Tisbury Great Pond Property Owners Claim Land Bank Attorney Misrepresented Sale

By JAMES KINSELLA

A family that unwittingly sold land to the Martha's Vineyard Land Bank has accused the public agency of misrepresentation - and is calling for an amendment to the land bank statute to prevent such practices in the future.

Steamship Authority Weathers Changes Through Long Year

By JAMES KINSELLA

As 2004 got under way at the Steamship Authority, there was some question about whether there would be a Steamship Authority in the future.

In mid-January Nantucket governor Grace Grossman confirmed that she had been exploring since the previous summer whether that island should secede from the boat line, an entity created by the state in 1960 to ensure reliable, affordable ferry travel between Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and the mainland.

Wampanoags Ask High Court to Reconsider Sovereignty Case

By JAMES KINSELLA
Gazette Senior Writer

The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) has asked the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) to reconsider a case freighted with long-term implications for the tribe's sovereignty and land use powers.

The tribe's attorney, Douglas J. Luckerman of Lexington, filed the motion last Thursday with the SJC, the highest court in Massachusetts.

On Dec. 9, the SJC ruled against the tribe in the case.

Hy-Line Pitches Fast Ferry, Year-Round Service to Link Oak Bluffs and Hyannis

By JAMES KINSELLA
Gazette Senior Writer

In a move that would tie Martha's Vineyard even more closely to the mainland, Hy-Line Cruises wants to launch year-round fast ferry service between Hyannis and Oak Bluffs by next May.

The high-speed ferry operation proposed by the Hyannis-based company would become the second such service started within a year between the Vineyard and the mainland.

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.

General Manager Appointment Expected at SSA Meeting Today

By JAMES KINSELLA
Gazette Senior Writer

Wayne Lamson, tapped five times to head the Steamship Authority on a temporary basis, will be put forward today as the best choice for general manager for the boat line.

At the monthly SSA meeting in Woods Hole this morning a search committee plans to recommend that Mr. Lamson be appointed to the top post, according to a source.