The commercial bay scallop season began this week in four of the six Island towns. And David A. Searle of Vineyard Haven was in his element.

On Wednesday, he was up at 4 a.m. and down at his 20-foot Midland boat by 6:30 a.m. The 65-year-old scalloper was jubilant at the prospect of a season that may last well into the winter.

A swelling inventory of unsold Vineyard properties is translating into choosier buyers and tenants.

Demand remains alive for real estate on the Island. Results compiled by LINK, a Vineyard Haven business that tracks the Vineyard market, shows that 122 Island properties with buildings on them sold in the quarter ended Sept. 30. That is one more property than the comparable period a year ago.

But LINK also reports that the inventory of such properties on the Vineyard climbed to 390 for the quarter, 25 per cent higher than the same period last year.

Caroline B. Kennedy yesterday filed a family subdivision plan to create six building lots on the stunningly beautiful and secluded 375-acre property in the township of Aquinnah that she inherited from her mother, the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Biga Bakery Will Be Sold to Fella and Jane Cecilio

By IAN FEIN

After fulfilling Island residents with its signature bread, fresh
coffee and famous breakfast sandwiches for almost a decade, Biga Bakery
next week will close its doors for good.

Owners Beth Kramer and Douglas Reid are selling the West Tisbury
landmark and business to Jane and Fella Cecilio of Vineyard Haven.

The night is dark. And it is Halloween.

You are driving home from a party in Chilmark near Windy Gates when
your car's engine suddenly and unexpectedly dies on a dark, quiet
road. Attempts to restart it prove futile, and with no cell phone
reception, you are forced to search for help. A faint light far off in
the dense woods signals a flicker of hope for salvation, so you grab
your flashlight and head out.

Hearing Closes on Cozy Hearth with Plea to MVC to Untangle

By IAN FEIN

After listening to another round of stiff critiques from the
Martha's Vineyard Commission last week, the applicants for an
unusual affordable housing subdivision proposed for Watcha Path in
Edgartown relented and, in effect agreed to go along with whatever was
asked of them, as long as their plan is approved.

Visiting Nurse Services Explore Merger Into a Single Agency

By JAMES KINSELLA
Gazette Senior Writer

The Vineyard's two major visiting nurse services are in talks
about a potential merger, the Gazette has learned.

Representatives from the Visiting Nurse Service, which is part of
Martha's Vineyard Community Services, and the Vineyard Nursing
Association Inc. are contemplating whether to combine the entities.

Bids Opened for Town Hall Project; Cost of Renovation Over $5.5
Million

By IAN FEIN

The price tag for the West Tisbury town hall renovation project shot
up to $5.5 million yesterday, after selectmen opened construction bids
that were, as expected, well over the original estimate.

Voters will now be asked at a Nov. 16 special town meeting to open
their wallets and approve another $1.8 million for the beleaguered
renovation. A special town election will be held the following day with
a corresponding Proposition 2 1/2 override ballot question.

Bids Opened for Town Hall Project; Cost of Renovation Over $5.5
Million

By IAN FEIN

The price tag for the West Tisbury town hall renovation project shot
up to $5.5 million yesterday, after selectmen opened construction bids
that were, as expected, well over the original estimate.

Voters will now be asked at a Nov. 16 special town meeting to open
their wallets and approve another $1.8 million for the beleaguered
renovation. A special town election will be held the following day with
a corresponding Proposition 2 1/2 override ballot question.

The construction of a road connecting State and Edgartown-Vineyard
Haven roads and a garage to temporarily house the town's new
ladder truck top an atypically weighty list of requests facing voters at
the Tisbury special town meeting Tuesday night.