Appellate Tax Board Releases Findings in West Tisbury Case

By IAN FEIN

West Tisbury assessors did not discriminate against town resident William W. Graham and their valuation system is fundamentally sound, the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board said last week in its long-awaited legal ruling on a high-profile property tax case that attracted attention across the commonwealth.

YMCA Backers Trumpet Plan to Build Pool, Youth Facility

By IAN FEIN

Boosters for the YMCA of Martha's Vineyard last week described to the Martha's Vineyard Commission what they say will be a life-changing new facility for the Island, providing young families, high school students and the entire community with a long-desired pool and gathering place.

At a small gathering in the Oak Bluffs library on Friday morning, state Sen. Robert O'Leary and Rep. Eric T. Turkington all but guaranteed financial aid to the four Island towns that will be negatively affected by a state formula that realigns regional high school assessments in the coming fiscal year.

The four towns are Chilmark, Edgartown, Tisbury and West Tisbury. The money would come from a special state fund called the pothole account.

Red, Gray or Yellow Brick Debated Among Neighbors and at Commission; Final Approval Is Mere Formality

After countless hours of planning and public hearings, and years of fund-raising that to date has netted $45 million in cash and pledges, the renovation and expansion of the Martha's Vineyard Hospital has come down to one final point of contention - the color of the building's façade.

Pomp and Circumstance: High School Graduates Take Stage at Tabernacle

By KATE BRANNEN

There was no fighting to the top this year. No tooth and nail-clawing to inch past the next-highest class rank, no daily status updates with the guidance department computer system, no strategic scheduling of classes to yield a higher-weighted grade point average, regardless of interest in the subjects.