Boat Line Governors Approve Rate Hikes

By JULIA WELLS

Citing an unyielding trend of flat car and passenger traffic on ferries to both Islands topped by the high cost of fuel, the Steamship Authority board of governors voted yesterday to approve across-the-board rate hikes aimed at collecting an additional $4 million in revenue next year.

Beginning Jan. 1 Vineyard residents of all stripes will pay more to travel on boat line ferries. Nantucket residents will see a combination of fare hikes and reduced service.

High School SAT Scores Remain Solid

By RACHEL KOVAC

Students at the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School continue to do well on the SAT, posting verbal scores above the state, New England and national mean scores. And in math students scored above the mean for New England.

Although the SAT scores for the class of 2005 were lower than the class of 2004, scores overall still show a steady increase over the past nine years.

Town Selectmen See Legal Bills

Assessors in West Tisbury Unveil Bills from Graham Tax Case with $275,000 Price Tag; November Meeting Set

By IAN FEIN

West Tisbury selectmen this week saw their first glimpse of the legal bills related to the tax case against town assessors. The total estimated price tag tops $275,000.

Minerals Board Takes the Lead in Reviewing Wind Farm Plans

By IAN FEIN

The regulatory stage for the proposed wind farm in Nantucket Sound has shifted, after a federal environmental agency within the Department of the Interior quietly assumed lead authority over the controversial Cape Wind project.

School District Takes Transportation Reins

Committee Members Vote 8-1 to Allow Superintendent's Office to Run Busses; Costs Projected to Stay Under Budget

By RACHEL KOVAC

School committee members voted this week to allow the Vineyard school district to continue managing its own transportation system for the remainder of the year, but not without some hesitation.

Student Enrollment Falls for Fifth Year Running; Two Towns Drop Sharply

By RACHEL KOVAC

School census figures released this week by the Vineyard public schools show total student enrollment falling for the fifth year in a row.

As of Oct. 1, the schools counted 2,219 students, 66 fewer than enrolled last year and almost 200 fewer students than four years ago.

The most dramatic change in numbers is at the West Tisbury School and the Oak Bluffs School, where enrollment dropped in the double digits.