After almost two years trying to resolve the ongoing dispute over transit buses crowding into the village center of West Tisbury, officials have reached a compromise that may put the issue to rest.

The owners of the Tisbury Inn plan to demolish the old building
early in February, with an eye toward building a new hotel and health
center. Susan Goldstein, who with her husband Sherman owns the inn, said
yesterday they are talking with local contractors about taking down what
remains of the complex, at the head of Main street in Tisbury, which was
ruined in a fire that began in the evening of Saturday, Dec. 15.

The eighth annual New Year's Eve celebration in Tisbury has a
new look, mixing highlights of years past - the hat parade,
fireworks, Marcus the Magician - with brand-new events over a
two-day period.

Shellfish constable Paul Bagnall oversaw the opening of Oyster Pond
and Edgartown Great Pond to the sea on Wednesday, but Thursday's
unfavorable wind and surf conspired to close both openings.

Mr. Bagnall said he may try to make the cuts sometime in January if
he is presented with a good opportunity; otherwise, he will wait until
March. "Now I will take a good look at it," said Mr.
Bagnall, "and keep an eye on the weather."

While the Martha's Vineyard Refuse Disposal and Resource
Recovery District committee negotiates costs, facility capacity and
logistics with the Rhode Island-based Waste Options company to build a
composting facility on the Island, many Islanders seek answers to more
basic questions.

When campers from the Vineyard's own Camp Jabberwocky went on
an unusual tour in Canada this year, their slogan was a single question
that was at once jocular and earnest. "How's your
news?" they inquired in on-the-street interviews with everyday
people.

As the year 2001 comes to a close, it is perhaps an apt question for
the Vineyard: How's our news?

This is how it was:

Start talking to people about the state of the Vineyard economy, and you can detect an edginess, an air of concern that mirrors the condition of a nation in the midst of recession, war and ongoing fear of terrorism.

The impact of the fire at the Tisbury Inn and Health Club can't yet be measured in time or money. How many dollars and how many months will it take to rebuild?

The Tisbury Inn was destroyed Saturday night by a fire that started
in mid-evening and wasn't fully extinguished until late afternoon
Sunday. More than 100 firefighters and public safety personnel were
called to the center of the town to fight the blaze at the landmark
hotel.

How many pounds of flour, how many pounds of sugar, how many pounds
of butter have passed through this place in the last 37 years? How many
scones, how many shortbreads, how many jars of beach plum jelly, how
many rhubarb pies?

No one ever counted. And no one ever wrote down the recipes.