By MEGAN DOOLEY

A passionate group of Edgartown residents spoke out against allowing tour buses on narrow town streets, asking the selectmen at a public hearing Monday to preserve and promote a walking culture downtown instead.

State police and federal drug enforcement authorities made their annual helicopter sweep over the Vineyard early this week looking for marijuana plants under cultivation.

Sgt. Jeffrey Stone who works out of the Massachusetts state police barracks in Oak Bluffs, said yesterday that 62 plants were found and removed at six sites in Oak Bluffs, West Tisbury and Edgartown.

Listen. According to acoustic consultant Greg Tocci, if you are on the Vineyard you are probably hearing some combination of traffic, mechanical noise, wind rustling foliage or surf. This is the Island’s ambient background noise. It is the low unintrusive ever-present hum of Island activity. Will the sound of massive carbon fiber blades slicing through air soon be added to this audible collage?

Correction

A story in the Tuesday Gazette about the newly named assistant principal at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School misspelled Matt Malowski’s last name. The Gazette regrets the error.

JOHN S. ALLEY

508-693-2950

(alleys@vineyard.net)

The weather for July has been just the opposite of last year; in 2010 we have had at least six days with a temperature over 90 degrees, high humidity for a good part of the month and a lot of sun. It is the third warmest July on record. The rain with accompanying lightning and thunder was most welcome over the weekend; however as readers of Tuesday’s Gazette already know, Sean Flynn, manager of the airport, reports a severe lightning strike last Friday.

Bettye Foster Baker>

508-696-9983

(bdrbaker@comcast.net)

There are few times in our lives when we can witness the beginning of the life cycle to self-independence of a living creature. I was such a witness for over four weeks, and will be forever grateful for the small pleasure nature delivered to me in the corner eave of my porch.

A Cast Into the Past

From Gazette editions of July, 1935:

JUNE D. MANNING

508-645-2574

(lthslnks@gis.net)

Rick Herrick>

508-693-8065

(herricklr@verizon.net)

It was a fun-filled weekend. Rain could not dampen the enthusiasm of East Choppers for the celebration of the hundredth anniversary of the East Chop Tennis Club. The only casualty was the cancellation of the Davis Cup match on Saturday morning due to the rain.

NANCY GARDELLA

508-693-3308

(vhavenvgazette@yahoo.com)

Friday, August 6, was certainly a day that has lived in infamy. Our annual memorial of the Hiroshima bombing will be held at the Aquinnah Lighthouse at 6 a.m. Please join us for prayers, words, songs and silence. You may catch a ride from Cronig’s in Vineyard Haven at 5:15 a.m., or be collected at Alley’s at 5:30 a.m. sharp. I’ll see you there.