James A. Tuck has traveled through the centuries on the Vineyard, not to mention in New York and Newfoundland.

Mr. Tuck, 68, is one of Canada’s top archaeologists; two weeks ago, he and his colleague Robert J. McGhee were honored by their peers at the Canadian Archaeological Association with the Gagnant du Prix Smith-Wintemberg Award. It is a prestigious award given only occasionally by the association.

Joins Tennis Center

Damon Burke has joined the Vineyard Tennis Center, Workout and Spa as its new assistant director. A former Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School student, Mr. Burke has had a lifelong commitment to sports and fitness. He played soccer for Long Island University (Southampton and CW Post) and for the Kyoto Institute of Technology.

Council Turns 18

The Tisbury council on aging will celebrate its 18th anniversary on Sunday, June 7 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Tisbury senior center. Entertainment will be provided by Ray Frazio and there will be refreshments. The public is invited.

Foundation Grants

The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation is accepting inquiries in its 2009 Developmental Disabilities Grant category.

Organizations on Martha’s Vineyard serving children and adolescents with developmental disabilities may be eligible for funds. The due date for the letter of inquiry is July 22, 2009. For more information, see online thetowerfoundation.org.

Noted environmental activist and Chilmark seasonal resident Laurie David has been cited and fined by the Chilmark conservation commission for fresh violations of the state Wetlands Protection Act.

The property owned by Ms. David off North Road was the subject of a series of wetlands violations in 2005, when construction of a stone fire pit, barbecue grill area and wooden stage for a children’s theatre with seating was begun in a wetland without a permit.

Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard announced this week that it will join forces with a leading Cape Cod hospice organization, a move that will lead to expanded services including those covered by Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance carriers.

The plan calls for Hospice & Palliative Care of Cape Cod to become affiliated with the Vineyard hospice, which will retain its independence. An independent nonprofit based in Hyannis, Hospice & Palliative Care of Cape Cod is the largest hospice organization on the Cape, with a $12 million annual operating budget.

The brilliant star in the southern sky is Spica. Spica appears almost due south soon after sunset and it is readily noticeable with its distinct bluish white color. Spica is one of the brightest stars in our night sky and the principal star in the zodiacal constellation Virgo.

Although persistent drizzle made the playing field slippery on Wednesday, the undefeated Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School girls’ lacrosse team had no problems finding their footing, easily defeating lower-seeded Oliver Ames in the Division II sectionals of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament to advance to the next round.

Almost two years before he made the scathing comments about the Tisbury police which cost him his job, police chief John Cashin launched a similar broadside, aimed at his former colleagues on the Norwalk, Ct., police force

It was on July 26, 2007 and Mr. Cashin was almost 10 months into his tenure as Tisbury chief when he elected to speak to The Hour, a daily newspaper in his former town, damning the force there for insubordination, lack of discipline and immorality, and calling for a complete shake-up of the department.

A project to build an experimental blue mussel farm off the Vineyard has cleared a thorny bureaucratic hurdle and may begin as soon as a month from now.

Believed to be an innovative and key leg of a movement to revive the fishing industry here, the project has the backing of state, local and federal funds.

But a requirement for an archaeological survey at the deep water site was threatening to delay the project, and late last week Rick Karney, director of the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group, was hopping mad.