Town Wins Round in Moujabber Case

Superior Court Judge in Dukes County Upholds Decision to Revoke
Permit for Illegal North Bluff Garage

By IAN FEIN

Marking a significant step in the saga surrounding the three-story
garage owned by Joseph G. Moujabber in Oak Bluffs, a Dukes County
Superior Court judge this week ruled that the town zoning board of
appeals and building inspector were correct when they revoked the
building permit for the structure.

Secretary of Commerce Proposes Even Stricter Groundfish Rules

By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL

Concerned about severe overfishing of key stocks in the waters off
New England, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on Tuesday stepped in to
propose strict emergency measures to curtail overfishing this spring.
The proposal supersedes measures enacted by the New England Fishery
Management Council, the regional regulatory body that has struggled over
the last year to meet a federal deadline for developing a sound plan to
save the troubled fishery.

Embattled County Commission Appoints Five to Airport Board

By JAMES KINSELLA
Gazette Senior Writer

The Dukes County Commission Wednesday named five people to the
Martha's Vineyard airport commission, even as a replaced airport
commissioner has asked the Cape and Islands district attorney's
office to investigate the matter.

Vineyard Haven Boch Property Is Centerpiece of Future Plan

By JAMES KINSELLA

Nearly two decades ago, the late Ernest J. Boch Sr. paid $600,000 for what he called "a nice little spot" on Vineyard Haven harbor.

Today, despite the property's current scruffy appearance, members of the Tisbury planning board could not agree more.

Board members recently unveiled a master plan for the waterfront and downtown area that identified the parcel, known as Boch Park, as a crucial element.

A harborfront estate in Edgartown sold last week for $25.17 million, setting a new record for the sale of a single-family residence on the Vineyard. This marks the second record-setting real estate sale in less than two months.

David and Michele Hedley of Morristown, N.J., sold their home Top Step in Green Hollow on Feb. 16 to the Edgartown Harbor Nominee Trust. The identity of the buyer is unknown.

Tom LeClair of LandVest in Edgartown who brokered both sides of the sale, said he was bound by a confidentiality agreement to avoid revealing the identity of the buyer.

Even at Age 87 Grace Frye Is Madly in Love

By JAMES KINSELLA

In this pleasant living room, populated by orchids and a poinsettia and a pair of Himalayan cats, Grace Frye sits and recalls a simpler time in Oak Bluffs: of afternoons filled with hopscotch and jump rope, of five-cent ice cream cones on Circuit avenue, of the hot sounds of Louis Armstrong's band coming in at night through the ether from Chicago.

"We had a radio - it was run on car batteries," said Mrs. Frye, 87, who has lived in the town for all but six years of her life.

On a recent Wednesday morning, after days of wind, the Edgartown Great Pond was flat calm - perfect conditions for oyster fishing. Ice that had formed over several cold nights stretched into the coves, but the pond was still open and accessible.

Six fishermen on four boats were out on the water. The temperature reached 28 degrees only minutes before they powered up their boats.

County Turmoil Increases As Ousted Commissioners Level Bad Faith Charges

By James Kinsella

Gazette Senior Writer

Anger continues to swirl around appointments to the Martha's Vineyard airport commission, with two commissioners questioning a series of events that delayed their swearing in - and opened the way to drop them from the commission.

Town and Tribe Pledge Era of Cooperation

By IAN FEIN

With expressions of solidarity and a common eye on the future, leaders from the two governments in Aquinnah agreed this week to work together toward a shared vision for their town.

The pledges of support came during a rare joint meeting between some 20 officials from both the town and Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), who gathered on Wednesday in the old town hall for an open forum marked by laughter and levity, and occasional moments of outspoken honesty.

Former Interim Schools Superintendent Named to Principal Post in
Edgartown

By IAN FEIN

Since moving to the Island a little over a year ago, G. Paul Dulac
has had his taste of the Vineyard shuffle - serving first as
interim superintendent of schools, and then as interim principal of the
Edgartown School.

Now he can settle in for good.

Mr. Dulac was named yesterday as the permanent Edgartown School
principal - replacing longtime principal Edward Jerome, who
retired in November after 26 years in the front office.