With the rising cost of everything from salaries to health insurance premiums coupled with slowing commercial and residential growth, elected leaders in all six Islands towns will likely face especially tough decisions this budget season as they begin to draft their financial blueprints for the coming fiscal year.

A fatal accident aboard the schooner Alabama during a day sail out of Vineyard Haven in the summer of 2006 involved no violation of U.S. Coast Guard regulations, a report by Coast Guard investigators has found.

Vigorous environmental protection for five ancient ways will be the central issue at an Edgartown special town meeting set for next Thursday.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Old Whaling Church; moderator Philip J. Norton Jr. will preside over the session.

A great coach once said, “What counts in sports is not the victory, but the magnificence of the struggle.” By that standard, the boys’ basketball team’s magnificent but ultimately heartbreaking 83-76 overtime loss to Wareham in the second round of the Division 3 south region state tournament on Wednesday must be considered a success.

Stephen Nixon, assistant principal of Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School since 2004, will become principal in July, beating more than a dozen off-Island candidates for the position now held by Margaret (Peg) Regan, who resigns at the end of this academic year.

The announcement came this week from schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss, who made the final decision using the initial decisions of a screening committee and the recommendations of students, teachers and community members and a sub-group of the high school committee.

A single-source catalogue of every one of the 1.8 million or more life forms on Earth, the Encyclopedia of Life will involve a network of some of the world’s most prestigious scientific institutions.

But the encyclopedia, which went online for the first time this week, will depend heavily for its success on people — like Allan Keith, citizen scientist of Chilmark — with little or no formal training.

Dukes County sheriff Michael McCormack is staking out his opposition to a draft bill from Gov. Deval Patrick that threatens to take over the seven county sheriff departments which still operate independently of the state.

Edgartown is a place where special town meetings often fail to attract a quorum and selectmen’s meetings seldom push the half-hour mark. In recent years the town has not been known for its red-hot electoral battles.

Charter School

Monday, March 3: Spaghetti with tomato sauce, meatballs, green beans, garlic bread, peaches and milk.

Tuesday, March 4: Corn chowder, grilled cheese sandwich, fruit smoothie and milk.

Wednesday, March 5: Bagels with cream cheese, tuna salad or melted cheese and tomato, Moroccan salad, pineapple and milk.

Thursday, March 6: Pizza (plain cheese, pepperoni or broccoli and mushroom), tossed salad, fresh fruit and milk.

Matthew P. Stackpole, the former executive director of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, has been named a major gifts officer at Mystic Seaport – The Museum of America and the Sea, in Mystic, Conn.

Mr. Stackpole will focus his initial efforts on raising support across the nation for the museum’s pending restoration of the Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaleship in the world.

A three-year, multi-million dollar restoration of the vessel is set to begin in fall 2008.