Steamship Authority Projects Rate Hikes on Vineyard Route for the Coming Year

By JAMES KINSELLA

Steamship Authority managers confirmed yesterday that they expect to recommend rate increases for the coming year on the state-chartered boat line that provides the only year-round car and passenger service to the two Islands.

SSA general manager Wayne Lamson said the staff is including proposed increases in the draft boat line operating budget, which will come before the SSA board of governors at their meeting next Thursday in Hyannis.

The fight to keep Otis Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod open took another hit yesterday, when a federal judge denied a request for a temporary r

Governors Speak Out Sharply Against Union-Backed SSA Bill

By JAMES KINSELLA
Gazette Senior Writer

The Steamship Authority board of governors has formally protested a union-backed legislative bill that would shift control of the board away from the two Islands.

Katrina's Wake: Devastation of Hurricane Touches Life on Vineyard

By James Kinsella
Gazette Senior Writer

Devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina may delay the delivery of the new Steamship Authority ferry Island Home for six months or more.

But the likely postponement of the new $30.5 million ferry for the Vineyard is just one of the ripples reaching the Vineyard in the aftermath of the hurricane, which authorities now say may have left thousands dead in New Orleans and beyond.

Hospital Campaign Sees More Pledges

Capital Fundraising for New Building Inches Up from $20 to $25 Million; Trustees to Target More Donors

By JAMES KINSELLA

When seasonal Edgartown residents Robert and Sheila Hoerle were asked to donate money to help rebuild the Martha's Vineyard Hospital, they were happy to oblige.

Environmental Hazards Found on Island

By JAMES KINSELLA

Recycling is driven by a desire to better protect the environment.

But a tour of Vineyard transfer stations over the past week revealed instances where recycled materials might have been hurting rather than helping.

The tour by a Gazette reporter and photographer found broken fluorescent light bulbs and car batteries resting on the ground, oil leaking out into puddles and metals stored on bare ground. All are violations of state rules governing the handling of recyclables.