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.

The dispute over the right of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head
(Aquinnah) to arm its rangers with handguns and establish its own police
force is now being hashed out in the offices of the state attorney
general in Boston, where state officials are acting as facilitators.

Tisbury Police Department Size Debated

By JOSHUA SABATINI

At a Tisbury police labor management meeting Tuesday afternoon,
patrolmen said their own safety and that of the public is jeopardized by
having a department of only 11 men.

The union wants an increase in manpower. But selectmen have been
considering cutting back the department since more than a month ago,
when police chief John McCarthy asked the board's permission to
hire a patrolman to replace one who recently retired. Selectman Tristan
Israel questioned the need, and the debate was on.

Grounded through February, Island school students can forget about their travel plans to England, Barbados, Cuba, Germany and Russia. School leaders decided this week to cancel flight travel for student trips until March, citing safety concerns in the aftermath of last month's terrorist attacks.

A sluggish economy coupled with a severe lack of affordable housing on the Vineyard may be responsible for stagnant and, in some cases, falling enrollments reported by Island schools this week.