Clarence (Trip) Barnes 3rd, the colorful Island business owner long associated with his namesake trucking company, is now seeking a new title: green technology pioneer.

Swimmers, take your mark.

It’s been 20 years in the making, but Vineyarders will finally be able to hear those words ring out through the aquatic center on Sunday at the YMCA’s inaugural swim meet. The first Island swim team, the Makos, will take to the blocks at noon against the Nantucket Dolphins.

After every snowfall you may have noticed a series of odd, tube-shaped slides, wending mostly through Island woodlands but also over roads and even into downtown Oak Bluffs or Edgartown. The creatures that left these mysterious trails are less easy to spot, but recent research carried out by two Vineyard scientists suggests they are abundant. They are coastal river otters.

There are some positive aspects to being a new Democratic congressman after an election which saw a Republican landslide. Yesterday the new representative for the Vineyard, William Keating, enumerated a few.

For one, he said it does not take long to get to know your fellow freshmen party members.

“There are only nine of us,” he said yesterday, the day after he was sworn in.

“That’s the lowest number since 1915. So it just makes sense the nine of us would become close very quickly. And we have,” he said, adding:

The Tri-Town Ambulance service is requesting a 60 per cent increase for their budget next year due to a new state mandate that requires full-time paramedics for the service.

If all three towns — Chilmark, West Tisbury and Aquinnah — approve the hike, the cost of the service will go up $275,420, from an operating budget of $452,995 to one of $728,415.

The real estate market on the Vineyard appears to be showing signs of life, according to the most recent data from the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank.

Land bank revenues are up for the first six months of the fiscal year, even though the number of sales remains relatively flat.

OVERPRICED REAL ESTATE

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Before the economy took a tumble, homeowners used to check the weekly sales of nearby real estate rather than the Dow Jones averages to see how much their net worth had increased. It was a joyous experience for those who owned a home as well as the real estate agents who were reaping high sales commissions.

Surf and Turf

From Gazette editions of January, 1936:

Menemsha Pond appears to be producing an unusual variety of scallops this winter. Although the set is not particularly heavy, the scallops, especially those in Gay Head waters, are said to be the largest ever marketed in this locality.

The Charlotte Inn of Edgartown received the 2011 Forbes Four-Star Award for its third consecutive year, making the inn one of only a select few hotels worldwide to earn the organization’s rating designation that recognizes superior guest satisfaction.

Calling Writers, Directors

The board of directors and artistic staff for Island Theatre Workshop (ITW) are accepting play submissions for the 2011 One Act Play Festival which will be held in March at both the Katharine Cornell and Grange Theatres. The ITW New Directors Studio also welcomes new directors for this project.

Interested parties may call Kevin Ryan at 508-627-3166 or e-mail artistic director Kaf Warman at kwarman@andrew.cmu.edu.