Legally
By JACK SHEA
West Tisbury is zoned as a rural agricultural town and there is
ample case law, some of it dating to the early 20th century, that
supports the rights of rural property owners to keep a flock of chickens
in the backyard.
This is the opinion of town counsel Ronald H. Rappaport, who told
the town building and zoning inspector in a letter this week that it is
his call to make in a dispute between two Longview neighbors over noisy
roosters.
Young Golfer Tony Grillo Wins State Championship
By JIM HICKEY
In a victory that was as improbable as it was thrilling, Island golf
sensation Tony Grillo overcame a seven-stroke deficit in the early going
and sank a dramatic birdie putt on the final hole of the final day to
capture his second consecutive Massachusetts Junior Golf Championship
title.
With the win at the Crumpin-Fox Golf Club in Bernardston, the
17-year-old rising senior at the Martha\'s Vineyard Regional High
School retains his title as the best junior golfer in the state.
Having lived in the Midwest for a few years, Woods Hole Research
Center scientist Dr. Michael T. Coe knows that global warming sounds
good to some ears - it implies shorter winters and higher
temperatures.
Ever since cultivation began on the Vineyard, farmers have tried to enrich the nutrient-poor soils of the Island's sandplain grassland. Now scientists are beginning a five-year experiment on the Island trying to achieve the exact opposite.
At a cost of some $700,000, The Nature Conservancy and Marine Biological Laboratory will try various ways of de-enriching the soil on 70 acres of sandplain at Katama, with an eye toward reestablishing the grassland ecosystem which formerly existed there.
Union Okays SSA Contract
Unlicensed Deck Hands Ratify Agreement With Management, Reversing
Vote from June; Governors Vote Friday
By MIKE SECCOMBE
Some 200 employees of the Steamship Authority have voted to accept a
new workplace agreement, substantially unchanged from the one they
rejected last month.
Twenty-five years ago, Susan Klein leapt into the void, counting on
her muse to catch her. She was 30 years old, born and raised in Oak
Bluffs, but she just knew "it was time to go."
"I had just bought the house, the mortgage was due," she
recalled. "I'd quit my job, I had no health insurance, no
retirement, no savings. I had $300 and I drove away. I had nine
days' of work scheduled for the rest of my life."
