When it came to the economics of health care, the message heard from
the big shots in the field couldn't have been more blunt. America
spends more on health care than any other country in the world but the
pay-off is marginal - its citizens don't live any longer
than people in Canada or Britain.

Camping Area Gains Support

Environmental Bond Bill Carries $3 Million Earmark Toward Purchase
of Old Webb's Site in Southern Woodlands

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

A $700 million state environmental bond bill is now set for a vote
in the state legislature, and includes a $3 million earmark toward the
purchase of the former Webb's Camping Area in Oak Bluffs.

Tisbury Voters Face Decision on Money for Treatment Plant

By JOSHUA SABATINI

Tisbury selectmen will convene a special town meeting Sept. 10 to
ask voters for an additional $2 million to fund a proposed wastewater
treatment project, having pushed the project over budget Tuesday by
accepting a bid for construction of a wastewater treatment center.

The board's action came this week at the recommendation of
Earth Tech Inc., the town's consulting firm for the project.

Beautiful Road Returns Star to Home on Stage

By ALEXIS TONTI

Friday night at the Hot Tin Roof, Kate Taylor came home. She took to
the stage with confidence and launched the set with a clear voice, her
petite frame radiating enormous energy and vitality. And, as with any
proper homecoming, she was greeted by friends and family, all who had
come to celebrate the release of her new album, Beautiful Road.

On Call: Hospital Emergency Team Cares for Island with Skill and
Commitment

By MANDY LOCKE

A heat haze hangs over the Island, and gray-haired men chat about
the need for rain as they make their way to the door. Just inside, a
visitor leans over the counter and jokingly asks for a cure for summer.
A nurse replies: "We have a pill in the form of a ferry ticket off
the Island."

The scanner is quiet. No one rushes. No tears. No sign of crisis.
Not yet.

But the day is young for the emergency department staff at
Martha's Vineyard Hospital.

Martha's Vineyard Community Services sees the writing on the wall.

Just across Vineyard Sound and Buzzard's Bay, the Center for Health and Human Services of New Bedford is closing its outpatient counseling operation - turning away 600 clients after not being able to pull itself out of the red.

SSA Members Express Concern Over Troubled High Speed Ferry

By JULIA WELLS

After two years of breakdowns and mechanical problems on the
high-speed ferry Flying Cloud, the Steamship Authority chief executive
officer said last week that he had negotiated a nine-month extension on
the warranty for the ferry's engine.

"Although the relationship is frayed and strained, the company
continues to provide support," boat line CEO Fred C. Raskin told
board members at the monthly SSA meeting on Nantucket.

A 38-year-old man from Watertown drowned early Saturday morning
after he fell off the bulkhead at Oak Bluffs harbor and into the water,
according to police.

Bids for Tisbury Wastewater Plant Arrive at $1 Million Above
Expected Price Tag

By JOSHUA SABATINI

The lowest bid to build a wastewater treatment facility in Tisbury
has come in more than a million dollars higher than anticipated, raising
financial concerns among town officials and residents that the project
cost will stretch beyond its expected $8.3 million price tag.

The Martha's Vineyard Preservation Trust confirmed this week that it will buy Union Chapel, the storied Oak Bluffs chapel whose rich history forms a distinct chapter in the annals of the Vineyard as a summer resort.