Megan and John Paul Vasconcelos of Edgartown announce the birth of a daughter, Azarah Grace Vasconcelos, born on Sept. 6 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Azarah weighed 5 pounds, 14 ounces at birth.

Katama Bay oyster farms in Edgartown have been closed due to an outbreak of Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp), the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Department of Fish and Game, Division of Marine Fisheries announced Monday.

The third year was the charm for the Vineyard Warrior Triathlon, organizer and founder Matthew Brackman reported Monday afternoon. The annual event takes place the second week of September, and drew 160 competitors this year.

Mr. Brackman, himself a triathlete, told the Gazette he was first inspired to start the Vineyard Warrior, the first event of its kind on-Island since 1994.

By the numberless thousands they descend. The birds
arrive as a great host, flying from the northeast, following a sinuous path on invisible, atmospheric currents. The flock appears as a river of birds, curving through the air, with birds pouring forth in a flow that seems unceasing.

The great flocks of migrating tree swallows have arrived upon the plains of Quansoo and elsewhere on the shores of Martha’s Vineyard.

Wedged between her parents, each hand attached to one of theirs, Hannah McCormick approached the Oak Bluffs School. She wore a favorite light pink dress and colorful sneakers that lit up pink when she pressed into the toes. Her mother, Kate, slung a Little Mermaid backpack over one shoulder.

When school bells ring this morning, kindergarten students won’t be the only ones with butterflies. The school district processed paperwork for 100 new staff members this summer, and many more returning employees took on new roles.

Cross country runners representing 460 in all, competed in the seventh Annual Martha’s Vineyard Invitational Saturday at the regional high school.

Bishop Feehan ran away with team wins in both the boys’ and girls’ competitions.

The Vineyard as a team was seventh in 11.

Playing before a large home crowd at the Daniel McCarthy Field, the Vineyarders took a 21-0 loss to visiting Bedford on Saturday afternoon.

The Buccaneers got on the board in the first quarter and kept going, scoring once more in the third before putting away the final touchdown in the fourth with less than two minutes remaining.

An unmanned rocket launched by NASA and headed for the moon was visible in the night sky off the south side of Martha's Vineyard late Friday night. The five-stage Minotaur rocket was launched from the Virginia coast at 11:27 p.m.

Off the coast of Chatham, a team of nearly 20 expert fishermen and scientists from around the country is ready. For the past 30 days they have lived and fished aboard the M/V OCEARCH in hopes of capturing, examining and tagging live white sharks.