Cape and Islands state Rep. Eric T. Turkington was in no mood to mince words Tuesday at a committee hearing on Beacon Hill as he openly challenged both the author and the findings of the special governor's task force report calling for an overhaul of the Steamship Authority board of governors.

Put away the nicotine patch. Smokers who thought they were about to be pushed out of every bar on the Island may soon find friendly tobacco turf in Oak Bluffs.

A new traffic study of the notorious blinker light intersection in Oak Bluffs could push selectmen one step closer to putting up the Island's first traffic light.

Brevity has rarely been a hallmark of town meeting season in Oak Bluffs, and next week's line-up of 52 articles spread across two warrants could well last more than one night. Voters will act on a range of issues - from affordable housing and funding for the hospital emergency room to new regulations for cell phone towers.

The Martha's Vineyard Commission knows all about wrangling over golf courses, but next Thursday night they will take up tennis when they consider p

The noise, dust and torn-up roadways they could tolerate, but not the huge electric panel boxes sprouting up all over downtown Oak Bluffs in the midst of the town sewer construction project.