Aquinnah Incumbent Returns to Office in Close Vote Cast by Record Turnout

By JULIA WELLS

Incumbent selectman Michael Hebert squeaked back into office this week, beating challenger Camille Rose by just six votes in the Aquinnah annual town election. The final count was 108-102; Mr. Hebert will begin a third term as selectman this week.

What the Mirror Sees: Secrets of Lip Sync Prep

By CHRIS BURRELL

Christopher Brophy is a little embarrassed to say this, but by the time he hits the stage Sunday night at the Atlantic Connection in Oak Bluffs, he will have spent innumerable hours in front of a mirror, riveted by the sight of his own lips.

Odds are, he isn't alone.

Eight acts have already signed up to compete in the 17th annual WMVY and Atlantic Connection Lip Sync Contest, now just three days away.

Island Community Rallies Around Grieving Families

Hundreds Remember Spirit of Two Friends Killed in Accident

By ALEXIS TONTI

At a time when the school year rushes to a close amid a flurry of exams and festivities, life at the regional high school stopped this week as students and faculty grieved for two Island sons, high school juniors and best friends, who died in a car accident in Katama last Friday.

Portrait of Close Companions, As Drawn at Oak Bluffs School

By C.K. WOLFSON

"If you can imagine it, you can dream it, if you can dream it, you can become it," wrote Kevin Hayes (K.J.) Johnson in his Oak Bluffs School 2001 yearbook.

Years of Talks Pay Off in 62-Acre Conservation Gift Along Middle Road

By JULIA WELLS

A wide swath of rolling farmland and wooded hillside that includes a high ridge perched above the scenic Middle Road in Chilmark and West Tisbury will remain forever wild, thanks to an unusual conservation gift from Virginia Crowell Jones and Everett Noteman Jones to The Nature Conservancy and the Vineyard Conservation Society, the Gazette has learned.

Aquinnah Voters Face Financial Questions And a Choice for Selectman in Elections

By JULIA WELLS

Money is the main theme in Aquinnah next week when voters will take up the question of how much to spend, or more correctly, how much to overspend when it comes to the state-mandated tax cap.

The annual town meeting gets under way on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in the historic Aquinnah town hall. Moderator Walter E. Delaney will preside over the session.