The Oak Bluffs water district is working toward implementation of a permanent chlorination system at the Lagoon Pond well after samples taken there more than two weeks ago revealed high counts of bacteria. Temporary chlorination of the entire water supply is currently under way as a precautionary measure.
The contaminated Lagoon Pond well was shut down in June, bringing an end to a two-day town-wide boil water order.

The Cottagers is a philanthropic organization comprised of about 100 women of color who are property owners on Martha’s Vineyard. The organization recently celebrated its 50th year of fundraising and continuing financial assistance to various programs on the Island.

A well-attended public hearing Thursday night about the proposed expansion of the Vineyard Haven Stop & Shop supermarket focused on plans and concerns about how the expansion would impact already difficult Tisbury traffic.

Susan L. Abbott and David W. Schweizer purchased 22 Sachem Circle in West Tisbury for $650,000 on July 1.

Joshua Sherman purchased 68 Pacific Avenue in Oak Bluffs for $356,500 on July 2.

Rebecca Brown stands on a piece of tin foil at the end of every day, feet carefully spaced apart, and lets the electricity drain from her body.

“Standing on tin foil at the end of the day is huge because our bodies act as our capacitors. The more electricity you’re exposed to the more you store, and standing on tin foil gets it out,” she said. “A minute every day with your feet not touching is great.”

They say rain on your wedding day is the mark of a happy marriage, and if the weather was any indication for Cynthia Riggs and Howard Attebery on Saturday evening, the couple will be together for a very long time.

President Barack Obama will return to the Vineyard this summer, making his fourth trip to the Island during his presidency, the White House confirmed Friday.

Mr. Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will travel to the Vineyard on August 10 and remain on Island until Aug. 18.

Power is slowly coming back on across the Island after a cable failure on the mainland caused power outages Friday afternoon. A spokesperson for the utility company Nstar said a cable failure in Falmouth caused the outage and the electricity company is starting up generators to restore power. Power should be fully restored by 5 p.m. According to the NSTAR outage map online, more than 6,200 NSTAR customers were affected. The cause of the failure is unknown at this time.

Sengekontacket is closed to shellfishing, the shellfish constable announced early Friday, after 0.28 inches of rain was recorded on the rain gauge at the Hughes Hatchery. The amount surpasses the 0.2 inches of rain threshold established in the 2012 Sanitary Survey for the pond. Shellfishing there will be prohibited for at least five days, and may be reopened on Wednesday as long as another heavy rain event does not occur in the meantime. Rain is measured daily at the pond.
The Sanitary Survey’s threshold is in effect during the months of July, August and September.