In a landmark decision which marks a sweeping victory for the Vineyard and deals a crippling defeat to the Herring Creek Farm Trust, the chief justice of the Massachusetts Land Court upheld three-acre zoning in the town of Edgartown yesterday. The decision is believed to be the most important legal opinion for the Vineyard since the state Supreme Judicial Court ruled in favor of the Martha's Vineyard Commission on the Island Properties case nearly two decades ago.
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank announced this week that it will preserve 43 acres of active agriculture at Thimble Farm, the familiar Vineyard farm whose pick-your-own berries and luscious hydroponic tomatoes are now considered staples of Island life. Owned by Bencion and Patricia Moskow since 1982, the farm spans the three towns of Tisbury, Oak Bluffs and West Tisbury.
“This particular farm has an appeal because it is so well known to Islanders — who hasn’t picked strawberries and raspberries at Thimble Farm?” said land bank executive director James Lengyel this week.
The widely respected Boston trial attorney whose work on Martha’s Vineyard spanned more than four decades, died March 4 at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Early voting begins today on Martha’s Vineyard in the run-up to the much-watched Super Tuesday presidential primary day next week. Polling will be held in every Island town running through Friday.
The historic Harbor View and Kelley House hotels in Edgartown were sold at public auction this week to First Winthrop Corp., a Boston real estate company which owns 160 commercial properties on Nantucket. Purchase price was $12,305,000.
The Federated Church in Edgartown won a legal victory this week in a knotty case over its ownership of the South Water street parsonage that was willed to the church more than 60 years ago.
Amid rising turmoil, Vineyard SSA governor Marc Hanover said Wednesday that he will not seek reappointment after all, and will step down next month when his term is up.
A contest appears to be shaping up for who will represent Martha’s Vineyard on the Steamship Authority board of governors for the next three years. Vineyard governor Marc Hanover will apply.
Capt. Everett (Porky) Francis, a familiar figure on the Edgartown waterfront where he had fished nearly all his life, died Saturday after a long illness.
