Tisbury Street Fair Draws Thousands

Festivities Celebrate All Things Vineyard in July Highlight

By JOSHUA SABATINI

A stroller entering the 31st annual Tisbury Street Fair was
overwhelmed from every direction by the sounds of music, the wafting
scents of foods - from raw oysters to crispy fried chicken -
and the sights of wares pushed by shop owners, educational displays,
glow sticks, balloons and painted faces.

Smoke from Canadian Forest Fires Contributes to Airport Traffic
Snarl

By JOSHUA SABATINI

Smoke from about 45 fires burning in northern Quebec and fanned by
winds out of the north spread a haze throughout New England on Sunday
that contributed to record delays at Martha's Vineyard Airport.

Amid high numbers of passengers and air traffic volume typical of
the Fourth of July holiday, airport manager Bill Weibrecht said the wall
of haze slowed operations.

Showcase Car Dealer Shuts Island Doors End of This Month

By MANDY LOCKE

In 10 days, the Island will lose its only new car dealership when
Showcase Isuzu Suzuki of Martha's Vineyard closes due to an
inability to recruit and retain employees.

Nearly five years after Bourne auto dealer Bob Scena renovated the
former Old Colony Service Corporation in Edgartown, his company will
clear out of its home on West Tisbury Road in Edgartown on July 19.

A 22-year-old inmate at the Edgartown House of Correction will be
arraigned on Thursday on three charges of escape. David Luce, who was
captured by local police after he was discovered missing from the jail
on Saturday, May 4, has also been charged with possession of counterfeit
$10 bills.

In a three-way partnership that will protect the last key piece of undeveloped land at one of the oldest wildlife sanctuaries on the Vineyard, the Martha's Vineyard Land Bank, the Massachusetts Audubon Society and the Felix Neck Wildlife Trust announced yesterday that they will buy 34 acres from Lucia Moffet for $2.55 million.

The Moffet property runs along the entire length of the entrance road to the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary on the eastern side.

At his arraignment Friday in Edgartown District Court, William O'Connell, a powerful Quincy developer, pleaded not guilty to charges that he was drunk and operating his 47-foot cigarette boat negligently when the propeller struck and killed his close friend, Quincy real estate broker William Sanderson.

By wide margins, Island high school students are still outpacing their peers in the rest of the state when it comes to risky behaviors such as drunk driving, binge drinking and smoking marijuana.

SSA Launches Plan to Tighten Security

By JULIA WELLS

The Steamship Authority will spend about $200,000 this summer to
boost security on ferries and at boat line terminals on the Cape and
Islands.

Senior managers at the SSA said this week that they are trying to
incorporate a new awareness about safety and security into operations at
the public boat line, although it is still unclear how much can be done
that is meaningful - and also legal.

For members of the Island's Brazilian population, one of the
most frightening prospects is a visit to the hospital. Rather than a
lack of health insurance, what keeps many away is the fear of not being
understood.

This Fourth of July parade was clearly the biggest. Last
night's fireworks were vivid and colorful. And those words can
also be used to describe a parade that was so large that it took nearly
two hours to run its course.

Edgartown fire chief Tony Bettencourt said: "It was absolutely
the largest. It was incredible."