Shirley McCarthy Faces Fight for Special Family

By MANDY LOCKE

At 30 Lagoon avenue, strollers and tiny tot trucks have reserved parking at the foot of the front steps. Two signs - "Welcome to the Funny Farm" and "Be nice to your children because they will pick your nursing home" - hang from the front door, preparing newcomers for and reminding regulars of the unusual life led by the woman on the other side of the door.

Disappointed students and some angry parents could not convince the regional high school committee this week to lift its ban on air travel for school trips.

The chief justice of the Massachusetts Land Court heard arguments this week in a groundbreaking case that will ultimately decide whether the Martha's Vineyard Commission has the power to review low and moderate-income housing projects under Chapter 40B, a section of state law commonly known as the anti-snob zoning statute.

Dr. Richard H. Koehler, a highly skilled laparoscopic surgeon whose arrival on the Vineyard seven years ago was hailed as a new era in medicine on the Vineyard, announced this week that he will sever his contract with the Martha's Vineyard Hospital because of irreconcilable differences with hospital chief executive officer Kevin Burchill and the hospital board of trustees.

SSA Governor Starts New Job

Kathryn Roessel Begins First Term Amid Aggressive Selectmen\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s Campaign to Overthrow Her With Political Maneuvers

By JULIA WELLS

In a quiet ceremony on the second floor of the Edgartown courthouse yesterday, Kathryn A. Roessel was sworn in as the new Vineyard Steamship Authority governor.

It is every organizer's hope that as an event recurs from year to year, it gets better and bigger. Last Monday and Tuesday, Vineyard Haven once again became a festive center for the arrival of a new year on-Island - and while Last Night, First Day activities may not have drawn quite as many people as past celebrations, sponsors believe the new program represented a change for the better.