The absence of fast food on the Island rankles some but it may also mean we are healthier. Vineyard residents rank as the healthiest in the state, according to a survey released Tuesday by the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Nantucket ranks second, the report found.

A dentist, a rabbi, and a potter walk into the West Tisbury School.

It could be the beginning of a bad joke, or it could just describe a typical Tuesday or Thursday night for the Martha’s Vineyard Table Tennis Club, which draws its players from all walks of life, including the three mentioned above.

If you are looking for a successful measure of the bay scallop season, which ended this week, the results can be found in large piles of shells in three down-Island towns.

There was a huge pile of shells next to a fish shack at the foot of Skiff avenue in Tisbury last week, as well as similar piles at the old Edgartown dump and in Oak Bluffs at Madeiras Cove. It was a good year, though there are many who have memories of better ones.

Sunrise Sunset

Fri., April 6 6:16 7:12

Sat., April 7 6:15 7:13

Sun., April 8 6:13 7:14

Mon., April 9 6:11 7:15

Tues., April 10 6:10 7:16

Wed., April 11 6:08 7:17

Thurs., April 12 6:07 7:18

Fri., April 13 6:05 7:19

Full Moon

Tonight’s full moon appears near the bright star Spica in the zodiacal constellation Virgo. The ringed-planet Saturn is nearby. The three celestial objects form a line with Spica in-between.

The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) has designated three areas in southeastern Massachusetts for potential casino sites and scheduled referendum votes in two of those locations, inching closer to being eligible for a state gaming license.

Energy Stardom

Squash Meadow Construction Inc. (squashmeadow.com) recently completed another Energy Star qualified home. The home, owned by Jennifer Slosberg and located on Beech Road in Chilmark, underwent rigorous inspections in order to qualify as an Energy Star home. Squash Meadow Construction Inc., an Energy Star partner and LEED AP (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional) specializes in affordable green building.

Oak Bluffs Burglary

Two safes containing minimal amounts of money were stolen early Monday morning from the Martha’s Vineyard Chowder Company in Oak Bluffs, restaurant owner J.B. Blau confirmed. Mr. Blau said he reported the incident to the Oak Bluffs police and added that he has video evidence of the break-in. Mr. Blau said he is “99 per cent confident” that the case will be resolved “in the near future. We’re following leads.”

In a boost for the town of Chilmark nearly two years after a devastating fire destroyed the town dock in Menemsha, the Massachusetts Seaport Advisory Council announced on Thursday that it would award $629,026 to the town to put toward the rebuilding project in the historic fishing village.

The funds will specifically be used for ongoing repairs to the west dock.

Until a week ago the waters off of Race Point in Provincetown were a pageant of marine life, with divebombing gannets, 80-foot fin whales slicing the surface, dolphins and porpoises circling like gnats and docile North Atlantic right whales skimming blithely by, mouths agape.

A juror in the Cessna plane crash case said Thursday that the case was “a toss-up” and might have resulted in a verdict for either side had it not settled on the eve of jury deliberations.

The female Edgartown resident, who did not want to be identified by name, said the panel bonded during the monthlong trial but abided by the judge’s instructions to refrain from discussing the case or drawing any conclusions until all the evidence had been presented.