Uncle Sam and the SSA

The federal government sometimes provides better entertainment than late night television.

Case in point is the Steamship Authority and the latest snafu over the use of federal stimulus money earmarked for reconstruction work on the ferry terminals in Oak Bluffs and Hyannis.

First comes the problem with the material used for the dolphins on the Hyannis project. Turns out that some of the material is made in China and the rules for stimulus money require that all steel be made in the USA.

Look, But Don’t Pick

Orange is the color of late July, as butterfly weed begins to flower, albeit somewhat later than usual in one of the coolest, rainiest summers the Island has seen in many years. The distinctive blooms dot old meadows and farm fields around the Vineyard; one of the best places to see butterfly weed down-Island is the Sweetened Water Farm field along the West Tisbury Road coming into Edgartown.

First Place

By KATIE CLARKE

Second Place

By LAURA JERNEGAN

A lthough the environment has always had an important impact on every human being, it is only in the past few decades that we have begun to realize that we need to protect it. Living on Martha’s Vineyard it is especially important. Protecting our Island sanctuary is a top priority; we must preserve the natural beauty that still exists. Even though we are only a tiny piece of the environment worldwide, the impact of changes made locally can be influential in making changes globally.

Third Place

By NIKOLAJ WOJTKIELO

Flames on the Plains

From Gazette editions of July, 1909: