Sea stars are known for their powerful arms that have a vascular system of tube feet, which can force open even the heartiest bivalve.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s new film, Southpaw, was screened this week by the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival as part of their summer film series, and featured a discussion with Mr. Gyllenhaal following the viewing. Mr. Gyllenhaal said he comes to the Vineyard to decompress after a tough role.

The Loft at Dreamland, one of Oak Bluffs’ newly renovated treasures, has had a long history of entertainment. Today it’s an adult lounge/game room following a time as an event/concert hall. It had lain fallow after the old Game Room was resurrected on Circuit avenue as Ryan’s Amusements.

An ambitious grant proposal that may have benefitted the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) was recently turned down in the early phases of an application process that involved research communities in the United States and China.

We had good weather over the long holiday weekend. Traffic, particularly, downtown, is extremely difficult, at best, and the bus traffic has had a substantial increase in ridership so you have to remember to build 20 minutes more into your travel time.

Tisbury and Oak Bluffs firefighters extinguished a fire that destroyed a guest house at a home off Border Road in Vineyard Haven late Tuesday. Pets were rescued and a tenant in the guest house is searching for a dog that may have run away after escaping the fire.

Jeannie Wright battled her increasingly debilitating diabetes with a new attitude, an insulin pump and determination to lose weight. Now she's using her newfound fitness to educate others and help raise money for the American Diabetes Association.

The town of Aquinnah today delivered a cease and desist letter to the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), warning it to halt any work on a gaming hall because the tribe lacks a town building permit and such a project is prohibited by local zoning bylaws.

On Thursday evening, as part of the Summer Institute Speaker Series at the Hebrew Center, Jane Harman, former congresswoman and president of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, will discuss terrorism and foreign policy relating to the Middle East.

Drawing connections between his Christian faith and politics, former governor Deval Patrick delivered a sermon at Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs on Sunday morning.