Island's Clergy Eye Holiday Symbols

By C.K. WOLFSON

"Christmas, like sex, sells," says Rev. Judith Campbell,
of the Unitarian Universalist Society.

"I think that any religious significance that might have been
attached to the holiday is so completely downed by commercialism. People
go broke putting lights up and vie with each other for who has the best
display. If it were a toss up between having lights or having more
social services, I would opt for more social services."

For Boat Line, It Continues to Be 1997

By CHRIS BURRELL

Maybe the Vineyard has lost its appeal, or maybe it was the foul
weather combined with a flagging economy, but whatever the underlying
reasons, the latest traffic figures from the Steamship Authority again
reflect a 13-month trend: fewer passengers and fewer cars coming to the
Island.

Passenger traffic is down nearly five per cent this year compared
with last year. Car traffic is down more than six per cent, according to
year-to-date statistics just released, and current through Dec. 14.

With six shopping days left until Christmas, Tisbury merchants say the women will come early, the men late. Parking will be tough, but when isn't it? And though the wind may be cold the shops are warm, and the white lights of a Main street night alone make it worth the walk.

Vineyard Haven store owners are hoping this weekend will bring a rush to boost holiday business. December is usually one of the more profitable months of the year, but so far sales have been lackluster.

Thirty-four seconds remained on the clock. The Manchester Essex Hornets had just scored on a quarterback sneak to put them within two points of the Vineyard in the Division VI Super Bowl. The Vineyard defense, in a moment reminiscent of their playoff match against East Boston, faced a game-threatening situation in the final seconds.

Manuel Suza just ordered a fill-up at deBettencourt's gas
station in Oak Bluffs and only had to shell out $1.66. No wonder he was
still smiling.

His rig barely uses any fuel, but it comes with a price. It's
a moped, and he's riding the thing in 35 degree weather. That
explains the thickly-insulated coveralls and ski gloves.

Mr. Suza is one of a handful of hearty Islanders who rely on a
vehicle that would hardly win a popularity contest on the Vineyard.

Flu season is here, and the biggest concern now is who might get it.

Dr. Melanie Miller, a pediatrician, said this week: "We have
been inundated by concerned parents. There are a lot of panicking
parents out there."

For the moment, the main challenge to health care providers is
education rather than treatment.

Developer Vows Total Clearing of Woodlands; MVC Votes for Review

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

The developer of the Down Island Golf Club went toe to toe with the
Martha's Vineyard Commission one more time last night, publicly
declaring his intention to clear-cut 270 acres in the southern woodlands
and openly challenging the commission to try and stop him.

A Boom Is Changing Edgartown (Again)

By MANDY LOCKE

The sound of hammers and saws pulses through downtown Edgartown.
Morning calm is broken by a foreman yelling instructions to a team of
roofers and by the beeping of a delivery truck backing into a driveway
with a load of lumber. A lane of traffic on Cooke street has become a
parking lot for workmen reporting to one of three project sites in a
single block near Pease's Point Way.

"It's looks like the Big Dig," said one
contractor, Norman Rankow.

Boat Line 2004: Big Challenges, with Some Internal Tensions

By JULIA WELLS

The monthly meeting was canceled, but there is no shortage of
business news at the Steamship Authority these days, where revenues are
down, a new but poorly defined marketing push is under fire and fissures
between Nantucket and the Vineyard have grown wider.

And the monthly meetings keep getting canceled.

Tree-Cutting Questions Pull Southern Woodlands Back Before
Commission

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

Connecticut developer Corey Kupersmith came back onto the radar
screen this week in a fresh collision with the town of Oak Bluffs and
the Martha's Vineyard Commission - this time over a
tree-cutting project that may or may not be in violation of state and
local laws.