Farmers' Lament: Quarter Inch of Rain

By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL

The corn is ready and the season's garden tomatoes are not too
far behind. Island farmers are in the midst of their season. If one were
to summarize the season in only three words, those words might be: dry,
deer and arugula.

The weather in the last month has been too dry. Deer are doing a lot
of harvesting before the farmhands get out in the morning. And
there's a big rush on arugula at the West Tisbury Farmers'
Market every Saturday and Wednesday.

Chappaquiddick's Space Fund, Land Bank Buy Island Trail Link

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

With the national economy stuck in neutral and nonprofit groups
scrambling to compete for a shrinking pool of donor dollars, a quiet
movement on the tiny island of Chappaquiddick is gaining momentum among
landowners to buy open space in their own backyards.

Artist Stanley Murphy Dies at Age 81

Beloved Artist Painted Telling Portraits of Island Generation

Stanley Murphy, renowned and beloved Island artist, died Wednesday,
July 23, at his home on Middle Road, West Tisbury. He was 81 years old.

NANTUCKET - On a hot Tuesday morning, tourists clog
Nantucket's cobblestone streets, strolling from boutique to art
gallery to coffee shop.

Walking from Main to Centre streets, they sip a latte, buy a hooded
island sweatshirt and brunch at the Jared Coffin House, knowing nothing
of the obstacles this old whaling city has overcome just to serve them.

Summit on Lagoon Weighs Dredging, Controlling Growth

By JULIA WELLS

Dredge the pond. Control growth. Upgrade septic systems. Encourage
homeowners to curb the use of high-nitrogen fertilizers on their lawns.

These were the central themes this week when an array of shellfish
officials and Vineyard residents gathered for a summit meeting of sorts
to discuss the latest water quality crisis in the Lagoon Pond.

Staff and colleagues at the Martha's Vineyard Regional High
School may have known for years about the actions of culinary arts
teacher Peter J. Koines, arrested July 11 by Oak Bluffs police on
charges that he stole school-owned kitchen supplies and diverted school
funds to buy food for his own commercial kitchen.

State's Doug Foy: Guiding Four State Agencies in New Regime

By JULIA WELLS

He switched teams, changing from private to public, from advocacy to
bureaucracy, from an attorney who led the fierce charge for
environmental protection to an Uber-secretary with a lofty title and a
post in state government to match.

But on Doug Foy, the drape of the new uniform appears to be just
right.

Golf Club Case Gets a Hearing

A Motion for Court to Reconsider Earlier Ruling Takes Lawyers to
Boston; How Powerful Is Island Commission?

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

BOSTON - An attorney who represents the Down Island Golf Club
developers tried to convince a Massachusetts Land Court judge this week
that the court's chief justice was wrong when he ruled last year
that the Martha's Vineyard Commission has full power of review
over affordable housing developments - including the power to
reject them.

A rare bacterial infection called tularemia that killed a Chilmark man three years ago appears to have hit the Island for the fourth summer in a row, possibly infecting as many as four people since May.

State public health officials said yesterday that they are evaluating four probable cases of tularemia, all of them either landscapers or people who work outdoors.

Shopping Around: In Search of Bargains

By CHRIS BURRELL

For the cost-conscious Island shopper, getting the lowest price at
the grocery store often requires a nomadic approach.

"It's insane but you have to go to all three
places," said Charlie Esposito of Vineyard Haven. "But
we're going around to get the best deal. You have to eat and be
able to afford to live here at the same time."

Mr. Esposito's tactics are not uncommon for some residents who
simply can't bear the cost of groceries and decide to go hunting
for relief.