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SEAGRILLE VOTED NANTUCKET'S BEST CHOWDER 2007 On Saturday, October 13, more than 675 people lined up at the annual Chowder Contest to sample and vote for Nantucket's best chowder. Organized by the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce, nine local restaurants and chefs participated in the annual event to showcase their delicious chowder.

Participants included 29 Fair Street Bistro, Alice's Restaurant, Arno's at 41 Main Street, Atlantic Café, Brant Point Grill, Brotherhood of Thieves, Cap'n Tobey's, Provisions and the Sea Grille. The Nantucket Bake Shop and Something Natural generously provided bread for the taste testers.

At the end of the event, the first place ribbon and coveted Chowder Cup was awarded to The Seagrille, the 2nd Place ribbon was awarded to Brant Point Grill and 3rd place went to Arno's at 41 Main Street.

STATE OF THE DISTRICT TONIGHT Nantucket Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Robert Pellicone, the administration team and the Nantucket School Committee will present the first State of the District presentation of the 2007-2008 school year tonight, Wednesday, Oct. 17. The event begins at 7 p.m. in the Nantucket High School LGI (Large Group Instruction Room). Light refreshments will be served.

"This evening will provide us an opportunity to engage in productive dialogue about accomplishments we've made since the last school year and further action steps to be taken this year on initiatives set forth in our Nantucket Public Schools strategic plan," said Dr. Pellicone.

Attendees are urged to bring their comments and recommendations to share with the group to address the areas of student achievement, curriculum and instruction, professional development, school climate, facilities, budget, technology and communication, among other topics. Everyone in the community is welcomed to attend.

"We look to providing updated information on our progress and also to receiving feedback on how we can continue to work together as a community toward school excellence," Dr. Pellicone added.

TIME FLEETING FOR TAX FREE IRA ROLLOVER CONTRIBUTIONS Until December 31, 2007, the Pension Protection Act of 2006 allows IRA owners 70 1/2 and older to rollover up to $100,000 of their IRA to the Community Foundation for Nantucket, and other public charities, with the benefit that the distribution is not included in the donor's taxable income. For these IRA owners with significantly appreciated balances, this will save considerable tax and simplify the donor's tax return. These rollovers cannot be made to donor-advised funds, private foundations, or to deferred gift plans. IRA owners should contact their IRA financial institution to direct transfers to the Community Foundation for Nantucket, and other qualified public charities.

For more information on the Community Foundation for Nantucket, contact Phil Stambaugh, treasurer, at 508-825-1171, or www.cfnan.com.

NPS LAUNCHES "FOR THE RECORD" "For the Record" - a new feature to help improve community outreach and communication with parents, students, teachers, staff and the Nantucket community-at-large - will launched on the Nantucket Public Schools Web site, www.npsk.org, on Oct. 22.

"Over the summer the School Committee and I worked to develop districtwide goals, including community outreach and communication, to improve the educational experience for all students," said Dr. Robert Pellicone, NPS superintendent. "With that in mind, we are adding this new feature to the NPS website as a centralized, up-to-date resource that can be accessed 24 hours a day."

Dr. Pellicone invites anyone who has heard or read information related to the local schools that needs clarification to visit www.npsk.org to access the new feature on or after the launch date. Although this communication channel will not take the place of direct contact with the School Committee or himself, it provides a means for reaching a broad audience with timely and factual information on important matters, he added.

"We will post questions, without any identification of the person submitting the inquiry, and provide a response on the Web site in three business days or sooner," said Dr. Pellicone. "Though issues about personnel or litigation issues will not be addressed in "For the Record," we invite interested persons to submit questions on other NPS areas of importance in the interest of improved and enhanced communication within our school district and all of Nantucket."

CORRECTION In an article about the purchase of the Dreamland Theatre in last week's Nantucket Independent, it was reported that GlobeSt.com, in its online report dated Oct. 4, said Rick Ulmer was president of the Nantucket Dreamland Foundation. GlobeSt.com in fact reported that "corporate records show Frederick W. Ulmer III as a director of the foundation," and not the president. I