Fueled by a federal grant aimed at countering a bioterrorist attack, scientists at a Providence, R.I., pharmaceutical company are banking on the collection of blood samples from nearly two dozen Vineyarders to help them develop a new vaccine against tularemia, the rare disease with an unexplained presence on Martha's Vineyard.

Defenders of historic architecture in downtown Oak Bluffs this week shot down a plan to rescue a controversial, three-story garage that was built last spring in the North Bluff section of town.

Committee Members Hash Out a New Vision for Superintendent

By CHRIS BURRELL

All-Island school committee members took their first crack this week at defining the kind of superintendent they want to lead Vineyard public schools.

Their suggestions ran the gamut. Some wanted a financial expert to oversee an educational budget on the Island that exceeds $35 million a year.

The nation may be split down the middle after Tuesday's presidential election, but the Vineyard was anything but divided when it came to casting ba

Sturdy brown envelopes, some of them mailed from as far away as the Netherlands, Italy and Russia, are stacked up tall on the desk of Wanda William

Candidates Vie for Cape and Islands Seats

By CHRIS BURRELL

On paper, the race for the Cape and Islands senate seat in the state house looks like a battle of the brains.

A pediatrician with a Harvard MBA, Republican challenger Dr. Gail Lese is trying to bring down a history professor, the incumbent Democrat Sen. Robert O'Leary. A third candidate, Luiz (Lou) Gonzaga, running as an independent, holds a doctorate in business administration.

All top-heavy resumes aside, the politics in this race are anything but tepid.