The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) has officially broken ground on a long-promised gambling facility in the small up-Island town, unleashing a flurry of concern.
Aquinnah selectmen voted Wednesday to send a letter to the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), requesting a public meeting to discuss the bingo hall now under construction.
Members of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission met with Wampanoag tribal leaders at a private summit in Aquinnah this week to discuss fallout from the recent start of construction on a long-planned bingo hall.
In a motion filed in U.S. District Court on April 4, attorneys for the town asked the court to clarify the scope of the court rulings that gave the tribe the right to build a gambling facility.
In a stunning turn, a federal district judge in Boston issued a ruling that holds the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) must obtain building permits before constructing a bingo hall on tribal lands.
In the latest volley between the town and tribe over the future bingo hall in Aquinnah, tribal leaders agreed this week to halt work on the site until legal issues can be resolved.
