Tisbury will remain a dry town, after a recount of the tied April 15 ballot on restaurant beer and wine sales found two more votes in opposition to alcohol sales.

Shortly after 4 p.m. Friday, the new result was announced - 692 against alcohol sales and 690 in favor.

Two votes previously recorded as blanks by the automated count on the night of the ballot were counted as valid no votes, on the hand recount.

Oak Bluffs selectmen Tuesday elected a new chairman, hosted a public hearing on a state plan to resurface several downtown streets and heard updated plans to repair the crumbling waterfront and dredge Sengekontacket Pond.

Marion Mudge typed her own name into Google on Wednesday. In a fraction of a second, the search engine came up with 370,000 references.

The self-effacing Tisbury town clerk has become a big name in the news. Media in Detroit, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Eugene, Oregon, not to mention some specialty publications including a wine magazine, from all over the country, have featured her.

The struggling U.S. economy and a strong euro are pushing summer rental bookings ahead of a strong 2007 season.

While home rentals are even or slightly ahead of last year, hotels report increases of up to 15 or 20 per cent more than last year.

Soaring domestic fuel prices and airfares, along with a favorable foreign currency exchange rate, are making Island vacations desirable to Americans within a one-day drive of the Island and to Europeans buoyed by the exchange rate on their currency, Vineyard hoteliers and rental agencies report.

For 10 years, Mark Luce, innkeeper at the Dockside Inn and Oak House, has employed the same seven-member Jamaican extended family to help run his business. But this year, they won’t be coming.

Darren Morris hires the drivers for the Martha’s Vineyard Transit Authority. Every year he hires 15 or 20 Bulgarian workers to drive buses. But this year, none.