Land Court Denies Bid to Halt Affordable Homes
By IAN FEIN
A Massachusetts Land Court judge last week solidly denied a motion
for reconsideration from a group of neighbors who are trying to fight
three affordable one-acre homesites on Chappaquiddick.
Edgartown town counsel Ronald H. Rappaport yesterday said the ruling
- which directly rejected a series of claims made by the
neighbors' attorney - speaks volumes about the nature of the
case.
The Massachusetts house of representatives dealt a crippling blow to Vineyard affordable housing advocates last week, voting 91-64 on Thursday to defeat legislation that proposed creating a public housing bank on the Island.
The vote was especially stinging because the proposal - which would have taxed real estate transactions to fund affordable housing initiatives - was already effectively dead for the year. Even if the house had approved the bill last week, it would have been subject to a gubernatorial pocket veto with no chance for an override.
Private Ferry Companies Draw Increasing Share of Passengers
By JAMES KINSELLA
Gazette Senior Writer
The popularity of Steamship Authority ferries with trucks continues
to grow.
But the number of people riding the Authority ferries compared with
last year is essentially flat. The number of automobiles, which the boat
line defines as including sport utility vehicles, has dipped a bit.
Deadlines of All Kinds Loom for State Attorney General
By MAX HART
With less than two months to go before the state primary and only
minutes before he is due at a political fundraiser, Massachusetts
attorney general and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Thomas F. Reilly
is more worried about his next 24 hours as a Red Sox fan.
"Any trades yet?" Mr. Reilly asked Sunday afternoon,
less than one day until Major League Baseball's trading deadline.
"Do we have any new pitchers?"
An evening of Motown on Saturday night was like a time warp,
bringing the packed audience at Outerland back to the 1950s and 1960s,
when bands and artists like Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The
Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder and The Jackson Five were
topping charts and forever changing the face - and soul - of
American music.
With gasoline prices at an all-time high across the country, the
Vineyard stands in the top ranks for prices paid at the pump, as the
cost of premium gas climbed above the four dollar mark at most Island
stations this week and regular trailed not far behind.
Middle East Queries for Jody Powell Are Few
By JAMES KINSELLA
Gazette Senior Writer
Joseph (Jody) Powell Jr., who served as press secretary to President
Jimmy Carter, can understand that some restrictions on gun ownership are
reasonable.
And Mr. Powell can see why some Americans, especially Americans of
African descent, would not necessarily be fond of the Confederate flag.
It is not surprising that the first book published by Michael
Pollan, who has built a national reputation for his magazine articles
and bestselling books about food and nature, was actually a
no-holds-barred travel guide to Martha's Vineyard.
Old House Pond Plan Allowed, but with Oversight from State
By IAN FEIN
The Martha's Vineyard Land Bank can open its 11-acre property
on Old House Pond in West Tisbury to the public, but not without ongoing
state oversight, the Massachusetts Secretary of Environmental Affairs
said this week.
The inventory of unsold Martha's Vineyard real estate is building, and prices are falling on those Island properties that do sell.
The latest property analysis from LINK, the listing service based in Vineyard Haven, confirms what Vineyarders increasingly have been sensing: that the Island real estate market is slowing down compared to last year, let alone the past few years.
