Vineyard skateboarders finally got a nod of approval Monday night
from the keepers of the 150-foot square of land they see as a potential
home for an Island skate park.

Islanders Denounce Effort To Smear MVC Officials

By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer

A growing array of residents and public officials - both
inside and outside the Martha's Vineyard Commission - called
this week for an end to the smear campaign that targets three commission
members who voted against the Down Island Golf Club plan.

Blood Wedding

All in Spanish: Students Make First DVD Film

By ALEXIS TONTI

In October, students at the regional high school began an adaptation
of the Spanish play Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding) by Federico Garcia
Lorca. The project aimed to produce the school's first
student-made DVD film, complete with English subtitles. They thought it
couldn't be much different than a theatre production. As it turns
out, no one had any idea what they were getting into.

Aquinnah Voters Face Town Meeting Vote On $2 Million Budget

By JOSHUA SABATINI

The last town meeting of the Island's political season takes
place in Aquinnah on Tuesday, when residents will gather in the town
hall at 7 p.m. to vote on a $2,056,058 operating budget and 14 warrant
articles.

Although predicting the need for a Proposition 2 1/2 override,
selectmen are in the dark as to the exact status of the town's
free cash.

Tisbury Prepares for Key Election in Board of Selectmen Contest

By JOSHUA SABATINI

Facing plans for big changes in Tisbury, town voters will decide
next week whether experience or a fresh look will have a contested seat
on the board of selectmen.

Denys Wortman said a number of people asked him to run and he
decided to do just that. "The town should have a choice,"
said Mr. Wortman, who is running against incumbent Thomas Pachico.

Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. Kriner Cash is eyeing another job in Virginia this weekend as one of three finalists for the position of superintendent of schools in Charlottesville.

Employees Explain Position in Dispute

Public Forum Hears Staff Grievances from Community Services
Personnel; Campaign for Union Heats Up

By MANDY LOCKE

Island Counseling Center employees - wading through an
unresolved labor dispute at Martha's Vineyard Community Services
- received unwavering support in the court of public opinion
Monday evening.

Moped dealers like to look at the numbers this way: Of the thousands of people who rent mopeds every season, only a few end up crashing.

The bugs are coming. This is the year of the locusts.

Actually, these cicadas have been around all along, but have yet to
emerge from underground. They come out of hiding, taking to the bushes
and trees once every 17 years.

William Wilcox, water resource planner for the Martha's
Vineyard Commission, is getting ready and he'd like the community
to do the same. Just listen for their sound and watch for their
appearance. He'd like to document all the reports.

A federal judge ruled in lawsuits brought by conservation groups and
last week issued a new set of restrictions for the fishing of groundfish
in waters off the Cape and Islands. But the tight new regulations
regarding cod, yellowtail flounder and haddock have spurred an avalanche
of criticism from fishermen up and down the northeast coast.