On 28 Island Farms, It's Time for Annual Ritual of Shearing
By C.K. WOLFSON
With their limbs fit snugly against each other, the shearer and the
175-pound Corriedale sheep he holds form a shifting, flesh-and-bone
puzzle. It is a single, interlocking sculpture, a hologram of shapes.
Largest Moped Agency Fails to Meet Deadline for Renewal of License
By CHRIS BURRELL
After more than a year of tough talk about enforcing moped
regulations and showing scofflaw dealers no mercy, Oak Bluffs is now
giving a break to two brothers who own the biggest fleet of mopeds in
town.
Marketing Push Will Be Needed, Say Backers of Fast Ferry Service
By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer
Marketing the Vineyard.
That is the key to developing successful high-speed passenger ferry
service between New Bedford and the Vineyard, a partner in a new
business consortium has told the Dukes County county commissioners.
The weekend's torrents of rain may have been too much for
beachgoers, but Island farmers were grateful for it. Yesterday morning,
Jim Norton of Norton Farm in Vineyard Haven was out under the warm sun
planting young tomato seedlings. His assistants, Julie Roza and Lisa
Schoonover, were quick to put each one of the dozens of plants into the
wet soil.
Affordable Housing Plan Wins Approval
Bridge Project for Outskirts of Tisbury Wins Approval with Strong
Vote from Island Commission
By MANDY LOCKE
After four months of review, the Martha's Vineyard Commission
approved Bridge Housing Corporation's plan Thursday night to
create 30 below-market homes on eight acres of rolling woodlands in the
rural outskirts of Tisbury.
Limits on nighttime access to the beach, except for fishing.
Expanded natural history programs and a possible new education center at a still unnamed location.
A boardwalk from the Dike Bridge to the Cedars.
Year-round bathroom facilities at Mytoi.
An extended pledge for better planning, rigorous land management and good neighbor relations.
These are the benchmarks of a new management plan for two key properties owned by The Trustees of Reservations on Chappaquiddick.
Court Dismisses Lawsuit Brought by New Bedford, but City May Sue
Again
By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer
Quoting archaic academic political scientists and pointedly avoiding
a position on any substantive issues of law, a federal judge this week
dismissed a lawsuit between the city of New Bedford and the Steamship
Authority.
Board Studies New Hospital
Audience at Open Forum Says: Don't Rush to Conclusions, and Be
Sure to Include Public in the Debate
By JONATHAN BURKE
Island health care officials urged the Martha's Vineyard
Hospital board of directors Saturday not to exclude the community at
large in a rush to develop plans for a new facility.
Community Services and Union Far Apart on Economic Issues
By MANDY LOCKE
Three weeks shy of the anniversary of the landmark vote which
brought a union into Martha's Vineyard Community Services, the
health and human services agency and 35 of its employees have yet to
nail down a first contract.
"The more difficult issues have been left for now. It's
going to be arduous," said Rob Doyle, an employe of Island
Counseling Center, one of Community Services' five programs, two
of which are unionized.
The Rev. Arlene Bodge sees life as a journey whose prime function is to establish a relationship with God. "It's not a trudge," she declares, smiling happily. "What you're doing is skipping through this garden."
But then, as she begins talking about transitions, comes an emotional moment.
"It's not an easy thing to do. Leave-taking is never easy, role change is never easy, losing anything is never easy; losing your routine - " she pauses and laughs - "or losing your mind." And the moment passes.
