In a land-use decision that has potentially far-reaching
implications for every town on the Vineyard, a superior court judge
ruled last week that the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) cannot
be sued because of sovereign immunity.
If allowed to stand, the ruling by the Hon. Richard F. Connon has
the power to turn a landmark 1983 Indian land claims settlement on its
head.
Ecumenical Group Proposes 32 Units on Tisbury Land
By JULIA WELLS
Calling it a new vision for the Vineyard, a novice Island nonprofit
last week unveiled a plan to build 32 units of affordable housing in 16
duplex-style buildings on the Norton family land off State Road in
Vineyard Haven.
In Passionate Session, Aquinnah Makes It Official: Not Appealing
By JULIA WELLS
A passionate and sharply drawn discussion in the village of Aquinnah
fell silent this week when the town selectmen voted without dissent to
abandon a court appeal of the sovereign immunity case - and along
with it a 20-year-old landmark Indian land claims agreement.
"This community is the tribe and sovereignty is something I
must uphold," declared selectman James Newman, who changed his
vote in a surprise move at the close of a public hearing on Monday
night.
Southern Woodlands Hearing Is Set, but Developers Seem Primed to
Fight
By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer
On the eve of a public hearing - now set for next week -
to review a massive housing project in the southern woodlands section of
Oak Bluffs, the developers of the Down Island Golf Club appear to be
charting a fresh collision course with the Martha's Vineyard
Commission.
Oak Bluffs Heads to Polls; Commission Vote Casts Fate of Town and
Island
By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer
Oak Bluffs voters go to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots in a
crucial special town election whose outcome will set a clear course for
the town - and also the entire Vineyard - for many years to
come.
A simple majority of voters will decide whether to stay in or get
out of the Martha's Vineyard Commission.
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.
Three months after an accident that nearly claimed the life of one
of its employees during a routine training exercise, the Steamship
Authority is refusing to release the results of its own internal
investigation into the mishap.
It Could Only Have Happened This Year: Added Fee of $1 Per Ferry
Ticket Is Proposed for Municipal Relief
By JULIA WELLS
A bill chugged along in the state legislature this week that would
allow all port communities in the region to charge a fee of $1 per
ticket for visitors traveling on ferries.
A $10 million-plus annual operating budget, a laundry list of
override requests that adds up to more than $800,000 and a town hall
expansion project with a $3.7 million price tag - next week when
the voters of West Tisbury gather to conduct the annual business of the
town, the prevailing winds are expected to be out of the pocketbook.
The Aquinnah planning board will seek criminal charges against two
seasonal residents and a local landscape company who topped a large
swath of trees off Lobsterville Road without permission this summer.
