Please Adopt Us

There is an old story that at Christmas time all the animals can speak, so the animals at the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard would like to tell you their stories, in their own words, and wish everyone happy holidays and a Happy New Year.

“My name is Foosa; I’m a very handsome black cat; I love people, other cats and even dogs. I’m quite lonesome because my best friend Sushi was adopted last week and I miss her.”

Good morning and Merry Christmas to all our readers. The Vineyard Gazette will publish next week on Thursday, Dec. 31. The newspaper office in Edgartown will be closed on Christmas Day, and again on Friday, Jan. 1.

Correction

Due to an error in transmitting, the Gazette last week published a report on a Steamship Authority monthly meeting from the previous year.

The Gazette regrets the error. This month’s meeting is reported above.

The depressed real estate market resulted in a 23 per cent fall in Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank revenues in 2009, on top of a 33 per cent slide the previous year.

There was a dramatic fall, too, in the amount of land the organization was able to put under conservation protection. It acquired just 7.2 acres of new land this year, compared with its long-term annual average of about 130 acres.

The West Tisbury community preservation committee has asked to see a tape of the annual town meeting last April before voting on a recent request from the Island Affordable Housing Fund to release $50,000 from a restricted account. The housing fund, whose financial troubles have come into the public spotlight in recent months, wants to use the money for the 250 State Road affordable housing project.