Cong. William Delahunt describes himself as an eternal optimist.
Still, his optimism comes easier now than it did four years ago.

Opposition to the agenda of President Bush and, in particular, his
Iraq war were not so popular back then. Today he finds himself on the
right side of history and the popular mood.

Adrian Blue and Catherine Rush have an easy demeanor that belies the
pluck of the work they are developing for debut tonight at the Vineyard
Playhouse. Theirs is a kinetic energy, all quick smiles, snappy repartee
and dynamic gestures. She does the talking, in spoken English, for both;
"AB", as he is known, speaks with his hands, his face, even
his space, because he is profoundly deaf.

Oak Bluffs, Charter School Perform Well While Edgartown Scores Are Poor on Math, English Skills Exam

Results released yesterday by the state Department of Education show the Vineyard's six elementary schools turned out an uneven performance on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test, ranging from 100 per cent of Charter School eighth graders scoring advanced or proficient in English language arts to a third of students failing math in the Edgartown fifth and six grades.

Doug DeBettencourt, coach of the regional high school golf team, is
not shy about offering high praise for his star golfer Tony Grillo.

Trustees at the Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket hospitals this week announced their intention to join Massachusetts General Hospital and its parent company, Partners Health Care, as affiliates by the end of the year.

SSA Set to Vote on Fare Hikes Thursday at Cornell Theatre

By JAMES KINSELLA

When the Steamship Authority board of governors convenes next
Thursday morning at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, Vineyard governor
Marc Hanover anticipates voting for across-the-board rate increases to
fund next year's $78.3 million budget.

But he said it will be the last time.

"We really have to get a handle on this," Mr. Hanover
said earlier this week about the budget, slated to rise $4 million next
year. "We can't keep absorbing these additional
costs."

Enrollment in the Vineyard public schools has dropped for the sixth
year in a row, according to school census figures released this week.

Oak Bluffs Innkeeper Challenges Commission Decision in Court

By IAN FEIN

A Dukes County superior court judge yesterday heard arguments in a
one-day trial that explored the limits of commercial expansion in an
eclectic residential neighborhood of Oak Bluffs.

Town resident Jack E. Robinson Sr. is challenging the Martha's
Vineyard Commission denial of a proposed 10-bedroom expansion to his inn
and tennis center on New York avenue. The commission reviewed the
project in the summer of 2005 as a development of regional impact (DRI).

The water is swirling in the narrow channel connecting Cape Pogue Pond to the Edgartown outer harbor. Minutes before the tide hit bottom, the pond was as low as gets, and now the waters of the ocean are running back in.

Two Edgartown homeowners who tore down a historic backyard barn on
their property at the corner of Cooke and Summer streets in March of
2005 without town approval have agreed to pay the town $10,000.