If this year isn’t the driest on record for the Vineyard, it is certainly one of the driest, according to meteorologists. So far the Vineyard has received just over eight inches of precipitation through Tuesday, about half its yearly average over the same time period.

The unusual conditions have meant an elevated risk of brush and other fires, and the Vineyard has been part of a fire weather advisory for the region for much of the past few weeks.

A decision by West Tisbury to buy discounted gasoline from the Vineyard Transit Authority for town vehicles has upset the owners of Up-Island Automotive, who told the town selectmen this week the move has both hurt their business and wounded their pride as longtime business owners in the heart of the village.

Tisbury voters will have a clear choice next Tuesday as Tom Pachico and Jon Snyder square off for an open seat on the town board of selectmen. In one corner is an outspoken and defiantly proud lifelong Islander with decades of service to the town; in the other, a professed budget hawk and town finance committee veteran with a background in high finance. The two disagree on almost every issue.

The polls will be open from noon to 8 p.m. on Tuesday at the American Legion Hall.

The fastest sailor in world history wins again!

Rob Douglas of Vineyard Haven won the Mondial du Vent Orange Speed Crossing — the largest combined kitesurfing and windsurfing speed event — in Leucate, France last week. Rob set a new course record of 43.32 knots.

Rob’s brothers Jamie and Morgan, also of Vineyard Haven, placed fifth and ninth overall in the competition.

The brothers are sponsored by Lynch Associates, The Black Dog, Cabrinha, DaKine and Cornerfive Surf Company.

A sharp increase in the annual town operating budget and the question, both financial and philosophical, of whether to continue participation in the Massachusetts Estuaries Project are the key issues that will come before Chilmark voters at their annual town meeting Monday night.

The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Chilmark Community Center; longtime moderator Everett Poole will preside over the 22-article warrant. The annual town election is Wednesday.

Bomb-making materials were discovered this week in a storage facility near the airport, according to Edgartown police.

The department is seeking an arrest warrant for Jobian Kerr, 31, on charges of possessing explosive substances or materials, Det. Sgt. Christopher Dolby said in a press release.

According to the police, officers seized “a number” of hazardous bomb-making materials from two storage units at Airport Ministorage of Martha’s Vineyard while executing search warrants.

When it comes to drug and alcohol abuse among teenagers, peer pressure and experimentation frequently are cited as contributors. But according to one expert, a look at adolescent brains shows why teens are particularly affected by drug and alcohol use.

To speak more about what’s going on in teenagers’ heads — and how it affects things like substance addiction — Dr. Traci L. Brooks is coming to the Vineyard next week for three presentations about “The Adolescent Brain” and changes that occur as the brain matures.

As the scramble to reach first in casino gambling continues in Massachusetts, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) caused a small stir when it announced last week that the tribe is considering some kind of casino operation on the Vineyard.

Volleyball Winners

The West Tisbury volleyball team defeated the Oak Bluffs Blazers in five sets last Wednesday during the middle school championship game, giving the Hawks their third interscholastic title of the 2011-2012 sports season.

The Hawks won the first two sets 25-21, 25-23, but Oak Bluffs came back in the next two (25-12, 25-22) to tie the match. West Tisbury closed out with a 15-5 fifth set.

Earlier this year, the West Tisbury girls won the annual middle school track meet; the boys shared the track title with the Tisbury School.

Applications for the South Shore Community Action Council’s fuel assistance program for the 2012 season must be received by April 30.