A prominent Boston attorney who represents the Steamship Authority
fired back yesterday at the state attorney general for climbing into bed
with the city of New Bedford in the latest political gambit around the
public boat line that is the lifeline to the two Islands.
The search for a new chief executive officer for the Steamship
Authority took an unexpected turn late yesterday when one of the leading
candidates for the job suddenly dropped out.
On This Election Day: Votes for the Farmers and Against the State
By JULIA WELLS
They went to the polls in large numbers on a sparkling autumn day.
They said they liked two farmers best for the Martha's Vineyard
Commission. They said they were unhappy with the outside meddling of the
state legislature and the city of New Bedford when it came to the
Steamship Authority.
If global warming is a subject that fails to grab you, or feels too
distant to be real, the next time you eat pancakes or French toast,
consider the source of your maple syrup.
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, in the 1930s the
maple sugar industry was centered in Virginia. In the 1950s the industry
was centered in New England. Today it is centered in Canada.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced this week that it has
reached an agreement with R.M. Packer Co. for fines and compliance after
the company violated the Clean Air Act by releasing literally tons of
harmful pollutants into the air, both in Vineyard Haven and in New
Bedford.
The Packer company will now spend $300,000 to install emissions
control equipment at its Vineyard Haven terminal, and the company will
pay a penalty of $200,000 to the EPA over the next three years.
Golf Club Developer Issues New Promises, Old Threats as MVC Closes
Hearings
By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer
The developers who want to build a private luxury golf club on some
270 acres in the last unbroken woodland in Oak Bluffs issued their final
promises - and their final threats - to the Martha's
Vineyard Commission last night.
Questioning the need and citing possible negative effects on the
mom-and-pop gas stations up-Island, the Martha's Vineyard
Commission voted without dissent last week to reject a plan for a new
gas station on State Road in Vineyard Haven.
"I don't think we should be building any more facilities
to accommodate the automobile, and this is going to rob Peter to pay
Paul," said commission member Tristan Israel.
Boat Line CEO Fred C. Raskin Warns Politicians Against Moves to
Force New Bedford Solution on the Steamship Authority
By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer
The newly appointed chief executive officer of the Steamship
Authority jumped into the legislative fray over the public boat line
yesterday, calling on the state Senate to take a time-out and let the
SSA develop its own business solutions - especially when it comes
to ferry service out of New Bedford.
Vineyard Institutions Worry the Squeeze Will Eliminate Services in
Competitive Market for Needed Contributions
By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer
It's known as the giving season, but as holiday lights glow
along darkened main streets and the clock winds down on 2002, an array
of vital Vineyard institutions report a troubling trend: Charitable
contributions are down this year.
