Echoes of Sept. 11 followed the solemn marchers in the Memorial Day
veterans' parade on Monday. More participants joined, and more
flags were hung than in years past. Even the crowds were larger on the
Edgartown streets.

National Labor Board Sets Stage for Vote on Union in Community
Services Dispute

By MANDY LOCKE

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) set the stage for a vote
on union status in the labor dispute at Martha's Vineyard
Community Services with a May 24 ruling that expanded the pool of
eligible voters in the Island Counseling Center.

Historic Chappaquiddick Farm Preserved in Unique Partnership

By JULIA WELLS

The preservation of a historic farmstead, a new partnership between
two respected conservation organizations and affordable housing were all
tied together in a single package this week when the Martha's
Vineyard Land Bank and the Martha's Vineyard Preservation Trust
announced that they will join forces to buy the Chappaquiddick property
formerly owned by Ruth Marshall and the late Robert Marshall.

“I guess if you’re comfortable with how the game is going to end, then you can play.” Sounds of a baseball game float through the window from the playing field on the other side of the trees. “Personally, and I don’t mean this for others, it’s like — I don’t know, but I tend to believe that this life is it. So I’m not sitting there worrying about judgments and devils and angels. No hell to pay. When it’s over, it’s over.” .

Scores of high school students went to the prom Saturday night and
then roamed the Vineyard looking for a party, and in the course of that
night, at least seven figured out they were in some kind of trouble and
needed a ride home.

After breathing smoke-free air for more than a year, some bar owners in Oak Bluffs just can't stand it anymore. They want the smokers back, and they're pressing the board of health to reverse the ban that's been in effect since April 2001.

The lilacs are in full bloom and the air smells like summer.
Memorial Day weekend is here. The American flags are posted. The flowers
boxes are decorated. This is an early such weekend for a community that
years ago used to end the month with the national holiday. And yes,
there will be more than one parade.

From Public to Spiritual Works: Fred LaPiana Becomes Deacon

By JOSHUA SABATINI

Fred LaPiana of Tisbury has served his community's physical
needs for nine years as director of the town's department of
public works. But the man who often can be seen driving the roadways in
a red public works truck will now help some Islanders meet their
spiritual needs, too.

Boatline Bill Moves to House for Vote

Fierce Debate Is Expected in Collision Between New Bedford and the
Islands for Steamship Authority Control

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

A fiercely contested legislative bill to reorganize the Steamship
Authority board of governors is now on the move and set for debate and
vote on the House floor on Beacon Hill next week.

U.S. Census Figures Show Poverty Rates on Island Fall Below State
Average

By NIS KILDEGAARD

Poverty rates on Martha's Vineyard are lower than the
Massachusetts average, according to new statistics issued this week by
the U.S. Census Bureau. But the Census numbers, when viewed in detail,
paint a stark picture of a middle-class community where income still
falls beneath state averages even as housing costs climb to crippling
levels.