The Aquinnah planning board will seek criminal charges against two
seasonal residents and a local landscape company who topped a large
swath of trees off Lobsterville Road without permission this summer.

With whispers that a hundred more were waiting outside, they filled the hall, charged with the anticipation of hearing the charismatic new voice of the Democratic Party, United States Senatorial candidate from Illinois, Barack Obama, and listening as a panel of luminaries offered their views on Brown vs. Board of Education: Mission Accomplished?

Twenty Applicants for Principals' Positions; Board Hopes for
Resolution Next Week

By CHRIS BURRELL

In a race to fill both principal seats in the two up-Island schools
by the middle of the next week, selection committees are now trying to
whittle 20 applicants down to half that number for the first cut.

The deadline to apply for the two jobs was Tuesday, and public
interviews will take place Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, said Vineyard
schools superintendent Kriner Cash.

Big Plans for Vineyard House Include a New Central Campus

By ALEXIS TONTI

The directors of Vineyard House Inc., the only Island program that
offers housing to people in the early stages of recovery from drug and
alcohol addiction, are now moving forward with a plan to purchase land
and build a central campus for the organization with increased capacity
for residents.

SSA Rankles Tisbury Board

Boatline Pays Police in Falmouth; Town Selectmen Want to Know Why
That Is Fair; Traffic Snarls at Vineyard Haven

By ALEXIS TONTI

Tisbury leaders this week charged Steamship Authority managers with
employing a double standard by paying for extra police assistance and
traffic control in Falmouth while refusing to do the same in Vineyard
Haven.

Bye Bye Birdie: Falcon Flies Off, Headed Toward Parts Unknown

By MATT PELIKAN

It's difficult to prove that something is absent. But it
appears that the Vineyard's hottest celebrity flew the coop
sometime Tuesday afternoon.

The flight was self-propelled, and the celebrity was a slate-gray,
foot-long predatory bird, a red-footed falcon, the first member of its
species ever found flying wild in North America.

Unlocking a Puzzle: Quality of Our Waters

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

The diver goes over the side and disappears into the shallow
saltwater pond with a small splash. Several minutes later he breaks the
surface, cradling his prize: a clear plastic cylinder that contains a
large plug of gravelly sand topped with pond water. A wisp of green
algae waves gently in the watery top layer like a slender flag.

Going into Tuesday's special town meeting and a crucial vote
on the future of the Edgartown Free Public Library, the library trustees
had two outstanding items on their wish list: strong backing from town
leaders for their plan and a signed agreement with the owner of the
Captain Warren House property. This week they got both.

There is a lot more need for a Vineyard connection with Cuttyhunk these days, Dukes County Commissioners heard on a visit to the island Wednesday. Gosnold, they were told, is facing significant impact from its growing popularity as the outermost town in the Elizabeth chain of islands.

After nearly three weeks of turmoil and back-and-forth accusations,
Vineyard school leaders officially severed ties with their school bus
contractor, Island Transport, and have crafted a deal to hire the
Vineyard Transit Authority (VTA) and a Florida company to run the school
buses in time for the opening of the school year next month.