Oak Bluffs harbor had a record money-making summer. Josh Williams,
the harbor marina manager, estimated income from slips and moorings were
up 14 per cent over the previous year. Total income was $720,000, up
some $86,000 from the summer of 2000.

Oak Bluffs harbor was the place to be. Slips and moorings were
mostly full throughout the season and for the first time the town
offered regular, dependable launch service that made money.

In a time of terror and grief in America, Vineyarders join citizens across the nation in an outpouring of support for the most timeless of American symbols: 50 stars and 13 stripes.

American flags wave proudly from vehicle antennas, from minivans to tow trucks. From Main street to your street, American flags cover the community in red, white and blue. But instead of standing tall in Independence Day pride, the flags hover halfway up the poles, paying homage to thousands of Americans lost in last Tuesday's terrorist attacks and to a country navigating through uncharted territory.

Last week's report calling for high-speed ferry service
between New Bedford and the Vineyard was submitted without any financial
information, and the acting general manager of the Steamship Authority
said yesterday that he will now have to step in to finish the crucial
financial piece of the report.

The couple came into the church well after the service had started. They sat near the podium, where the Rev. Judith Campbell was speaking. The man watched a spot between the floor and the altar. His eyes were red, and he did not blink. The woman remained composed for a few minutes but then began quietly to cry, working a tissue in her hands, folding it into squares.

The streets of Edgartown early Tuesday morning are nearly empty. The day breaks sunny, a lovely September morning.

9:49 a.m. Small groups of people gather in store entrances to listen in disbelief to the normally soothing broadcast voices of Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings. People exchange any tidbits they know as they try to piece together the sketchy details of terrorist plane attacks on the World Trade Center.

Four Survivors of Rape Rebuild Lives

By MANDY LOCKE

It's a story without an ending. Every page captures how the
four sexual assault survivors who've shared their stories with the
Gazette navigate through and reshape a world that was once safe and
predictable.

Since the attacks, some days have been good, others just bearable
and still others hard to endure.

While the experiences of Rose, Caitlin, Beth and Alex, whose names
have been changed for privacy, are all very different, their lives are
linked by trauma and uncertainty.

High school test scores revealed this week are raising concerns about whether a gender gap exists in math instruction at the regional high school. And after looking closely at the latest results from advanced placement (AP) tests, school leaders are also wondering whether some advanced and honors classes are over-enrolled.

False albacore have yet to make a strong appearance in the first
week of the 56th annual Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and
Bluefish Derby. So far only small, undersized false albacore have been
seen. The contest began on Wednesday morning with just two fishermen
weighing in their fish in the first half-hour of the contest.

County Fee Contract Stirs Heated Debate

County Manager Carol Borer Signs Controversial Agreement with
Hospital Without Knowledge of Commissioners

By JULIA WELLS

At a scrappy meeting that saw plenty of disagreement but little in
the way of accountability for the disordered events of the last two
weeks, the Dukes County Commission this week tried to sort its way
through a jumble of conflicting facts surrounding a contract designed to
funnel $500,000 in taxpayer money into the Martha's Vineyard
Hospital.

County Leaders Support Delay on Fast Ferry Plan

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

A bitterly divided Dukes County Commission voted to join the
collective voice of other Vineyard officials this week - and ask
the Vineyard representative to the Steamship Authority to throttle down
a plan to develop high-speed ferry service between New Bedford and the
Vineyard.

The vote was 4-3 to endorse the letter sent by the All-Island
Selectmen's Association to Vineyard SSA governor J.B. Riggs Parker
last week.