Vineyard Voyagers Set a Course from Island Harbor to Hudson

By BRETT FERRY

Three hours after Mabel's planned departure time, her builder,
Myles Thurlow, shimmies to the top of the main mast to attach a VHF
radio antenna. Countless details are attended to as the crew prepares to
shove off from the Coastwise Packet Co. dock and sail west.

Summer Labor Dynamic Is Annual Dance of Employers, Work Force and
Landlords

By MANDY LOCKE

Early reads on the summer work force bring more questions than
answers this year.

Through April and May, business owners scratched their heads, asking
where the workers were. This week, new arrivals in the work force
stumbled about the Vineyard, shaking their heads and wondering where the
jobs are.

Sewer Box Receives Gingerbread Facelift in Oak Bluffs Test

By CHRIS BURRELL

In Oak Bluffs, gingerbread has now become a Band-aid.

After more than two years of trying to figure out what to do about
the 38 sewer panel boxes that popped up all over downtown as part of the
new wastewater project, town leaders have decided to road-test one
solution - building a mini-cottage on top of one box.

The Mabel Sets Sail, Bound for Hudson Waters

By BRETT FERRY

The seven teens seem almost casual about heading to sea in a 28-foot
open boat. They field questions about their trip with responses like,
"It should be interesting."

They are a part of Vineyard Voyagers, an Island maritime program for
young people that gives them the chance to have significant encounters
with the sea. The students, all of them from the charter school, signed
on to this voyage for various reasons, but each of them will fulfill an
independent school project along the way.

Varsity Lacrosse Team Loses by a Goal in Vineyard's First
State Championship

By BRETT FERRY

In the first high school state championship game ever played
on-Island, the boys' varsity lacrosse team of the Martha's
Vineyard Regional High School finished its season yesterday two goals
shy of a Division III state title.

Connecticut Developer Refiles Massive Housing Proposal for Woodlands

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

The developers of the Down Island Golf Club slipped back onto the
scene this week, quietly reviving a dormant plan for a massive
affordable housing project in the southern woodlands section of Oak
Bluffs.

An attorney who represents Connecticut developer Corey Kupersmith
wrote a letter to the Martha's Vineyard Commission late last week,
asking to have the housing plan put back on an active track.

Homeland Security Yields Big Grants

Close to a Million in Federal Dollars Is Designated for Steamship
Authority and for Town of Oak Bluffs

By JULIA WELLS

Homeland security came home this week when federal officials
announced the award of two hefty grants totaling some $900,000 to
improve port security on the Vineyard and in Woods Hole.

The money will go to the Steamship Authority ($624,000) and the Oak
Bluffs emergency management department ($285,000).

Boat Line Proposes to Run Van from Wharf to Park-and-Ride

By JONATHAN BURKE

Tisbury selectmen next week will consider the Steamship
Authority's proposal to run a shuttle service between the town
park-and-ride lot and the Vineyard Haven ferry terminal.

Under terms of the proposal, from June 25 through the end of the
year, from 5:30 am to 9:00 pm, the SSA would "dedicate a van to
run continuously between the terminal and the lot."

Refuse District Waits Beacon Hill Vote

By MANDY LOCKE

Less than three weeks before the close of the fiscal year, the
Island's waste handler is anxiously awaiting legislative
authorization to correct its financial missteps.

For Island Graduates, The Time of Their Lives

Not an Empty Seat at the Tabernacle; Sun Breaks Out

By KATE STAMELL

Proud families and friends filled the Tabernacle Sunday afternoon to
honor and support the accomplishments of the Class of 2003 at the
Martha's Vineyard Regional High School.