Island Coronavirus Cases Stay Steady; New Field Hospital Planned on Cape Cod

No new coronavirus cases were reported on Martha’s Vineyard Sunday, while statewide cases continued to rise and a new field hospital on Cape Cod was announced by Gov. Charlie Baker.

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National Guard to Perform Training Exercises Over the Vineyard

The 104th Fighter Wing out of Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield will conduct training exercises on Tuesday, flying over Vineyard air space.

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Coast Guard Launches Air Rescues At Sea During Height of Storm
Rachel Orr
Five fishermen were stranded on Nomans Land for more than five hours Wednesday, waiting for the U.S. Coast Guard to rescue them.
 
The fishing crew were aboard the Michelle Lane, laden with fish and bound for New Bedford when it ran aground at 1:10 a.m. off the south side of Nomans.
 
The crew contacted the Coast Guard about their predicament. At 9:56 a.m. the fishermen abandoned ship and sought refuge on Nomans.
 
The stranded men were Brandon Chase, Thomas Albee, Mike Train-ham, Mark Wrigley and Mike Mont­gerzero.
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Fighter Jets Fly Over Massachusetts Thursday, Miss the Vineyard
Sara Brown

Five F-15 fighter jets from Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield did not fly over the Vineyard Thursday morning as scheduled, the Massachusetts Air National Guard said Thursday afternoon.

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Federal Commission Alters Final Report; Otis Air Station in Bourne Will Not Close
Ian Fein

State officials and congressional delegates claimed victory and expressed relief this week about a recently released report that indicates Otis Air National Guard Base on the Cape will remain open.

The report also appears to secure the fate of the Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, which has shared the Massachusetts Military Reservation airfield with Otis since the late 1970s and provides rescues and medical evacuations on and around the Vineyard.

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Battle to Save Otis Loses Key Round in Federal Court
James Kinsella

The fight to keep Otis Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod open took another hit yesterday, when a federal judge denied a request for a temporary restraining order to keep the base from closing.

The ruling by the Hon. George A. O'Toole Jr., a federal district court judge in Boston, adds another element of uncertainty to what will become of the Coast Guard air/sea and air medical evacuation operations based at Otis. Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod has shared the Massachusetts Military Reservation airfield since the late 1970s.

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Emergency Evacuations in Line for a Direct Hit with Otis Closure Plan
James Kinsella

Thea Ruckhaus, 13, stepped onto the deck of the Arabella, tucked her violin under her chin, and began to play The African Reel.

In that moment, as the notes drifted across Cuttyhunk harbor, the world of cell phones and e-mail and computers drifted away, the centuries evaporated, and the Arabella's passengers were on a sailing vessel visiting a small island, cheered by a melody.

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Panel Votes to Close Otis Air Station; Attorney General Pledges Court Fight
Ian Fein

Ending months of speculation, a federal advisory commission voted unanimously Friday to close the Otis Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod, a move that could jeopardize future emergency evacuations and air-sea rescues on and around the Vineyard.

State officials and congressional delegates, who lobbied heavily to keep the base open, now are vowing to fight the federal recommendations and base closure by all legal means.

"This was obviously a very disturbing development," Mark Forest, an aide to Cong. William Delahunt, said yesterday.

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Former Oak Bluffs Chief Heads National Guard

Former Oak Bluffs police chief Joseph C. Carter has been sworn in as adjutant general of the Massachusetts National Guard by Gov. Deval L. Patrick.

Mr. Carter, who holds the rank of major general, commands the nearly 8,000 members of the Massachusetts Army and Air National Guard. He is the senior military advisor to the governor of Massachusetts.

Mr. Carter became police chief of Oak Bluffs in 1998. He resigned in 2003 to become chief of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority police department.

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