Unspoiled beaches. A quiet, rural island community. Canoes and kayaks for rent. Cool caps and T-shirts for sale. Hundreds of cars. Long ferry lines. Fresh talk about how to manage it all.

This is the latest sketch from Chappaquiddick, where discussion has begun to heat up around a new long-range plan for two key properties owned by The Trustees of Reservations: Cape Pogue Wildlife Refuge and Wasque Reservation.

For the 25th Year: Art Buchwald Heads Back to Auction Block

By C.K. WOLFSON

There are no similar versions of himself; he is that singular, that
irreverent, blunt, kind-hearted. Mischievous to an inch of trouble.
Without intention, without seeming to care, he is a finger-in-the-socket
current of unpredictability and compassion that, when added to almost
any existing whole, changes its entire composition.

New Transportation Plan Is Roadmap for Easing Congestion on Vineyard

By CHRIS BURRELL

The danger zones and hot spots on Island roads are all laid out in a transportation plan unveiled last week by the Martha's Vineyard
Commission.

The plan calls for a host of remedies that range from increased home delivery of mail to the construction of new connector roads to alleviate pressure on some of the worst and most heavily-trafficked stretches.

By Air and Sea, the Daily Trip to the Office

By MANDY LOCKE

NANTUCKET - It's 6:40 in the morning. The workmen
stepping off an Island Airlines puddle jumper are already through their
second cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee. In cut-off shorts, steel-toe
boots and sleeveless T-shirts, the new arrivals cradle Styrofoam mugs in
one hand and coolers in the other.

Fred Abrahams: Human Rights Research Took Him Into Iraq

By C.K. WOLFSON

He used to spend summers on the Vineyard; the son of David Abrahams
and Carole Cronig Abrahams, grandson of Mae and Henry Cronig, a family
that has become part of the Island's history. But most recently
Fred Abrahams has summered in places such as Kosovo, the Czech Republic
and Iraq, and he has become a part of global history.

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.