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.

Boatline Issues Divide Board

Future of Once Proposed Parking Lot Property Triggers Sharp Debate;
New Bedford Suit Runs Up Big Legal Bills

By JULIA WELLS

Gazette Senior Writer

NANTUCKET - An old skeleton tumbled out of the closet
yesterday when Steamship Authority governors took up the thorny question
of selling the Blacksmith Shop Road property in Falmouth, in a
passionate discussion that revealed fresh fault lines on the boat line
board - especially between the Falmouth and Vineyard members.

Tisbury Police Ask Expansion

Acting Chief Presents Selectmen With Detailed Proposal to Boost
Number of Uniformed Officers By Three Full-Time Slots

By JOSHUA SABATINI

School board members in Charlottesville, Va., want Dr. Kriner Cash to be their next school superintendent, and are negotiating right now to see if they can convince the leader of the Vineyard school system to head south.

MVC Votes to Rescind District Designation for Chappaquiddick

By MANDY LOCKE

The Martha's Vineyard Commission officially closed a year-long
chapter for the residents of Chappaquiddick last night, voting to
rescind the island's designation as a district of critical
planning concern (DCPC).

The vote ended the one-year building moratorium three weeks early.
Without the vote, the moratorium would automatically expire June 7.