At 7:59 this morning, Doug McConnell set off from Nantucket to Martha’s Vineyard, looking to complete the long distance swim he just barely failed to finish in 2019. The swim is a fundraiser for ALS research.

State wildlife officials and the Mass Audubon bird conservation group are advising residents to bring in their bird feeders and birdbaths until more is known about a mysterious avian ailment.

This is a wonderful time of year to be looking up at the stars.

The Vineyard Gazette today released the first episode in a new nine-part podcast called Shed: Conversations about Race. Hosted by Island therapist Eric Adams, the podcast will unfold in interviews released weekly.

Vineyard doctors, allergists and biologists have identified at least a dozen Islanders who have been formally diagnosed with alpha gal syndrome, a largely unstudied new syndrome.

Shed host Eric Adams shapes each discussion through the lens of his profession, working with couples and people suffering from addiction issues. He likens racism to a social illness.

The perennial friction between those who cherish the Old Martha’s Vineyard and those who want to fix it up has reached a new peak of intensity as the Island experiences another wave of migration and building pressure.

The wildflowers have been muted in this year of weather extremes — dry, dry spring followed by a midsummer drenched with intermittent showers.

Within recent memory, West Tisbury, Edgartown, Oak Bluffs and Chilmark have all added event rooms to their libraries. Now Vineyard Haven hopes to do the same.

When school closed in March of 2020, those of us who work in schools entered an educational landscape that challenged us to our core as educators.