Judge Finds No Pollution Threat at Plant

By ALEXIS TONTI

Marking one more win for the town of Edgartown in a long running legal battle, a superior court judge this month ruled that discharge from the municipal wastewater treatment plant does not threaten the water quality in the Edgartown Great Pond.

As Political Season Opens, Well-Funded Campaign Targets State Senate Seat

By CHRIS BURRELL

Yard signs are starting to sprout on Island lawns, and fundraisers are in the offing, but the real proof that a hot race is under way for a spot on Beacon Hill came last week: Financial disclosures revealed the war chests and spending of candidates for the state legislature.

The message is clear.

Some of the nation's best sailors gathered for a long weekend in Edgartown to compete for prizes in the Shields Nationals. The three days of racing began on Thursday. Twenty-nine boats with plenty of sailors came from all over the East Coast and from as far away as Illinois and California.

The boats raced in all kinds of weather, from high winds to light air. The boats have open cockpits and most of the sailors wore wet weather gear.

Guiding Lights: New Principals Are on the Job at Two Schools

By CHRIS BURRELL

It's the day before school starts, and these two new principals - on the job just four days - barely have even a few minutes to stop and talk.

But in a short amount of time, Michael Halt and Diane Gandy manage to reveal something about themselves - a worldliness they share from experiences outside the realm of education and a giddiness about where they've landed.

Take Mr. Halt, for starters.

Wampanoag Sovereignty Arguments Are Heard at State Supreme Court

By JULIA WELLS

Attorneys on both sides of the sovereign immunity dispute in the town of Aquinnah took their arguments to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court this week, in a landmark case whose outcome is expected to have far-reaching implications for every town on the Vineyard.

In the end the case will test the strength of the historic 1983 Indian land claims settlement agreement in this tiny town that is home to the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).

The ashtrays at two private clubs in Oak Bluffs - the Portuguese-American Club and the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall - came off the bar counters and table tops this week and were moved to the front porch.

The last bastions for smokers who liked to light up while hoisting a beer with friends are now smoke-free zones. The Oak Bluffs board of health voted unanimously Tuesday to ban smoking in the two private clubs.