As I am sure readers know, the Island is a special place when adversity and difficult news hits home, the people on the Island show up.

A recently released article about the Dukes County Wildfire Protection Plan looks to help people become more familiar with the potential for wildfires on-Island, and take appropriate measures to mitigate their impact.

The general public will be able to book summer vehicle reservations to the Vineyard on Feb. 14, starting at 8 a.m. – two weeks after the reservations were previously scheduled to open. 

The 3-year-old female whale was seen entangled in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in August 2022, and attempts to free it off Cape Cod last year were unsuccessful, according to the New England Aquarium.

Neighbors of the school spoke at length during Thursday’s Martha's Vineyard Commission meeting, saying the proposed building is too large and would add to already-vexing noise and traffic from the school.

The West Tisbury select board voted to put a non-binding referendum question about the playing field surface at the regional high school on the ballot for the town’s spring election.

The tides in the week ahead will be more extreme, higher than usual and lower too. The reason is two astronomical events happening at the same time. The moon will be at perihelion next Thursday, which means it will be closest to us in its regular orbit around the Earth. Add to that another aspect: the moon will be in the New Moon phase the next day, which means that the moon will be in the same proximity of the sky as our sun.

West Tisbury officials this week declined to take action on lowering the town meeting quorum and instead vowed to renew efforts to get voters out to the annual legislative gathering.

The Trustees of Reservations announced Wednesday that it will be laying off 10 per cent off its staff statewide, including one staff member on the Vineyard.

A portable dental service will offer free teeth cleanings to Island adults during select dates in February and April.