Martha’s Vineyard tribe, town spar over casino construction

BOSTON – Officials on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts are battling a Native American tribe’s efforts to build a casino on the famous resort island.

Aquinnah town officials asked a Boston federal judge Friday to require the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe to apply for a town building permit for their planned casino.

The tribe’s lawyers argued it doesn’t need town approval because the federal court has recognized its right to operate a casino on sovereign land.

The town’s lawyers countered that the town still has a right to enforce certain health and safety regulations. The judge is expected to rule later on the dispute.

Work on the Aquinnah Cliffs Casino began in February after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up a legal challenge from the state and town, but construction halted amid the latest dispute.