Election season has put Cong. William Delahunt in a dark but feisty mood.

Beverly Wright was walking through the National Mall in Washington, D.C., last week during the opening ceremony for the National Museum of the American Indian when a familiar face caught her eye. As she made her way through a sea of thousands of strangers, she was suddenly confronted by a huge image of her friend, Berta Welch, staring back at her.

Breaking West Tisbury's Three-Year Streak, Tisbury
Firefighters Take Top Prize in Muster

By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL

Tisbury firefighters were the winners in Sunday's annual Dukes
County Firefighter's Muster, besting Oak Bluffs by half a second
in tight competition. More than 150 people turned out for the popular
muster on a warm and sunny day that was marked by watery fun and skilled
firefighting at Waban Park in Oak Bluffs.

County to Offer Training Class for Students Seeking the GED

By ALEXIS TONTI

Following the recent elimination of an established general education
diploma (GED) preparatory program on the Island, the Dukes County
sheriff's department announced that it will sponsor GED classes
for Vineyard residents.

State Finds Code Infractions in Oak Bluffs

By CHRIS BURRELL

An eight-month investigation by the state's environmental
enforcement agency has confirmed that the Oak Bluffs board of health and
a Tisbury engineering firm violated several state health regulations
when they signed septic permits for a new house belonging to Joseph N.
Alosso, an Island official in charge of two municipal sewage treatment
plants on the Vineyard.

Scores Improve on MCAS Test

High School Tops State Average in Both Math and English; Lower
Grades Also See Strong Exam Results

By ALEXIS TONTI

The results are in from the spring round of MCAS testing, and
students at the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School again
posted strong scores on the rigorous exam required by the state for
graduation.

Ninety-two per cent of Vineyard high school sophomores passed the
English exam, while 94 per cent passed the math exam, surpassing
statewide averages.

State Forest Tapped for Massive Clearing

By TOM DUNLOP

Swift and monumental change may soon come to blighted landscapes in
the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest, which lies at the geographical and
ecological heart of Martha's Vineyard.

The flakes falling around Scott Hershowitz's leather boots
look like snow. But this is September, and Mr. Hershowitz is sweating
like crazy, the droplets sliding down his nose and off his chin.

Oak Bluffs selectmen gave the official go-ahead to the
Island's first roundabout this week, awarding a $40,000 design
contract for the traffic circle to an engineering and architecture firm
in Stoneham.

After years of uphill struggle and vocal protest, the Vineyard community will finally get what it wants, a full service Coast Guard station at Menemsha. In a formal ceremony on Monday, with the eyes of Island officials, the United States Coast Guard and Cong. William Delahunt watching, the station will be upgraded to full status.

"This will be a great day for Menemsha," declared Chilmark selectman Warren Doty yesterday. It is not often that the waterfront community agrees on anything related to the federal government, but they agree on this.