Ongoing internal clashes at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport are now focusing on an unseen, but costly presence at meetings of the airport commission: legal counsel. Two Boston attorneys routinely participate by phone at a cost of $525 an hour.

An extensive plan to upgrade and resurface the 6.5-mile stretch of road that spans three towns has the backing of the joint transportation committee and funding from the state.

West Tisbury, a town which has only qualified for housing rehabilitation and child care funds every three years, is now eligible every year. But in neighboring Chilmark, it's a different story.

Oak Bluffs got an early Christmas present this week from the state, which has awarded $225,000 to fund design work to protect the eroding bluff. The bluff underlies the scenic but endangered East Chop Drive.

Conrad Shipyard will build the ferry in Morgan City, La. The steel ferry, which has already been named Woods Hole, is being called a super freight boat, with a capacity for 384 people and 55 vehicles.

Underlying the peaceful scene at Cape Pogue Bay are an unknown number of unexploded practice bombs, dating to wartime years when the area was used for military training.