The governor's ferry task force that recently staged a four-month crash course on the Steamship Authority has now opened the door for a major overhaul of the public boat line that has served the two Islands for 41 years.

Task Force Reports

By JULIA WELLS and RICHARD RESTON

The governor's task force that has been studying the complicated issues surrounding ferry service to the two Islands will this morning recommend sweeping change on the Steamship Authority board of governors, including voting seats for New Bedford and Barnstable, the Gazette has learned.

FedEx: Not on Chappy

By JULIA WELLS

The company motto is The World On Time, and the phrase was good fodder for the recent Tom Hanks blockbuster, Cast Away. But there is now one place in the world where Federal Express is not on time.

In fact, it is more accurate to say that Federal Express is not On Time, which is coincidentally the name of the Chappaquiddick ferry.

Chappaquiddick? No Federal Express delivery here.

Not On Time or anytime.

Deep discussion was far from the minds of Edgartown voters this week, who skipped lightly through their annual town meeting in less than two hours, pausing only briefly for a bit of discussion before approving a plan to allow building on substandard lots in the name of affordable housing.

"It's an oxymoron to say it is satisfactory to build on a substandard lot," declared town resident Walter Burns.

Trying to Follow the Steamship Authority Is Harder Than Chasing the Poor Red Sox

By JULIA WELLS

It's hard to follow the players without a scorecard, as the old saying goes, and when it comes to Steamship Authority affairs it's getting tough to decipher the box scores these days.

There is now a swirl of public confusion around the boat line, and this week the list of public meetings on SSA business suddenly grew long and tangled.

Vineyard Hospital Hikes Rates to Ease Pressures on Rising Budget Deficit

By JULIA WELLS

Fees went up at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital this week for the third time in 18 months, as hospital leaders work to tame a stubborn six-digit operating deficit amid an industry climate that is gloomy on a good day.

"If misery loves company, then I guess we are okay, but we are trying to present numbers here that really work," said hospital chief executive officer Kevin Burchill this week.