At Aquinnah Town Meeting, the Emotions Frame Museum Debate
By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer
The subject was a plan for a cultural museum in a historic homestead
high on a windswept bluff in the town of Aquinnah. But the discussion
that swirled for more than an hour and a half at a special town meeting
Tuesday night was layered with the emotion of a town torn down the
middle.
Underneath it all lay the central topic of the day: the recent court
ruling on sovereign immunity for the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head
(Aquinnah).
Charging Bigotry, Applicant Attacks Commissioner Role
By JULIA WELLS
In a tense exchange that left members of the Martha's Vineyard
Commission stunned, the developer of the Down Island Golf Club took off
the gloves last night, repeatedly calling a senior member of the
commission a bigot.
Stalled Negotiations in New Bedford Endanger SSA's Schamonchi
Service
By JULIA WELLS
Stalled lease negotiations between New Bedford city officials and
the owner of the Billy Woods Wharf in New Bedford may force a delay in
the start date for spring service on the passenger ferry Schamonchi
- or worse, a shutdown in the service altogether - Steamship
Authority managers said yesterday.
A high-octane mainland manhunt for two suspects who were allegedly involved in a wild crime spree in Braintree last week led police to the tiny town of Aquinnah on Saturday night, where one of the suspects was found holed up in a private home.
William Brymer, 31, of Quincy, was arrested without incident by a large contingent of local police late Saturday, following a tip that eventually led them to a private home on Lobsterville Road in the remote western reaches of the Vineyard.
No Southern Woodlands Housing; Developer Says, ‘We'll Be
Back'; Courts to Sort Out Issues in Four-Year Dispute
By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer
The latest chapter in the four-year battle between developer Corey
Kupersmith and the Martha's Vineyard Commission ended last night
when the commission voted without dissent to reject a 320-unit housing
plan for 270 acres in the southern woodlands section of Oak Bluffs.
A 17-year-old New Bedford man spent the holiday weekend in the
Edgartown house of correction after he was found by the Oak Bluffs
police with a stolen, loaded sawed-off shotgun in his backpack and an
open bottle of cognac in his hand.
Justin Barry was arrested and charged with a long list of weapons
and alcohol violations. Arraignment was set for yesterday morning in
Edgartown district court.
The incident took place behind Jim's Package Store in Oak
Bluffs just after 9:30 p.m. on July 4.
Golf Course Developers Agree to Dismiss Property Rights Claims in
MVC Lawsuit
By JULIA WELLS
Attorneys for the Down Island Golf Club have backed away from a
portion of their massive lawsuit against the Martha's Vineyard
Commission, agreeing to dismiss two counts that involved property rights
claims.
Dockage and Parking Agreements Part of the Package that Will
Establish New Service Starting Next Spring
By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer
The high-speed ferry deal is done - or almost done.
Final agreements were signed this week that are now expected to
clear the way for high-speed passenger service between New Bedford and
the Vineyard beginning next summer.
Close to a Million in Federal Dollars Is Designated for Steamship
Authority and for Town of Oak Bluffs
By JULIA WELLS
Homeland security came home this week when federal officials
announced the award of two hefty grants totaling some $900,000 to
improve port security on the Vineyard and in Woods Hole.
The money will go to the Steamship Authority ($624,000) and the Oak
Bluffs emergency management department ($285,000).
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.