For 10 years, Mark Luce, innkeeper at the Dockside Inn and Oak House, has employed the same seven-member Jamaican extended family to help run his business. But this year, they won’t be coming.

Darren Morris hires the drivers for the Martha’s Vineyard Transit Authority. Every year he hires 15 or 20 Bulgarian workers to drive buses. But this year, none.

The struggling U.S. economy and a strong euro are pushing summer rental bookings ahead of a strong 2007 season.

While home rentals are even or slightly ahead of last year, hotels report increases of up to 15 or 20 per cent more than last year.

Soaring domestic fuel prices and airfares, along with a favorable foreign currency exchange rate, are making Island vacations desirable to Americans within a one-day drive of the Island and to Europeans buoyed by the exchange rate on their currency, Vineyard hoteliers and rental agencies report.

Marion Mudge typed her own name into Google on Wednesday. In a fraction of a second, the search engine came up with 370,000 references.

The self-effacing Tisbury town clerk has become a big name in the news. Media in Detroit, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Eugene, Oregon, not to mention some specialty publications including a wine magazine, from all over the country, have featured her.

At their annual town election Wednesday Chilmark voters easily approved three Proposition 2 1/2 overrides and reeelected selectman Warren Doty to a fourth term.

The overrides included $78,000 in education spending and two funding requests that will allow the town to help pay for the county health care access and pest control programs.

A total of 211 voters, or 26 per cent of the 805 registered, turned out for the election on a sunny, cool April day.

Oak Bluffs selectmen Tuesday elected a new chairman, hosted a public hearing on a state plan to resurface several downtown streets and heard updated plans to repair the crumbling waterfront and dredge Sengekontacket Pond.

When the Oak Bluffs resident home site committee was established by a nearly unanimous vote at a special town meeting in September of 1987, it was widely heralded as an innovative and proactive measure to combat the dearth of affordable housing on the Island by creating low-cost lots for qualified, year-round town residents.

Since that time, the committee has seen its share of highs and lows.

The Permanent Endowment Fund for Martha’s Vineyard has announced its spring grant recipients with a total of $45,000 awarded to 14 Island organizations.

On June 21, the Oak Bluffs Association will kick off summer with HarborFest 2008, a free event featuring music, arts, crafts, food and entertainment.

The association, which is producing the event, is accepting applications for booth space from artists, non-profits, food concessions as well as children’s games and entertainment.

Applications are available at daRosa’s on Circuit avenue in Oak Bluffs, on-line at oakbluffsmv.com under the events tab, or by e-mailing a request at obainfo@yahoo.com.

Tisbury will remain a dry town, after a recount of the tied April 15 ballot on restaurant beer and wine sales found two more votes in opposition to alcohol sales.

Shortly after 4 p.m. Friday, the new result was announced - 692 against alcohol sales and 690 in favor.

Two votes previously recorded as blanks by the automated count on the night of the ballot were counted as valid no votes, on the hand recount.

On a raid of Vineyard thrift shops Mariaclara Zazzaro, 24, carries a toolkit with gaffer’s tape, an X-Acto knife, fishing line, a paint kit, glue, and Streaks And Tips hair dye. She already owns two banker’s lamps, the production designer’s favorite prop.