Titled the Municipal Empowerment Act, the governor’s bill would allow towns to enact a new motor vehicle excise surcharge, raise the local hotel and home rental tax from its current limit of 6 per cent to 7 per cent, as well as increase the local option meals tax. 

Vineyard Preservation Trust will hold an evening of contra dancing at the Grange Hall in West Tisbury on Saturday, Feb. 10.

The state Department of Environmental Protection Monday granted Edgartown emergency authorization to dredge Katama Bay, clearing the way for a project intended to help restore the storm-battered South Beach.

The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank does not expect to fully open the Squibnocket Pond Reservation until 2025 due to the long permitting process. 

The regional high school boys swim team wrapped up its regular season Saturday by winning the Cape and Islands League championship.

Haggis, a savory pudding made of lamb organs and barley, was the first dish of the night — avoided by some but devoured by many — at the 37th annual Burns Nicht celebration.

Scientists have yet to determine the cause of death as of Monday afternoon, but the dead calf represents another blow to the critically endangered whale species, which has dwindled to fewer than 360 individuals in recent years.

The planning board’s withdrawal now lifts one of the major obstacles for the high school, which has been talking about overhauling its athletic facilities since 2016.

Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation this week received a $75,000 grant from the state to help combat an invasive beetle infestation in the Phillips Preserve forest in Tisbury. 

The airline notified Martha’s Vineyard Airport last week that the flights to and from Westchester County, which ran about once a day in the summer, would be discontinued in 2024, said Geoff Freeman, the airport director.