A Cairn terrier that killed chickens and a cat will be allowed to move out of state, Chilmark selectmen agreed this week. After killing four hens, badly maiming another and killing a cat, the 12-pound terrier owned by Heather and Geordie Gude has taken refuge in a New York city home. The Gudes said the terrier will never return to the Island but, just in case, selectmen, on the recommendation of dog officer Chris Murphy, have ordered the dog to be euthanized should it ever return.

The Martha’s Vineyard Prescribed Fire Partnership plans to conduct controlled burns today, Friday, April 8, at the Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury and the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife property in Edgartown, west of Katama Airpark along Herring Creek Road.

Smoke may be visible Friday morning west of State Road, between North Road and Panhandle Road. In the afternoon, smoke may be visible above Katama. The odor of smoke may be temporarily noticeable as far as Edgartown center.

Tisbury police are hopeful they have ended a long string of Peeping Tom incidents with the arrest of a man, spotted peering into a house in Franklin Terrace, on Monday night, chased and detained by neighbors.

Reginaldo DeSouza of Clough Lane in Vineyard Haven was arraigned in Edgartown district court on Tuesday on a charge of disorderly conduct and in violation of a town bylaw on Peeping Toms.

Tourism at the Gay Head Cliffs may get a boost this summer. The executive director of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum told the Aquinnah selectmen this week that the Gay Head Lighthouse will be open weekdays beginning June 21.

David Nathans said the new hours at the lighthouse will provide more sightseeing opportunities for tour bus companies by being open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Art in Film

Tonight at the Grange Theatre in West Tisbury, the Island Theatre Workshop is presenting a program entitled Art Immersion in Film. The event includes Valerie Sonnenthal’s Visual Diary Project with original music by Sergio Cervetti and a program of short films including a premiere of Richard Skidmore’s latest work. Following the presentation there will be a question and answer session with the artists.

Mr. Skidmore has worked in film, video and television for forty years.

The event beings at 8 p.m.

Photography Book Award

West Tisbury photographer Alan Brigish’s book Breathing in the Buddha: A Photographic Exploration of Buddhist Life in Indochina was recently awarded first place in the photography category of the 2010 DIY Book Festival, which honors independent and self-published works of merit. The book also received an honorable mention in the spirituality category of the 2010 San Francisco Book Festival. Profits from every $49.50 sale of the book now go directly to pay for a child’s education in Burma, Nepal and Cambodia.

Pending the ability to hire an accredited teacher, high school leaders announced this week that driver education will return to the regional high school next fall.

Former head of the state police, Neal Maciel, is set to begin teaching in the fall once he receives the proper teaching credentials from the department of motor vehicles.

Out with the old library and in with the new may take on a new meaning at the annual town election in Edgartown next Thursday. Against a backdrop of heated discussion in recent months and weeks over plans for a new town library, three seats on the library board of trustees are being contested.

Julie Lively is challenging incumbent Ellen Kaplan for a one-year term as library trustee. In a telephone interview this week Mrs. Lively said she was inspired to run when she saw a presentation about the potential new library.

Next Thursday Oak Bluffs voters will elect two selectmen from a crowded field of five candidates. With a still-sputtering economy and town coffers running dry, each one is claiming the mantle of financial leadership.

This week the Gazette spoke with all five candidates.

Despite the town’s recent fiscal woes both incumbents touted their financial credentials and promised innovative measures both to raise revenue and cut spending in the years ahead.

Responding to a fraud investigation launched last month by the Cape and Islands district attorney, on Monday the Edgartown wastewater commission voted to change the way the town collects its wastewater bills.