A shed and a pier in the tiny town of Aquinnah were the fulcrum for court arguments this week that will ultimately test the question of whether the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) waived sovereign immunity when it signed a land claims settlement agreement in 1983.
The settlement agreement later led to federal recognition for the tribe.
Selectmen of Tisbury Approve Police Department Expansion
By JONATHAN BURKE
After reviewing a new report by an independent consultant, the
Tisbury selectmen agreed Tuesday night to increase the police force to
13 full-time officers.
In a 2-1 vote, the selectmen agreed to a $982,000 police department
budget for the year ahead that includes funding for two new full-time
officers. With an officer leaving the force at the end of this month,
that will bring to three the number of officers that Ted Saulnier,
police chief, needs to hire.
They are the Island's most beloved bridges. The Big Bridge and
the Little Bridge are going to be rebuilt in concrete, if the state has
its way.
Love Story: Couple Makes Sweet Music for Valentine's
By C.K. WOLFSON
Jacob Weissman, 89, gingerly joins his wife, Nikki Langer Weissman,
80, next to the large Steinway and softly asks, "Do you think I
can still do it?"
She shifts to make room beside her on the bench - "Of
course you can."
Sixteen-year-old Hans Buder isn't the Island's most
enthusiastic baseball player, but he certainly is an authority on the
physics of the sport. Mr. Buder won last weekend's regional high
school science fair by putting a lot of balls on a single bat.
County Assistant Claims Harassment
By JONATHAN BURKE
A legal complaint filed on Monday in Dukes County Superior Court
alleges that Carol Borer, former county manager, threatened to kill
Marsha Smolev, executive assistant, after Ms. Smolev inadvertently
knocked her foot against Ms. Borer's desk.
Ms. Smolev is seeking damages for emotional distress, defamation,
assault and battery and civil rights violations from Mrs. Borer and her
husband, Steven. She alleges that Mrs. Borer displayed a pattern of
harassment against her.
A&P Sells Both Vineyard Supermarkets in Nine-Store Deal with
Stop & Shop
By MANDY LOCKE
After more than eight decades of selling groceries to Vineyarders,
the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P) will abandon its
Island foothold - selling both the Edgartown and Vineyard Haven
stores to the Stop & Shop Supermarket Company.
The transaction - together with the sale of four others in the
state - is part of a larger move by the A&P to withdraw from
all operations in Massachusetts.
Town and Tribe Collide in Court
Case Set for Wednesday Hearing Has Far-Reaching Implications;
Outcome Hinges on Issue of Tribal Sovereignty
By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer
Wastewater System in Tisbury Places Limits on Town Growth
By JONATHAN BURKE
The day Tisbury's new wastewater system goes online next year,
it will be running at its full capacity. That's right: No headroom
or provision for growth has been designed into the municipal system now
under construction in the Island's main port town.
This means that a homeowner will not be allowed to add a bedroom and
a restaurant owner will not be allowed more tables unless such expansion
would have been feasible under Title V septic regulations.
Mansion House Project Is Revised; Commission Drops Plans for Review
By MANDY LOCKE
The Martha's Vineyard Commission agreed last night, after a
brief discussion, to meet Tisbury Inn owners halfway - voting
unanimously to not require a fresh review of a reconstruction project
that stirred controversy in recent weeks because of design changes
following MVC approval of the project.
