Moped accident victims need more training - most have never driven a motorized two-wheeler before, and the average customer gets seven minutes of training at the rental shop. Moped crash victims tend to be short-term visitors to the Island, and they crash most frequently in August. More bicyclists are hurt each summer than moped drivers, but victims of moped accidents tend to be hurt far more seriously.

Closely following the electoral mood of the country, voters in Dukes County turned out in huge numbers this week to cast ballots for national, state and local offices and to add their collective voice to an array of commonwealth initiative petition questions on everything from greyhound racing to universal health care. In a characteristic show of independence, Island voters also bucked a number of the statewide trends, although like the rest of the commonwealth, they voted in large numbers for Vice President Al Gore over Texas Gov. George W. Bush.

The Brickmans, Cronigs and Levines are recognized as the earliest Jews to settle on Martha’s Vineyard, but if Ken Libo’s research findings turn out

Attorneys on both sides of a bitter, four-year dispute which centers on painful charges of racism against the town of Tisbury and its police depart

Bucking the national trend on the Republican side, but closely mirroring the electoral mood of the country on the Democratic side, voters in Dukes County threw their support to Sen. John McCain and Vice President Al Gore in the presidential primary on Tuesday. Texas Gov. George W. Bush did not take a single town in the county - which includes Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands - but former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley did very well here, landing the majority vote on the Democratic ticket in Aquinnah and Chilmark, and trailing by only a few votes in the other five towns.