Island Community Services Marks Historic Milestone

By MANDY LOCKE

Yellowing newspaper clips fill the pages of the Martha's Vineyard Community Services scrapbook, tracing each program addition through its 40-year history. Its history is one of growth - the evolution of a single program in 1961 to an essential Island institution in 2001. But the falls and flights that capture the organization's resilience and commitment won't all be found in the newspaper archives.

Fast Ferry Catalina Was Repossessed

Passenger Ferry Proposed for New Service From New Bedford Was Centerpiece Of Financial Trouble in California

By JULIA WELLS

The high-speed passenger ferry that the Steamship Authority is negotiating to lease and possibly buy was returned to the Washington state shipyard where it was built because it had mechanical problems - and because it was a financial disaster for the California company that bought it, the Gazette has learned.

Contract talks between management and nurses at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital are now at a bitter standoff, and hospital chief executive officer Kevin Burchill said this week that he is prepared for the possibility of a strike.

"Everything is now off the table. We're prepared for the worst but we expect the best," he said.

Tisbury Selectmen Take Firm Stance Against Two Fast Ferry Service Plans

BY JOSHUA SABATINI

Tisbury selectmen this week agreed the Steamship Authority should postpone further action on fast ferry service until the concerns of the town are satisfied and alternative possibilities are studied.

For four years now, since its inception in 1997, the state-sponsored special English language program has been growing.

The Cape and Islands senate district - in place since the founding of the Massachusetts legislature - will remain largely intact thanks to the redistricting plan adopted by the state Senate yesterday afternoon.