Bye Bye Birdie: Falcon Flies Off, Headed Toward Parts Unknown

By MATT PELIKAN

It's difficult to prove that something is absent. But it
appears that the Vineyard's hottest celebrity flew the coop
sometime Tuesday afternoon.

The flight was self-propelled, and the celebrity was a slate-gray,
foot-long predatory bird, a red-footed falcon, the first member of its
species ever found flying wild in North America.

Unlocking a Puzzle: Quality of Our Waters

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

The diver goes over the side and disappears into the shallow
saltwater pond with a small splash. Several minutes later he breaks the
surface, cradling his prize: a clear plastic cylinder that contains a
large plug of gravelly sand topped with pond water. A wisp of green
algae waves gently in the watery top layer like a slender flag.

Going into Tuesday's special town meeting and a crucial vote
on the future of the Edgartown Free Public Library, the library trustees
had two outstanding items on their wish list: strong backing from town
leaders for their plan and a signed agreement with the owner of the
Captain Warren House property. This week they got both.

There is a lot more need for a Vineyard connection with Cuttyhunk these days, Dukes County Commissioners heard on a visit to the island Wednesday. Gosnold, they were told, is facing significant impact from its growing popularity as the outermost town in the Elizabeth chain of islands.

After nearly three weeks of turmoil and back-and-forth accusations,
Vineyard school leaders officially severed ties with their school bus
contractor, Island Transport, and have crafted a deal to hire the
Vineyard Transit Authority (VTA) and a Florida company to run the school
buses in time for the opening of the school year next month.

Edgartown Library: A Critical Phase

By MAX HART

The Edgartown library must expand now or else fail the community it
serves.

That's the message the board of trustees of the Edgartown Free
Public Library is hoping to convey to town officials and voters this
week as it starts a critical phase of its push for expansion of the
century-old facility. A crucial vote next week will decide the first
step in what the board hopes will be a successful bid to bring the
library into the 21st century.

A Dancer and His Patron Build New Program, and Studio, Here

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By JESSIE ROYCE HILL

In an airy studio redolent of newly sanded wood and fresh paint, 15
teenage dancers surround the floor, their eyes fixed upon a legendary
dancer.

Camp Ground Considers Leaseholder Vote

By CHRIS BURRELL

They're demanding universal suffrage, the right of cottage
owners in the Camp Ground to choose their leaders, but after a weekend
of heavy politicking, a newly constituted tenants' group emerged
with only a partial victory.

The 21-member board of directors of the Martha's Vineyard Camp
Meeting Association (MVCMA) agreed Friday to explore a proposed
amendment to the bylaws - a move that would alter the governance
of this historic community in the center of Oak Bluffs.

Along with the Ferris wheel and the tilt-a-whirl, one of the wildest rides of the Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society Livestock Show and Fair this year was provided by the weather.

Eleanor Neubert, fair manager, said the weather gets much of the credit for the fact that attendance this year totaled 27,887 people, more than a thousand above last year's total and an all-time record for the fair.

Youth Hockey Builds Character; Also Puts Deep Dents in Island Family
Pocketbooks

By CHRIS BURRELL

For nine months a year, Susan Mercier's three daughters love
to lace up the skates, throw on the gloves and pads and grab a stick for
a game of ice hockey.

"It's the most empowering thing you can do for your
daughter," said Ms. Mercier of Edgartown.