Top scientists at the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and fish conservation advocates are reporting a significant increase in the numbers of swordfish swimming in the North Atlantic. Although waters around the Vineyard have yet to see any recovery, the numbers of juvenile fish have improved significantly.

Against the backdrop of a heated race for Massachusetts governor and a slew of ballot initiatives on everything from bilingual education to income tax, voters on Martha's Vineyard will face their own subset of important electoral decisions on the first Tuesday in November this year.

Testing the power of their weighted vote for the first time since the board was expanded, the two Island Steamship Authority governors yesterday blocked a proposal to launch seasonal freight service between New Bedford and the Vineyard next summer, calling for more study.

"As we develop New Bedford service, I feel it's more important to do it right than to do it right now," declared Vineyard SSA governor Cassie Roessel.

Torn down the middle for the third time in three years, the expressions eloquent and heartfelt on both sides of the street, a strained and weary Ma

It doesn't happen often that students and school administrators find common ground so quickly, but a single question has united them for the time being: What's up with the cost of a school lunch?

A fishing trip on Sengekontacket Pond turned tragic Monday when two men from Oak Bluffs drowned accidentally several hours after paddling a one-person kayak out to a sandbar and casting their lines.