Across the country and possibly even overseas, tourists who visited the Island are back home flipping through their snapshots and looking at pictures of the Gay Head Lighthouse, the Whaling Church, windswept Vineyard beaches and Bill - Bill the cat.

Falmouth SSA Governor Sues Selectmen to Block His Ouster

By JULIA WELLS

The standoff between Falmouth Steamship Authority governor and board chairman Galen Robbins escalated yesterday when Mr. Robbins filed a tough complaint in federal court against the Falmouth selectmen, who are trying to oust him as the town's boat line governor.

Among other things, the complaint charges that the selectmen violated Mr. Robbins's First Amendment and civil rights when they took steps last month to remove him as boat line governor.

Questioning the need and citing possible negative effects on the mom-and-pop gas stations up-Island, the Martha's Vineyard Commission voted without dissent last week to reject a plan for a new gas station on State Road in Vineyard Haven.

"I don't think we should be building any more facilities to accommodate the automobile, and this is going to rob Peter to pay Paul," said commission member Tristan Israel.

Boat Line Unveils Early Plans for New Islander

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

Early concept drawings were unveiled last week for a 250-foot, doubled-ended ferry that will eventually replace the Islander, the dependable and beloved Steamship Authority ferry that has plied the route between Woods Hole and the Vineyard for 52 years.

A tidal wave of numbers, percentages and statistics - the results of last year's state MCAS test - came washing over Vineyard schools, challenging school leaders to avoid comparisons and identify trends that show where teachers are getting it right and where they might be falling short.

On the surface, front-burner issues in West Tisbury don't appear to have changed much in the last couple of years.