A moratorium on the taking of river herring, instituted three years ago because of dwindling stocks, appears set to be extended for another three years.

A decision will not be announced until next Friday, but a public hearing attended by Vineyard fishermen last week made it clear the fishery was still far from recovered.

Paul Diodati, the director of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, said there had been some improvement in stocks, but populations were still low.

With tick-borne diseases at epidemic levels on the Vineyard and the cause of growing concern as a public health threat here, the national Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has launched a controlled study of Lyme disease and tularemia in the Island Wampanoag population.

The study is phase one in a three-year environmental health program for the tribe, made possible by a $360,000 grant from the CDC, based in Atlanta, Ga.

Oak Bluffs selectmen reacted with outrage this week to a video posted on a national animal rights group Web site that suggests members of the town police department had allowed an illegal betting operation to take place during the annual Monster Shark tournament.

Foul weather predicted for this weekend may hinder but it won’t slow down the enthusiasts participating in the 63rd annual Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. Fishing is at a fever pitch.

Sloppy seas and a prevailing east-northeast breeze made the fishing tough this week. Nevertheless, at the Wednesday night derby weigh-in, the derby got a new leader in the striped bass boat category.

A plan that has been in the works for three years to establish the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School as an emergency center during a terrorist attack or outbreak of infectious disease hit a snag this week when concerns surfaced among Oak Bluffs leaders about the suitability of the site.

Island educators began to analyze the good and less good news contained in the 2008 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) scores released Wednesday, while they voiced continued frustration at what they say are unrealistic provisions in the federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the tests.

Some of the good news: all six Island schools met state targets for the school’s overall average percentage, known as the composite performance index, in both English and math.

Less than three years after they bought the Vineyard’s premier music venue, the owners of the Outerland nightclub have been forced by mounting debts to put it back on the market.

In a letter that went to creditors late last week, Barry Rosenthal, who is manager and co-owner of Outerland, said the club will close for good Nov. 30.

In his letter, Mr. Rosenthal asked for patience from the creditors.

Beach Cleanup

On Saturday, Oct. 4, please join the Eastville Point beach committee in the removal of an invasive species from the Eastville Point beach bird sanctuary area, from 9 a.m. to noon. Spotted knapweed is taking hold at the beach and it is time for a volunteer effort to remove it and to prevent its spread. This will promote nesting activities of various tern species as well as piping plovers in the plateau at the beach. Bring gloves (knapweed can cause skin irritation) and a weeding tool (hoe, rake, etc.).

By LYNNE IRONS

If I could rename my perennial bed a meadow, I would feel smug in the knowledge that I was a raging success as a gardener. There must be something about this karma thing; how could a person get so far behind in one lifetime? I have learned to live with many of my weeds. In the early summer I had a huge amount of daisy fleabane which has reseeded everywhere. This aster relative (Erigeron annuus) received its common name from a belief that the dried flower heads of the plant could rid a dwelling of fleas. As if!

Hey, in the world of bird watching there is nothing better than a bird that is easy to identify. And when you are dealing with sparrows it is particularly exciting. Most beginning birders barely even look at sparrows, claiming that they all look alike and they are just little brown jobs! This weekend we had a visit from a sparrow that is far from an LBJ (little brown job).