By KATE J. CONDE

It’s a girl! Congratulations to Deputy Chief Alex Schaeffer and his wife Julie as they welcome their daughter Amelia Eliza to their family. The new addition was born Jan. 4 at 11:51 p.m., weighing in at 7 pounds, 14 ounces. Amelia joins big brother Tobi, who is eager to share his toys — let’s hope she likes fire trucks.

Beer and Wine Meeting

Tisbury will sponsor a meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. in the Katharine Cornell Theatre on Spring street to discuss the possibility of the sale of beer and wine in the town. Discussion will be held in an open town meeting style forum.

Town administrator John Bugbee said the beer and wine proposal will be on the ballot this spring and therefore not debated on the annual town meeting floor. More information is available by calling 508-696-4203.

If it is true that convention is meant to be defied, Elaine Barse could write the book. A top-tier college graduate who chose the life of a ski bum over graduate school in her post-college years, today Ms. Barse owns The Green Room, the popular surf, skate and clothing store on Main street Vineyard Haven.

They work under trying conditions. Chilly winds can blow over 30 miles per hour, the temperature hovers at above or below freezing and the precision of their work is expected to measure within fractions of an inch. Winter storms come and go, while the seas offshore boil with huge waves and send spray into the air

Still, they show up on the job with a smile.

They aren’t sailors. They are the Island’s carpenters.

At a job site on East Chop, carpenter Stephen Dunham is atop a three-story, rain-soaked plywood palace.

A plan to tie the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School into the Oak Bluffs sewage treatment plant at a cost of $1.5 million has hit another road block in its bumpy journey.

The regional high school district committee voted on Monday night to rescind an earlier vote to float a bond for the project after it came to light that the school district had not properly notified the towns that they have a voice in the matter under state law.

The rest of the state may have other ideas, but the Vineyard wants Sen. Barack Obama to be President of the United States of America.

Bucking the state trend on Tuesday, an extremely high turnout of Vineyard voters squarely backed Sen. Barack Obama in the Democratic primary with 55 per cent of the 5,288 Democrat votes cast, while Sen. Hillary Clinton picked up 40 per cent. The result is a mirror image of Massachusetts numbers which put Senator Clinton at 56 per cent and Senator Obama at 41 per cent.

Police this week continued their investigation into a traffic accident at the intersection of County and Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Roads last Tuesday that claimed the life of a 20-year-old Island woman and left two others seriously injured.

Oak Bluffs police are still waiting for a report from a state accident reconstruction team. Police have also subpoenaed hospital records and are waiting for the results of toxicology tests on the two drivers involved in the accident.

The road on Sunday was marked with only a simple sign — a white sheet of paper taped to a tree and stamped with the letter B. The B was for bees and the sign was to direct those interested in the insect to a meeting of beekeepers and bee enthusiasts.

Like the bee that travels in swarms, the bee enthusiast is most in his element when surrounded by like-minded company.

A thin crescent moon appears low in our southwestern sky tonight. The moon is one day old from New Moon phase and will appear thin and difficult to spot since it is so close to the horizon. More Vineyarders will see the moon on Saturday evening when it is both higher in the western sky and also lasts a little bit longer before setting.

When cruise ships arrive off Oak Bluffs in late summer, passengers interested in taking a sightseeing tour of the Vineyard are directed to one bus company, Island Transport Inc. and offered the opportunity to buy their sightseeing tickets while still on board.

As the passengers arrive onshore, they board Island Transport buses and are taken on a tour of the Vineyard which includes stops at Gay Head Cliffs in Aquinnah and downtown Edgartown.