For John Costa, time is of the essence.

So it is understandable if a grimace washes over his face as he examines the boxes stacked to the ceiling of the tractor trailer that has backed into the loading dock at the United Parcel Service (UPS) distribution center in Vineyard Haven.

Around the Vineyard, the number of volunteer firefighters serving their communities is falling.

Ten years ago, the Tisbury fire department was running with a full complement of 51 volunteer firefighters. Today the number has dropped to 41.

Three years ago, the Chilmark fire department boasted a full staff of 38 volunteers. Today the number of firefighters responding to a call is almost half of that.

With over 50 years of inter-Island competition and more than 25 years of battling for the coveted Island Cup, it is hard to believe there is a fres

Engineering Report Targets Bridge Safety

By MAX HART

The committee charged with studying the replacement of the Lagoon Pond drawbridge approved an engineering consultant's report on the condition of the bridge this week, but the central question of whether to replace the bridge in two phases or one remains unresolved.

More than a year after the Tisbury planning board first floated its ambitious proposal to link State and Edgartown-Vineyard Haven roads, voters this week endorsed the layout for a connecting system of streets that would ease congestion on the heavily trafficked corridors.