Two Guards Suspended After Indictments in Inmate Beatings

By ALEXIS TONTI

After three days of witness testimony and deliberation, a Dukes
County grand jury Wednesday indicted two correctional officers and an
inmate on conspiracy charges in connection with an inmate beating at the
Dukes County House of Correction.

Michael Trance, 26, of Edgartown and Teejay Roginski, 25, of Tisbury
are both charged with conspiracy to commit assault and battery in
connection with an inmate-on-inmate attack last June.

Windemere Is Operating in Black This Fiscal Year

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

On the subject of money, at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital
this year the watchword is up: Cash is up, patient volume is up and
contributions are up.

The hospital released draft combined financial statements this week,
and the numbers show that the Vineyard's only hospital ended its
fiscal year solidly in the black - even after factoring in a
$198,000 operating loss at the Windemere Nursing Home and Rehabilitation
Center.

Hospital Is Exploring Ties to Oak Bluffs Sewer Line

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

Leaders at the Martha's Vineyard hospital said this week that
the plan to build a new hospital also now includes an emerging plan to
tie into the Oak Bluffs sewage treatment plant.

"We have begun talks with the town of Oak Bluffs, and we know
that nothing would be better than getting everything out of here,"
said hospital board vice chairman Tim Sweet yesterday.

Survey Offers Snapshot of Businesses

By MANDY LOCKE

Daytrippers pump little revenue into the coffers of Island
businesses. Vineyard establishments are well-rooted; the majority have
survived more than 17 years. Despite the national economic downturn of
the last few years, Vineyard business owners weathered it quite well;
nearly three-quarters earned as much if not more in 2003 than the
previous year.

Boat Line Forecast: Steady as She Goes, Waiting on Weather

By ALEXIS TONTI

When Steamship Authority managers look ahead to the summer season,
they are hesitant to make any forecasts. Traffic may be a little off
right now, but everyone agrees that in the end the weather will be the
biggest influence on how many passengers ride the ferries.

"I think things are a little slower than we would like, but
that can reverse pretty quickly," SSA chief executive officer Fred
C. Raskin said this week.

In West Tisbury, ‘A Path Beside the Roadways'

By CHRIS BURRELL

A sidewalk may seem like the most hum-drum of amenities, but in West
Tisbury they refer to their walkways with great deference, calling them
"paths beside the roadways."

Until last year, this up-Island town with nearly 15 miles of paved
streets enjoyed only the barest scrap of sidewalk, about 200 feet from
Alley's General Store up around the corner of Music street to the
side entrance of the First Congregational Church.

After more than two years of trying to conceive a new purpose and
new life for an old building, Oak Bluffs selectmen are poised to sign a
contract to lease their abandoned town hall to the Steamship Authority
for roughly $46,000 a year.

An Hour to New Bedford, Starting June 24

By TOM DUNLOP

MAMARONECK, N.Y. - The next big thing in Island water
transportation stands three decks high in the shed. The blocklike
components of her stern face a rocky harbor and the morning sun. Her
twin hulls knife their way off into darkness. The aluminum hull of the
Whaling City Express, under construction at the Derecktor Shipyard here
at the western end of Long Island Sound, will be launched tomorrow. With
her maiden arrival in Oak Bluffs on the morning of June 24, an
interesting experiment begins:

Airlines providing regional service between the Vineyard and Logan International Airport could receive relief from proposed hikes in landing and takeoff fees under a plan submitted by the Massachusetts Port Authority to federal regulators earlier this month.

The exemption program is one element of Massport's peak pricing proposal, which would raise landing fees at the Boston airport during peak hours to $150 per landing and departure.

State's Gay Marriage Day Arrives, and Vineyard Couples
Celebrate

By MANDY LOCKE

For most couples headed down the wedding aisle, this is one of those
nagging details - an errand that claims more time and attention
than a couple wants to spare.

But for Sue Dawson and Alison Shaw, it was a task to savor.

Filling out the three-page notice of intention to marry at the Oak
Bluffs town clerk's office early Monday morning, this couple knew
they were part of history in the making.