Plan Asks Full New Bedford Ferry Ties;

By JULIA WELLS

Gazette Senior Writer

Adding a new kink to the tangled business affairs of the Steamship
Authority, a private freight hauler submitted a license request this
week to run year-round ferry service between New Bedford and the two
Islands.

"We are confident that we can operate these routes
successfully at no cost to the Steamship Authority," wrote Craig
Johnson, who is the director of operations for Seabulk International
Inc., formerly known as Hvide Marine Inc.

Hospital leaders gave themselves a checkup this week, and while no
crisis was detected, there was a prescription - for more work.

Hospital leaders gave themselves a checkup this week, and while no crisis was detected, there was a prescription - for more work.

The Vineyard community turned out in force at noon on Monday to
celebrate the life of Edmond G. Coogan. Friends and family members were
pleased by the outpouring of love and sensitivity at his funeral
services at the Old Whaling Church in Edgartown, and they repeated the
thought over and over again.

Mr. Coogan, 57, a Vineyard Haven attorney and selectman with as many
years of public service to the community as years of residence on the
Island, died last Friday at his home.

A single car crash on County Road in Oak Bluffs Wednesday afternoon claimed the life of high school senior Eric MacLean, who had just turned 18.

Tisbury selectmen took the first step toward changing the Tisbury
police department this week, a department labeled dysfunctional
at best by a report released from an outside agency. Released
Feb. 27 after four months of research, the report made 11
recommendations for changes in the department, all of which were
unanimously approved by the board Tuesday evening.

Board Accepts Police Plan

By COLE LOUISON

Tisbury selectmen took the first step toward changing the Tisbury
police department this week, a department labeled "dysfunctional
at best" by a report released from an outside agency. Released
Feb. 27 after four months of research, the report made 11
recommendations for changes in the department, all of which were
unanimously approved by the board Tuesday evening.

Just five years after a star-studded cast of investors revived the Hot Tin Roof, the legendary Edgartown nightclub partly owned by Carly Simon is closing down, the victim of a graying Island population and a hard-nosed town policy. The building is up for sale at a price of $1.1 million.

The last safe haven for smokers is about to become enemy territory. Come July, bars on Martha's Vineyard are pulling up their ashtrays and hanging up signs that spell it out - no smoking.

Four Island teens dodged a bullet last weekend, surviving a
high-speed automobile accident in Edgartown. One youth faces charges of
operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol; one was
airlifted to Boston, but all are recovering. The accident occurred at 1
a.m. on Saturday.