Tribe Casino Plans Remain Unchanged
Aquinnah Wampanoags Are Committed to Gaming Too; But First Mashpee Must Convince State Legislature
By IAN FEIN
The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) remains interested in developing an off-Island casino, tribal council chairman Donald Widdiss said this week.
But before they identify or actively pursue a specific site, tribal members are waiting to see whether the Massachusetts legislature will vote to allow expanded gaming - a step it has consistently rejected in the past.
MVC Votes to Approve Chilmark Housing Plan for Middle Line Road
By IAN FEIN
Holding to its stance that the Island's dire need for affordable housing trumps other planning principles, the Martha's Vineyard Commission last week approved a town-sponsored subdivision tucked in the woods of Chilmark.
School Lunches Not All Healthy
With Child Obesity Epidemic as a Backdrop, Island Schools Begin Paying More Attention to Lunchroom Nutrition
By IAN FEIN
On any given school day, students at the Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School are likely to eat a rather sophisticated lunch - featuring Japanese seaweed salad with tofu and rice wine vinegar, for instance, or Island-grown butternut squash soup. The healthy meals are made almost entirely from scratch by a professional chef who trained at Le Cordon Bleu in London and Paris.
Walking along the shore of Black Point Pond in Chilmark, Richard Johnson of Sheriff's Meadow Foundation is nearly dwarfed by a thick stand of 12-foot high reeds.
Also called phragmites, the reeds are an invasive species that have formed a dense monoculture over what was once an open diverse habitat of native pondshore plants. Dead reeds crunch beneath his boots, covering the ground so virtually nothing else can grow through.
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.