News
A decision by the state gaming commission late last week to open up Southeastern Massachusetts to commercial bidding for casinos will not disrupt casino plans by the Vineyard Wampanoags, the head of the Vineyard tribe said.
“We have been following these events as well . . . . It doesn’t impact us at all,” Cheryl Andrews-Maltais said in an email to the Gazette. Mrs. Andrews Maltais is chairman of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).
A bill that would drastically change post-retirement health insurance benefits for municipal employees is making its way through the state house and has caused a small stir among Island town employees.
Bus service to Boston has been partially suspended and members of the Martha’s Vineyard Tactical Response Team have been called to report to Boston as much of the capital area remains on lockdown during a massive manhunt for one of the suspects in the deadly Boston Marathon bombing attack.
Members of the Island’s tactical team were first called to Boston on Wednesday afternoon for a 12-hour shift, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., Oak Bluffs Lt. Tim Williamson told the Gazette on Wednesday. The team returned Thursday morning, before being called back into service on Friday.
In early April, without any fanfare, the Vineyard lost its only traffic signal.
With the installation of a roundabout now about two weeks away, the two blinking lights at the intersection of Barnes Road and Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road were taken away to the Oak Bluffs highway department, their lights dimmed for the foreseeable future.
Eli Dagostino stands out. But it’s not the shock of well-groomed bright red hair. And it’s not the ankle-skimming plum-colored chinos, cream-colored waffle tee and elegantly-tied brown chukka shoes.
It’s his energy.
How to preserve the rural character of Chilmark while planning for the future: the question is expected to take center stage when voters consider a proposed bylaw to regulate house size at their annual town meeting Monday night.
After a few years of annual town meetings that were quiet and largely routine, the Chilmark warrant is packed with weighty issues this year, including an $8.1 million operating budget, up nearly five per cent over last year, largely due to increased education costs.