Remy Tumin
Mill Pond, the historic man-made pond in the heart of West Tisbury, was once again the center of debate this week over what, if anything, should be done to address fears that the pond is disappearing and the health of its species are in decline.
At a public forum Wednesday, representatives from the state division of ecological restoration, The Nature Conservancy and the town’s Mill Pond committee addressed a standing-room-only crowd at Howes House with competing visions for the pond’s future. Options included dredging and dam removal.
Volunteer firefighters from Oak Bluffs, Edgartown and the Martha’s Vineyard Airport battled a fire in frigid conditions for two and a half hours ea
With 1,300 members and the Island’s first municipal solar array a reality as of this week, Vineyard Power, the Island energy cooperative that was little more than an idea three years ago, is now a viable enterprise.
But with 8,000 members needed to make the next big project a reality — a $200 million offshore wind farm in a state-approved area south of the Vineyard — the fledgling community cooperative still has a good distance to travel to meet its goals.
As towns across the Island begin to discuss the implications of the new state medical marijuana law, the West Tisbury police chief brought the issue before the town selectmen for discussion this week.
Police chief Dan Rossi said he would like to see the town adopt a bylaw that prohibits smoking medical marijuana in public places. The chief asked the selectmen to place an article with the proposed bylaw on the annual town meeting warrant in April.
Lily Walter took off her muck boots, hung up her Carhartt jacket and cleaned the fog off her glasses. It was a cold January day and she had just come back from picking up a friend at the Chappaquiddick ferry. Her Toyota pickup was still filled with tools and vegetables headed for composting. She put water on for tea and another log in the wood stove before turning her attention to jump-starting the tractor outside the house.
With the deadline now past to apply for commercial casino licenses in Massachusetts, the chairman of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) said the tribe will not pursue a class three license from the state but will continue to press for a high-stakes bingo hall in Aquinnah.