In an effort to bring relief to some Cape and Islands residents who already pay some of the highest home insurance premiums in the nation, state Rep. Eric T. Turkington earlier this week filed a bill that would institute a cap on future increases to the so-called FAIR plan, the state-backed insurer of last resort for many Vineyarders.
A West Tisbury woman suffered minor injuries and was charged with drunk driving after she reportedly drove through a stop sign on Atlantic Drive in Edgartown early Tuesday morning and flew over a sand dune before coming to rest in shallow waters in Herring Creek.
Edgartown police said Susan Austin, 54, may have been stranded in the pond for several hours before a passing motorist spotted her vehicle and called 911 for help.
A great coach once said, “What counts in sports is not the victory, but the magnificence of the struggle.” By that standard, the boys’ basketball team’s magnificent but ultimately heartbreaking 83-76 overtime loss to Wareham in the second round of the Division 3 south region state tournament on Wednesday must be considered a success.
With the rising cost of everything from salaries to health insurance premiums coupled with slowing commercial and residential growth, elected leaders in all six Islands towns will likely face especially tough decisions this budget season as they begin to draft their financial blueprints for the coming fiscal year.
The Boston Pops concert at Ocean Park in Oak Bluffs was a highlight of summer last year, and with an attendance figure of 5,000 people it ranked among the most attended Island event of the season.
Building on last year’s success, promoters this year want to expand the concert to include food and alcohol sales and also have a longer running time from early afternoon to late evening. They also want to put up high barricades along Seaview avenue to control crowds and to block people from watching the concert for free along the road and town beach.
Faced with a budget deficit of as much as $2 million — the largest in town history — Oak Bluffs selectmen on Tuesday debated a wide range of painful cost-cutting measures, including eliminating salaries for elected officials, combining debt with other towns, restructuring town departments and eliminating positions.
