To those sitting in the booths near the lunch counter during one of the final trips of the ferry Islander, the usual docking announcement over the public address system was utterly indecipherable.

Wah, wah ,wah, it went. It didn't matter; people know the drill.

The four big Island towns will for the first time allocate millions of dollars in community preservation funds at their annual town meetings this year, with recommended projects ranging from installing Edgartown street-style lanterns to a revolving loan program to help Oak Bluffs families install denitrifying septic systems.

Members Replaced, Town Zoning Board Approves Field Club

By MIKE SECCOMBE

The developers of an exclusive recreational club at Katama cleared the final hurdle to the project on Wednesday night after a sudden change of heart - and members - at the Edgartown zoning board of appeals.

The board voted 5-0 to grant a special permit for the multi-million-dollar Field Club.

Someone referred to her as the Islander on steroids. Others called her the cruise ship.

After some three years of courtship, Cape Air and JetBlue Airways chose Valentine's Day to announce a marriage of customer convenience for passengers to and from Logan International Airport.

Beginning next month, passengers arriving from or departing to 20 destinations across America with JetBlue will be able to connect far more easily with Cape Air flights to the Cape and Islands.

Police Outreach Aims at Illegals

Oak Bluffs Chief, Lieutenant Ready Pamphlet in Portuguese to Educate Brazilians, Ease Fears of Deportation

By MIKE SECCOMBE

Picture a road accident, one car rear-ended by another. The Oak Bluffs police are in attendance, talking to the driver of the car that was hit, who happens to be Brazilian. Another car drives by and a woman shouts out the window: "Why don't you leave those people alone?"