The Dukes County Savings Bank and Martha's Vineyard Cooperative Bank, both respected institutions with long histories on the Island, have confirmed plans to merge and become a single community bank with total assets of $460 million.

Visitors to the Cedar Tree Neck sanctuary might see a brilliant blue starflower, a state-listed box turtle, or a chestnut-sided warbler. If they are very lucky, they could spot a rhinoceros beetle, which is rarely still found on the mainland and with its characteristic horns can lift objects up to 850 times its own weight, making it one of the strongest animals on the planet.

No single word describes this class.

On Sunday at 1:30 p.m., the Martha's Vineyard Regional High
School 2007 graduates will march down the aisles of the historic Oak
Bluffs Tabernacle wearing caps and gowns in purple and white. The
athletes will walk alongside the actors; the musicians will march side
by side with fellow student government leaders. If there had to be just
one word to describe the group, it would be well-rounded.

The Navigator restaurant in Edgartown will not open for business
this summer due to unforeseen complications in transforming the building
into an exclusive private club.

There was no fighting to the top this year. No tooth and
nail-clawing to inch past the next-highest class rank, no daily status
updates with the guidance department computer system, no strategic
scheduling of classes to yield a higher-weighted grade point average,
regardless of interest in the subjects.

Riding the wave of a sudden renewed interest in a possibly ignored
chapter of Vineyard history, an expedition made up of researchers,
diving experts and history buffs plans to travel to Noman's Land
this summer to help determine if Vikings visited here around the year
1000 A.D.

West Tisbury on Tuesday night became the third of four towns needed
to ratify the budget for the Martha's Vineyard Regional High
School.

Three Island residents walked away from the Tisbury selectmen’s meeting this past week with the opportunity to buy a home close to downtown Vineyard Haven for a dramatically reduced price.

It’s been two years since Island Housing Trust began the affordable housing project at 150 State Road. The Dukes County Housing Authority organized the lottery, held this past Tuesday night.

Dukes County and Cooperative Banks Will Announce Merger

By JULIA WELLS

The Dukes County Savings Bank and Martha's Vineyard
Cooperative Bank - two respected community banks whose presence on
the Vineyard reaches back for more than 50 and nearly 100 years
respectively - plan to announce this week that they will merge,
the Gazette has learned.

It is understood that employees and corporators at both banks were
informed yesterday about the planned merger, which is still subject to
approval by state and federal regulators.

This past Saturday, the Martha's Vineyard Public Charter
School held its seventh high school graduation. Seven students graduated
in the year 2007.

"We were going to do it on July seventh," said Sam
Berlow, president of the school's board of trustees, "but we
decided that was too much."