From the very start it had all the markings of a political campaign
- go heavy on the sales pitch, work the numbers to make them fit
the pitch and filibuster to silence anyone who questioned the
information.

More land, less impact on the ponds and a pledge to be better
neighbors this time around - those were the promises made to the
Martha's Vineyard Commission last night from developers who want
to build an 18-hole private, luxury golf club in the last unbroken
stretch of woodlands in the town of Oak Bluffs.

Crowding Plagues Day Care Centers

By MANDY LOCKE

For far too many Island parents, the joy of bringing a baby into the
world becomes clouded by the anxiety of securing and affording a quality
day-care provider.

Each parent seems to have a horror story.

One mother returns to the sitter to pick up her infant, who waddles
in a sagging diaper six hours old. Another - after a full year of
trying to find a care provider for her two-year-old - begs her
mother in law to move to the Island.

First Anthrax Scare Triggers Emergency Response on Island

Editor's Note: State public health officials reported Saturday that testing of the substance found in the envelope delivered to Vineyard Gazette editor and publisher Richard Reston was negative and showed no trace of anthrax. Officials called the test definitive and closed the case.

An anthrax scare turned up on the Vineyard this week when the editor
and publisher of the Vineyard Gazette received a suspicious envelope in
the mail that contained a gray granular substance.

After months of uneven discussion about whether to open up
high-speed ferry service between New Bedford and the Vineyard, the
Steamship Authority is now set for a crucial vote on a pilot project
that will cost the boat line millions of dollars over the next three
years, if it is approved.

A house on Starbuck's Neck in Edgartown whose history as a
summer home dates back a full century was sold this week for a record
$21.8 million.

The home, still known to most Vineyard residents as the former Sharp
house, was purchased by a private buyer. This marks the second record
sale for the same house in less than two years.

Hospital Contract Changes Questioned

Tisbury Leaders Charge Shady Moves in Amended Contract; Turn Matter
Over to Town Counsel for Study

By JOSHUA SABATINI

Tisbury selectmen this week asked town counsel to study a
controversial amended contract among Island towns, the county and
Martha's Vineyard Hospital for possible legal problems.

At a Tisbury selectmen's meeting Tuesday evening, selectman
Thomas Pachico said there seems to be "something shady" in
the agreement administered by the subcommittee in charge of the
dealings.

The jokes and gritty remarks about trophy houses and the Hamptons
have been circulating on the Vineyard for a couple of years, but last
week the Edgartown conservation commission got its first real-life
glimpse of a starter castle now planned for an unspoiled point of land
on the Oyster Pond.

The end of the 56th annual Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and
Bluefish Derby is a day away. Many of the Island's top fishermen
will fish right to the end, through tonight and into tomorrow. The derby
will end when the headquarters at the foot of Main street in Edgartown
close at 10 p.m. tomorrow.

An awards ceremony will take place Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Oak
Bluffs nightclub Atlantic Connection.

Cranberry Day observances brought the youngest and oldest members of
the Wampanoag Tribe together on Tuesday. The weather couldn't have
been better as the tribal nation celebrated its most popular holiday.