Here are 10 of the stories that most engaged Gazette readers in print and online in 2023.

1. Tafari Campbell, a personal chef to former President Barack Obama, died in a July paddleboard accident in Edgartown Great Pond. His death was later ruled an accidental drowning.

Vineyarders traveled in March to state house to lobby for housing bank bill. — Ray Ewing

2. Chip Chop, the historic Lake Tashmoo estate owned by journalist Diane Sawyer, was sold for $23.9 million to real estate investor David Malm after less than three months on the market.

3. Threatened by a late December 2022 breach at Norton Point, the Wacks house on Chappaquiddick was demolished in early January.

4. The lack of affordable housing on the Vineyard took center stage, culminating in a March rally by 200 housing advocates at the State House.

5. Events held at an Edgartown home associated with the Uncle Nearest whiskey brand draw the ire of neighbors, who claimed the owners violated residential zoning.

6. Using public records, the Gazette examined who owns the buildings that line the main streets of the three down-Island towns and interviewed several of the Island’s biggest landlords.

7. Voters in the three up-Island towns protested spending on a lawsuit over artificial turf by briefly rejecting the high school budget at town meeting as the stalemate about the composition of school playing fields continued for another year.

Coast Guard searches for missing paddle boarder Tafari Campbell. — Ray Ewing

8. A first-of-its-kind vaccine trial for Lyme disease was halted on the Vineyard, with Pfizer citing violations in clinical standards by the administering agency. Care Access later said it was cleared of misconduct by the FDA.

9. The proposed renovation of an historic house on Edgartown’s waterfront drew protests from neighbors who said it would block public view of the harbor.

10. The iconic Aquinnah Shop restaurant overlooking the Gay Head Cliffs returned to Wampanoag hands with a $2 million sale to the Native Land Conservancy.