Call it a race to the top for the old pros. With four days left in the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish derby, two well-known tackle shop owners and former derby winners are in first place for shore bluefish and bass.

Cooper A. (Coop) Gilkes 3rd stills holds his spot in first place with a 34.34-striper caught from the shore last week. And on Columbus Day Stephen C. Morris moved into first place on the leaderboard 14.86-pound bluefish caught from the shore.

The owner of Preventive Medicine Associates Inc., whose office in Vineyard Haven closed last month, pleaded not guilty yesterday to all charges alleging he engaged in a kickback scheme that fraudulently billed MassHealth nearly $3.8 million.

DOING HIS JOB

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

I read in today’s morning news a brief announcement of the summons against Jamie Zambrama.

By a single vote, a sharply divided Martha’s Vineyard Commission voted on Thursday night to approve the long-planned roundabout for the blinker intersection in Oak Bluffs.

After a three-hour discussion that was often contentious, the vote was 7-6 in favor of the traffic improvement project.

The roundabout has been on the drawing board in Oak Bluffs for 10 years and has the backing of the town selectmen and police chief.

Commissioner Chris Murphy, who chaired the meeting, cast the deciding vote.

Peter Brannen’s article on the State of Birds in the Gazette two weeks ago was interesting and included excerpts from the information gathered over the last 40 years by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Manomet Bird Observatory and the Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife Department. Vineyard birders can relate to these findings, but there are significant differences between conditions on the Island and even southeastern Massachusetts.

Temperature: Precip.

Day Max. Min. Inches.

Fº Fº

Sept. 30 78 57 .36

Oct. 1 75 66 .30

Oct. 2 75 61 .05

Oct. 3 72 53 Trace

Oct. 4 70 53 .36

Oct. 5 68 56 .07

Oct. 6 67 40 .03

Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 65º F.