Mark London, executive director of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, intends to retire at the end of August 2015, and finding his replacement has become one of the commission’s high priorities.

I am a big Beatles fan. And because of that, I am a connoisseur of good music. The program produced at the Oak Bluffs School was top of the line.

President Obama kissed as many as five million illegal immigrants.

It is probably true that civilization is built on tradition. Even if it isn’t, traditions are nice, sweet and sentimental. People like them. They also use them as excuses for doing things that they can’t think of any logical reason for doing.

The First Congregational Church of West Tisbury offers its special contemplative Advent series on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. beginning Dec. 3 and continuing through Dec. 17.

Vineyard House, the Island’s only sober living facility, will soon be opening a new residential campus in Vineyard Haven. The ribbon cutting is Dec. 19.

The most recent dispute between the Martha’s Vineyard Airport and the Dukes County Commission may be one step closer to resolution, following the county’s decision this week to close the record on the latest complaint from the airport.

The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $215,875 for the business week ending on Friday, Nov. 21, 2014. The land bank receives its funds from a two per cent fee charged on many Vineyard real estate transactions.

The moon takes charge of our evenings in the coming week. Tonight, the first quarter moon appears high the evening sky, in the zodiacal constellation Aquarius. The distant and faint planet Neptune, not visible to most of us, is nearby.

The moon becomes gibbous and gains brightness in the following nights, moving through the zodiacal constellations Pisces. By the end of next week, the moon is full and in the zodiacal constellation Taurus.

The Neighborhood Convention celebrates its 120th anniversary this month, and some time was reserved at the November meeting for a bit of reminiscing. The convention was born out of a time of hostility among the Protestant denominations of the Vineyard.