West Tisbury Finance Committee Turns Up Heat on Schools, Police

By IAN FEIN

Wielding some political clout last week, the West Tisbury finance committee assailed both the school budget and a selectmen's plan for purchasing real estate.

The move sent town officials scrambling to address the finance committee's concerns prior to next month's annual town meeting.

In recent years, 35 Jamaicans have made their way north at the start of each summer season to work at the Harbor View Hotel and the Kelley House in

Report Conveys Duality in State of Housing Crisis

By James Kinsella
Gazette Senior Writer

Market forces continue to outpace efforts on the Vineyard to create affordable rental and permanent housing.

Further, housing advocates say that while some people who could not find housing in 2001 may have left the Vineyard, those who stayed likely have watched the gap widen between the wages they earn and the houses they hope to buy.

The Martha's Vineyard Land Bank will seal its largest-ever deal today, handing over $18.6 million to Connecticut developer Corey Kupersmith and officially taking ownership of 190 acres of the southern woodlands in Oak Bluffs.

At Risk: Health Council Assesses Trends in Teen Behavior

By IAN FEIN

Have you ever tried smoking a cigarette, even one or two puffs? On an average school day, how many hours do you watch TV? During the past seven days, how many times did you eat green salad?

These are the types of questions that Vineyard students in sixth through twelfth grade will be asked in an anonymous youth risk behavior survey, which will be conducted next month for the first time in three years.

Tisbury voters will kick off town meeting season next week when they are asked to consider restoring the Tashmoo Spring building, the 19th-century