Pneumonic tularemia is back. Confirming this year's first case of the pneumonic form of the disease, public health officials said yesterday they are prepared to call in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to investigate.

Gus Ben David, director of Massachusetts Audubon's Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary in Edgartown, takes a four-wheel-drive vehicle out into the field by the osprey pole that is visible from the entrance road to the sanctuary. Accompanying Mr. Ben David, in the passenger seat, is longtime cohort Tim Baird of Edgartown, an Island electrician. They are transporting Mr. Ben David's' 20-year-old golden eagle, named Chameli, in the back of the vehicle. The eagle acts as the lure in what is about to transpire.

The Vineyard's summer rental market is soft this season.

How low the market has slumped, reasons for the dip and long-term projections have yet to be determined, but real estate agents across the Island feel the hit.

Some companies slowed slightly this season while others experienced as much as a 20 per cent fall. Real estate brokers feel the pinch in a variety of ways — dollars, volume of inquiries, length of vacation stays — but all are reporting a downward turn.

Many of the agencies see a correlation between a jump in rental prices and the slowdown.

Playhouse Launches Campaign

By MANDY LOCKE

The home of the Vineyard Playhouse stood strong through
nearly two centuries of Vineyard life. Leaders and friends of
this small professional theatre want to ensure it stands secure
for centuries to come.

Built in 1833 on a pasture donated by Capt. William Daggett,
the Playhouse wears the scars of time. A survey of the building
reveals rotting, chipping and holes.

"It looks like somebody didn't do anything for 20 years,"
Playhouse managing director Josh Sommer said.

Casey Sharpe, the executive secretary in Oak Bluffs, has
announced she will resign her position effective Sept. 30,
leaving selectmen to search for yet another top manager to guide
their town.

Clash Over Fast Ferries

By JULIA WELLS

Steamship Authority leaders clashed openly yesterday over
whether to develop multi-million-dollar high-speed ferry service
from the port of New Bedford to the Vineyard — and how the
public boat line is going to pay for it.

"This high-speed opportunity from New Bedford has the
potential to be the most profitable run in the whole Steamship
Authority.

Summer of Public Transit

By MANDY LOCKE

The Vineyard Transit Authority is dedicated to making it
easy to leave the car at home and ride the bus through the busy
summer season.

Leaching nitrogen from residential households remains the
single biggest threat to the water quality of Lagoon Pond,
according to a recently completed water quality study. In a
report delivered to the Lagoon Pond Association, its author
found significant increases in nitrates entering the pond. The
report is based on a series of water samplings conducted last
summer.

Bruce Poole of SP Engineering Inc.

Senior managers at the Steamship Authority knew months in
advance that the starboard engine on the New Bedford passenger
ferry Schamonchi was likely to fail, the Gazette has learned.

A professional marine survey prepared for the boat line
three months ago reported in some detail on the worn condition
of the engine. "The machinery, especially the starboard engine,
is approaching the end of its useful life, with major overhaul
due. The generators are of older vintage. Spare parts will be
scarce," wrote Michael L.

Following a late-night discussion that grew cranky at times,
the Martha's Vineyard Commission voted narrowly last week to
designate a district of critical planning concern for the
shorelines of two shellfish-rich ponds in Chilmark.

The vote was 9-6 to approve the Menemsha and Nashaquitsa
Ponds DCPC.

Jennie Greene, the appointed member of the commission from
Chilmark, fought bitterly to block the DCPC.

"I think this is a slam-dunk that a couple of people put
together.