Pneumonic tularemia is back. Confirming this year's first case of the pneumonic form of the disease, public health officials said yesterday they are prepared to call in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to investigate.

Special town meetings are supposed to be tame housekeeping affairs, but Thursday's session in Oak Bluffs will steer voters into some dicey territory — asking them to reconsider the ban on smoking in bars and to release $110,000 to settle unspecified lawsuits against the town.

Casey Sharpe, the executive secretary in Oak Bluffs, has announced she will resign her position effective Sept. 30, leaving selectmen to search for yet another top manager to guide their town.

Gus Ben David, director of Massachusetts Audubon's Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary in Edgartown, takes a four-wheel-drive vehicle out into the field

The Vineyard's summer rental market is soft this season.

Playhouse Launches Campaign
By MANDY LOCKE

The home of the Vineyard Playhouse stood strong through nearly two centuries of Vineyard life. Leaders and friends of this small professional theatre want to ensure it stands secure for centuries to come.

Built in 1833 on a pasture donated by Capt. William Daggett, the Playhouse wears the scars of time. A survey of the building reveals rotting, chipping and holes.

"It looks like somebody didn't do anything for 20 years," Playhouse managing director Josh Sommer said.