Wampanoag Sovereignty Arguments Are Heard at State Supreme Court
By JULIA WELLS
Attorneys on both sides of the sovereign immunity dispute in the
town of Aquinnah took their arguments to the Massachusetts Supreme
Judicial Court this week, in a landmark case whose outcome is expected
to have far-reaching implications for every town on the Vineyard.
In the end the case will test the strength of the historic 1983
Indian land claims settlement agreement in this tiny town that is home
to the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).
Boat Line Terminal Plans in New Delay; Questions Include Scope,
Funding
By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer
The Steamship Authority Oak Bluffs terminal reconstruction project
is now in a state of growing disarray, as town leaders struggle to
understand the status of the project and boat line managers continue to
draw lines in the sand - and withdraw their environmental
applications.
The SSA yesterday pulled back its application from the Oak Bluffs
conservation commission for the reconstruction project.
Leaders at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital confirmed yesterday
that the administrator for the Windemere Nursing Home and Rehabilitation
Center will resign his post.
Philip Hickey, currently away on vacation, will remain in place as
administrator at the Island's only nursing home until early next
week.
Mr. Hickey took the helm at Windemere 18 months ago. He has a long
background in nursing home administration.
Aquinnah Leaders Discussing What Next After Override Fails
By JULIA WELLS
Money is tight these days in the town of Aquinnah - extremely
tight - but town officials say they plan to soldier on with a
drastically reduced operating budget for the current fiscal year.
For the second time in four weeks, town voters rejected a
Proposition 2 1/2 override request last week.
The plan has changed and the $50 million price tag is heading south how far south, it's too early to say.
But leaders at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital confirmed this week that they have taken a fresh tack in their quest to replace the decrepit Island hospital with a new building.
"We said it's time to take a deep breath and rethink a few things," said Tim Sweet, who is vice president of the hospital board of trustees.
An investigation by the Committee on Finance for the United States Senate has thrust The Nature Conservancy and its conservation buyer program under a spotlight, and along with it the record $64 million sale of the Herring Creek Farm in Edgartown.
In an Edgartown case which is esoteric but has application for small
towns across the commonwealth, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
has ruled that a house on an undersized lot cannot be expanded without a
special permit - even if the expansion itself conforms to the
requirements under zoning.
He is the Vineyard's own piano man and his story has been told
dozens of times, but even in the retelling it is remarkable and ordinary
and gifted and funny - all words that describe David Crohan
himself. Above all else he is funny, with a relaxed, deadpan humor that
spills out unexpectedly and uproariously, some of it quite unprintable.
And suddenly you are laughing along with him and rocking back in
your chair and laughing some more.
Steamship Authority Sues to Block Fees:
Boat Line Seeks Superior Court Ruling
Over Hefty Falmouth Parking Fees;
Hearing Monday on Injunction
By JULIA WELLS
In a legal standoff with the town of Falmouth, the
Steamship Authority went to court this week to try to block the Upper
Cape town from imposing a set of hefty licensing fees on boat line
parking lots.
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has denied a petition by the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) to hold a new hearing on the much-watched sovereignty case, closing the door on the last option for the Wampanoags at the state level.
In a one-sentence ruling issued late in the day on Wednesday, the state supreme court denied the motion by the tribe to rehear the case.
The tribe will now pursue an appeal to the United States Supreme Court.
