After more than a year, the Tisbury selectmen finally appointed a new police chief this week, pending an examination of the possibility of Tisbury and Oak Bluffs merging their police departments.

The long hiatus, following the sudden departure of former chief John Cashin on May 22 last year, ended in a flurry of activity on Tuesday this week.

As the Massachusetts legislature moves closer to opening up casino gambling in the commonwealth, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) suddenly vaulted into the spotlight this week, its leaders claiming that they have a better plan than their sister tribe in Mashpee for building a Fall River casino.

Her favorite subjects are math and science, and when she heads off to Connecticut College in the fall, Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School valedictorian Shaelah Huntington said she plans to study biochemistry with a premed concentration. As a student at the high school, she’s loaded up her schedule with advanced placement and honors courses. But at heart, Ms. Huntington said she’s really a bit of a beach bum.

Martha’s Vineyard Magazine was honored as a finalist in the 2010 National City and Regional Magazine Awards for three categories: general excellence, ancillary publications for its Home & Garden magazine, and leisure/lifestyle interests for its three-part series on wild edibles.

An equestrian, dancer, singer, windsurfer and lacrosse player walk into a classroom. It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but these are the kinds of talents and passions that have come to define the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School class of 2010.

Known for their individuality, creativity and athletic drive, this year’s graduating class of nearly 170 is a diverse group of students.

It requires a little extra faith to open a new business on the Vineyard. There’s the feast-and-famine seasonality of its economy, the often ingrained shopping habits of its residents, the tendency to look to the mainland for choices and prices that the Island cannot match.

Catch and Release

Fishing for striped bass from the shore was tough last weekend, at least for those competing in the 19th annual Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club striped bass catch and release tournament.

Of the 124 fishermen who competed, they caught and released 100 fish. The numbers are down both in contestants and in fish. Last year 193 fishermen competed.

By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL

A mysterious piece of a lost Edgartown sailboat was recently discovered on a beach in Portugal. Jeremy Ryan-Bell and his wife June were out walking on a favorite beach north of Carrapateira, at extreme low tide, and they found the piece on a sandy beach under the magnificent limestone cliffs. The words on the piece of fiberglass debris were clear: Edgartown and Flyer.

Kathryn DeBettencourt

Kathryn DeBettencourt, a resident of Oak Bluffs, received her undergraduate degree from Providence College on Sunday, May 16, 2010. She received a bachelor of arts in elementary/special education.

Ever since she was young, 20-year-old Emily Reich knew she belonged on the water.

“I started sailing at the East Chop yacht club when I was only eight years old, after my mom brought us here to the Island. Normally they don’t let you start sailing until you’re 10. But they let me try and I took to it . . . I was comfortable out there. I was at home. And I’ve been around boats ever since,” she said.