Knowledge of the Atlantic great white shark has been relegated for too long to the fevered imaginations of nervous beachgoers and boaters. With the animals returning to the New England coastline in larger numbers, one state scientist with Vineyard roots is bringing that understanding out of the realm of the mythical and uncovering fascinating insights into this elusive two-ton, apex predator’s behavior.
The investigation into state competitive bidding law violations in Oak Bluffs has ended. Town counsel Ronald H. Rappaport told the selectmen this week that he did not feel it was a good use of the town’s resources in light of the changed behavior and tight finances.
By PETER BRANNEN
Clarence A. (Trip) Barnes 3rd will have to clean up his yard. Last week the town of West Tisbury learned it had won a long-running case against the colorful businessman over the alleged junk yard forming at Mr. Barnes’s State Road home.
“It’s no longer alleged,” said town administrator Jennifer Rand at Wednesday’s selectmen’s meeting.
On Monday this week Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signed one of the tightest state budgets in years, leaving many Vineyard organizations that depend on state funding scrambling to assess the damage.
The lean $30.6 billion budget, scaled back some $750 million from the prior year, hit some Island organizations harder than others, but spokesmen from the Cape and Islands legislative delegation said this week that for the most part the Vineyard was spared the longest of knives.
The tale of two Island libraries took a new twist this week when the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners awarded a grant to the West Tisbury library for building a new facility, but Edgartown did not make the cut and will receive no funding, at least for now.
As the ink was still drying on a $30.6 billion state budget signed into law on Monday by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, a spokesman for Cape and Islands state Sen. Dan Wolf said they were still studying the local impacts of the budget.
Pared down some $750 million from the previous year, Mr. Wolf has characterized the budget as one of the most difficult in memory, but his chief of staff Seth Rolbein said there were some welcome developments.
