Join Hands: Message of Unity Heartens Island Over Christmas

By JOHN SCHULE JR.

The moods of the Christmas season are many and wondrous. They speak of joy and of hope, of laughter and of love, of warmth and of peace on earth, good will to all people. These moods, and the other emotions of Christmas days, are familiar to many, each mood beautifully expressed and each one touched with a special magic of the season.

Boatline Welcomes General Manager

Governors Set Wayne Lamson's Salary and Pay Tribute to Kathryn Roessel in Monthly SSA Meeting

By JAMES KINSELLA

For the Steamship Authority, the gathering last Friday in a spartan meeting room at the MBL Club in Woods Hole was one of hellos and goodbyes.

The boat line welcomed longtime employee Wayne Lamson as its permanent general manager and greeted Marc Hanover, the Oak Bluffs resident taking his seat for the first time as the Vineyard representative to the board of governors.

Tapping the town's stabilization fund, Aquinnah voters approved eight of nine funding measures presented by selectmen at a special town meeting last night, effectively ending over six months of fiscal turmoil.

"I think this chapter is finally closed," selectmen chairman Carl Widdiss said after the voting. "I think the townspeople wanted to resolve this, and for the most part they did tonight."

Split Vote Names Mr. Hanover as Governor

By JAMES KINSELLA
Gazette Senior Writer

In a 4-3 vote, the Dukes County Commission on Wednesday opted for stability over new ideas, choosing Marc Hanover of Oak Bluffs as the next Vineyard Steamship Authority governor.

Commission members Leslie Leland, Leonard Jason Jr., Paul Strauss and John Alley voted for Mr. Hanover, an Oak Bluffs restaurateur who has served for the past two years on the port council, an advisory board to the boat line.

Familiar North Tisbury Bakery Forced to Relocate Amid Feud

By JAMES KINSELLA

A family fight is heating up over Humphreys bakery in North Tisbury, a store beloved by Vineyarders for such offerings as the Belly Bomb and the Gobbler.

The landmark establishment, whose roots extend back to a founder who walked the streets of Vineyard Haven selling pies for $10 a week, is the subject of a dispute between its owner, Joyce Duarte, and the couple who have leased the bakery since 1996, Mike and Donna Diaz.

Valuations Go Up in All Towns; Edgartown to Adjust for Flaws

By IAN FEIN

A strong real estate market sent property values across the Vineyard skyrocketing this year, as four Island towns saw total valuations rise by more than 25 per cent.

Tisbury assessments jumped 38 per cent from the last fiscal year, from $1.7 billion to $2.3 billion; Aquinnah is up 35 per cent, from $450 million to $610 million; West Tisbury is up 29 per cent, from $2 billion to $2.6 billion; and Edgartown is up 25 per cent, from $4.3 billion to $5.4 billion.