Another Fall Sports Season Is Under Way; Coaches Hope to Repeat Tournament Runs

The sapping humidity that plagued the Island for much of August
washed away with last week's heavy rain. Friday broke clear and
crisp for the home opener of the high school fall sports season. Four
minutes into the soccer game that afternoon, striker Lucas Brewer found
the net, all the boys' varsity team needed in their 1-0 victory
over Sandwich.

Duel Goes on in Woodlands

Duel Goes on in Woodlands

Planning Commission Hearing Is Closed, While the Developer Continues
to Press Case on Multiple Fronts

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

The gavel came down one more time late last week and a public
hearing was closed on a plan to build 320 homes in the last unbroken
stretch of oak and pine forest in Oak Bluffs.

Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby Plans Have Been Readied All Year

When the Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby
begins this Sunday, there will be more prizes than ever before in the
event's 58-year history. This year's contest is offering
$300,000 in prizes over the course of the tournament, which runs three
days longer than last year.

Another Flap Over Cape Wind; Coast Guard Remains Neutral

Another Flap Over Cape Wind; Coast Guard Remains Neutral

By ALEXIS TONTI

In the latest war of words over a proposed wind farm for Nantucket
Sound, a newspaper article has quoted a Coast Guard official calling the
Cape Wind project a "manageable" risk - but the Coast
Guard says the emphasis in the article is wrong.

Coast Guard officials reiterate that they have taken no official
position on the project, and are only beginning to review its potential
impacts.

High Surf Alert: It's Passing By, But Fabian Is Talk of Island

Fabian, the season's worst hurricane so far, is expected to
pass far out to sea this weekend, to the relief of many Vineyarders. The
threat of an approaching big storm and a summer of gray skies kept
weather in the fore as a topic this week.

Freshmen Navigate Way Through Orientation

Wednesday, Sept. 3: Freshman Orientation Day at Martha's
Vineyard Regional High School. It is gray and oppressive outside, the
dark sky a harbinger of later months, when yellow buses will gather the
Island's teenagers from street corners and the ends of dirt roads
before sun-up.

Last week, weather like this would have been a tragedy. But this
morning, it's a comfort to the ninth graders: whatever their fate
within these walls, no one is missing a beach day.

Fast Ferry Deal Set, Ending a Long Path

Fast Ferry Deal Set, Ending a Long Path

Dockage and Parking Agreements Part of the Package that Will
Establish New Service Starting Next Spring

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

The high-speed ferry deal is done - or almost done.

Final agreements were signed this week that are now expected to
clear the way for high-speed passenger service between New Bedford and
the Vineyard beginning next summer.

County Contract Signed; Davis Starts on Tuesday

County Contract Signed; Davis Starts on Tuesday

By ALEXIS TONTI

After an exhausting search process that began in January, the Dukes
County commission signed a three-year $71,000 contract with the new
county manager Thursday afternoon.

At Charter School, Calm First Morning: Games, Recess, Hand Paintings, Lunch

The first day of school at the Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School feels almost like a block party: people hugging each other; adults carrying vases of flowers and trays of snacks; children buddying up; first-name basis all around. The occasion is balanced between a sense of celebration and nonchalance.

Black Dog Cafe Will Be Closing for Winter; Move Comes After Summer of Expansion

Capping off a year of intense expansion and its first foray into the
mainland marketplace, the Black Dog Tavern, Inc. is now trimming back
one of its three Island food outlets - shutting down the cafe on
State road in Vineyard Haven for the off-season.

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