Voters of Aquinnah Consider Patriot Act

Voters in Aquinnah will decide this week whether to join other towns across the country in opposing the Patriot Act, federal legislation adopted six weeks after Sept. 11 in the name of anti-terrorism.

A resolution and a town bylaw opposing the Patriot Act both appear on the warrant for a special town meeting. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 10, in the Aquinnah town hall.

School District Weighs Choices

Meetings in West Tisbury, Chilmark Explore Future of Up-Island Public Education; Costs in Chilmark Are Central

By CHRIS BURRELL

Last night, more than 80 people - parents, teachers, alumni, selectmen and community members - rallied around the Chilmark School. Despite declining enrollment and pressure to cut costs in the Up-Island Regional School District, they vowed they would not close their school down.

Jenney Lane Plan Gains Approval

By MANDY LOCKE

The Jenney Lane project, a cluster of affordable homes slated for a neighborhood behind Upper Main street, cleared another hurdle this week with unanimous approval from the Edgartown planning board.

This is the last official step in a review process that began last July.

Up-Island Parents and Educators Ponder District's Shaky Prospects

CHRIS BURRELL

Spencer Booker lives in Aquinnah, and when it came time to decide where to send his three children for grade school, the choice was obvious. Proximity was key, so they chose the Chilmark School.

"It was geographical, the closest school to my house," he said. "And it's a great little school, very intimate, very supportive. All the teachers know all the students, first name and last. That's the kind of environment I want to put my kids into for their education."

Ray Ellis: Artist Takes Retrospective on the Road

By C.K. WOLFSON

Ray Ellis is quietly celebrating. The artist, who these days wears the smile of a man whose life has exceeded his expectations, is embarking on a year of extraordinary professional tribute to the body of work that defines him.

While Vineyarders await a legislative vote needed to make the Island Health Plan (IHP) a reality, some Island health officials are already worrying about the impact of the new affordable insurance program on existing Island medical services.