In a case that has been closely watched by conservation groups on the Vineyard, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled Thursday that a plot of forestland in the Berkshires cannot be taxed.

The annual town meeting and election season came to a close this week as Aquinnah voters approved a major spending request for the relocation of the Gay Head Light and ushered in a new selectman for the next three years.

A recent engineering study of the East Chop bluff has revealed further deterioration of the region, which was severely damaged by erosion and major storm events in recent years.

But help may be on its way.

It was a good week for land trusts and other members of the conservation community on the Vineyard, beginning with an acquisition of coastal farmland on Chappaquiddick by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank and ending with a decision from the state Supreme Judicial Court that affirms the inherent value of open space.

A key piece of historic coastal farmland on Chappaquiddick will be conserved, thanks to a purchase announced this week by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank.

The land bank said Wednesday that it had signed a contract to buy 25 acres of the former Tom’s Neck Farm off the Dike Bridge Road. The purchase price is $5.175 million.

Three months after senior center director Roger Wey was placed on paid leave, an auditor hired to investigate the financial activities of the council on aging has issued a report which has not been made public.


The one-day-old full moon appears low in our southern sky tonight. As night unfolds, the moon moves with the stars along the southern sky, from east to west, where it will set sometime after sunrise tomorrow morning.

The moon resides this weekend in the zodiacal constellation Scorpius, a summer constellation.

Scorpius has a bright red star called Antares. Look at the moon tonight and you’ll see Antares nearby. Scorpius is named for a mythological scorpion. Scorpius is one of the 12 large constellations and it moves ever so slowly across the sky. 

Marion Mudge’s preparation for Tuesday’s Tisbury town election began well before the actual event. Absentee ballots were sent out, members of the fire and public works departments were consulted for setup, voting booths arranged, signs posted and stocks of snacks purchased at the grocery store for election volunteers.

As Tisbury town clerk for the past 30 years, Ms. Mudge has kept track of Tisbury’s vital records — its births, deaths, marriages and civil unions. But elections remain her favorite part of the job.

With Memorial Day close at hand, town officials in Oak Bluffs are scrambling to remedy a situation at Inkwell Beach where dark sediment has been deposited as part of a beach nourishment project.

West Tisbury selectmen got a glimpse of the town’s first official flag this week.