Welcome Kayla Marilyn

Bernadette Dierdra Ponte and Lee Bruni of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a daughter, Kayla Marilyn Bruni, on August 15 at the Martha’s Vineyard Community Hospital. Marilyn, who weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces at birth, is also welcomed by big sisters Katlyn and Kasarah and big brother Liam.

The Oak Bluffs zoning board of appeals on Thursday continued deliberations on the Bradley Square Memorial church project — a plan to create a mixed-use building at the corner of Masonic and Dukes County avenues with affordable housing, a cultural center and several artists’ work spaces.

The project, which was approved by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission with conditions in June and is now under review at the local level, continues to be a source of controversy.

Richard Doyle of the Federal Transit Administration recently presented the Martha’s Vineyard Transit Authority with the FTA Region 1 Thinking Outside the Bus 2008 Milestone Achievement Award. The VTA reached the milestone of carrying over one million passengers (1,031,197) for the first time in its history during fiscal year 2008.

VTA passengers have kept it going into the new fiscal year, climbing aboard 261,735 times in July, a new record for the month. The Island’s busiest August week may be a good chance to try riding instead of driving.

Marisa Carson Is Engaged

Ken and Alba Eber of West Tisbury announce the engagement of their daughter, Marisa Claudia Carson of New York to Jason Robert Bibens of New York and Vermont. He is the son of Bob and Grace Bibens of Manchester, Vt.

Graduates With Honors

Anna Walton graduated from Smith College on May 18 with a bachelor of arts degree in education. She received magna cum laude honors and was also inducted into the Zeta chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. In the fall, she will pursue a master of arts in teaching.

She is the daughter of Richard and Carole Walton of Oak Bluffs.

Striper Wars author Dick Russell talks about efforts to save a troubled fishery, on Wednesday, August 27, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Chilmark Public Library.

When populations of striped bass began plummeting in the early 1980s, author and fisherman Dick Russell was there to lead an Atlantic coast conservation campaign that resulted in one of the most remarkable wildlife comebacks in the history of fisheries.