M. Alan Lovewell, 28, of Monterey, Calif., this week was awarded a two-year fellowship from the West Coast Sea Grant to help in their marine resource management efforts for Oregon, Washington and California.

Sea Grant is a federally funded program through the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. The West Coast Sea Grant program ícoordinates conservation management efforts in such areas as íocean energy, fisheries and resource extraction, as part of the West Coast Governors Agreement on Ocean Health signed in 2006.

Sluggers Will Be Sharks

And then there was one.

The Ospreys flew out, the Islanders lay stranded between first and second, and the Fighting Clams got bogged down on third.

The Sharks circled with ease, devouring all pretenders to the throne.

And so it will be the Sharks who represent the Vineyard as it welcomes its first season of summer collegiate baseball. May the ballplayers remain hungry for homeruns rather than late night surfers.

From Edgartown to Boston, from country wood posts to exposed steel beams, but not to worry, the lattes will stay the same.

For the past 18 years, Espresso Love has been an Edgartown fixture with its coffee, sandwiches and baked goods. Sometime early next year, Bostonians will be able to experience a bit of the Island on the mainland as Espresso Love opens a second location in downtown Boston.

Owners T.J. and Carol McManus plan to open a new 2,000-square-foot space on Broad street in the financial district, a few blocks away from Faneuil Hall.

Shotgun season for deer began on Monday and the first week of the 12-day season was marked by good weather and a decent harvest by hunters.

By 1 p.m. yesterday, Brian Hawthorne, a forester for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, had seen 71 deer come through the deer check-in station in the state forest.

The Edgartown tax rate will increase for the fourth year in a row, part of a trend seen in an Islandwide climate of declining property values.

The selectmen voted to set the tax rate at their weekly meeting Monday afternoon, pending approval by the state Department of Revenue. The new tax rate is estimated at $3.40 per $1,000 of assessed property value, up from the current rate of $3.09 per $1,000.

It took some work to get a quorum, but once that was done Aquinnah voters swiftly approved a series of articles at a special town meeting Tuesday night, including for new affordable housing sites and a delinquent property tax amnesty program.

When not enough people turned up, a small assembly of voters took out phone books and dialed people they knew to convince them to come out to the meeting. About 45 minutes later, applause broke out as the last voter needed entered the old town hall.

Citing concerns about allowing prisoners out on work release in a summer camp setting, the Edgartown conservation commission decided this week to end a work release program between the Dukes County jail and the Farm Institute in Katama.

“Because it’s open to the public and there’s a summer camp there, it’s probably not a good idea for the Farm Institute to have a work release program,” conservation agent Jane Varkonda said at a meeting of the commission on Wednesday.

A row of decorated wreaths rests along the front pew of the West Tisbury Congregational Church. There are wreaths with red bows and holly leaves, pine cones and delicate juniper berries. A few feature small, felt cardinals peeking out from amongst the greens. There is also a homemade boxwood wreath with no trappings other than nature’s varied shadings of light and dark green. It glistens next to a faded blue Pilgrim hymnal. And then there are three wreaths at the end of the pew adorned with orange slices.

Mother’s Milk

Vineyard Nursing Association staff Melissa Dolby and Laura Murphy are now lactation counselors certified by the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice.

The credential indicates a nurse has demonstrated the necessary skills, knowledge and attitude to provide breastfeeding counseling and management support to families.

The VNA provides in-home care for new mothers and their babies. Last year, VNA nurses provided care to 131 new mothers and their babies.

Silver Screen Burritos

Islanders can support the Martha’s Vineyard Film Society by eating burritos on Tuesday: Sharky’s Cantina restaurants (in Oak Bluffs and in Edgartown) will be donating 15 per cent of all food sales from lunch, dinner and late night patrons this Tuesday, Dec. 7 to the film society.

The film society is a nonprofit, year-round cultural program dedicated to screening independent and world cinema. For details, see online mvfilmsociety.com or call 508-696-9369.