At a press conference staged in Charlestown Friday, federal officials announced they were moving ahead with plans to open up a large area south of the Vineyard for offshore wind development.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said it would begin an environmental assessment for the 1,300-square-mile area that lies about 14 miles south of the Vineyard.

“There is great potential here,” bureau director Tommy P. Beaudreau told The Boston Globe. The press conference was held at the state’s wind technology testing center in Charlestown.

Grace Church in Vineyard Haven is breaking the claws for a Super Bowl feast. The lobster rolls are available for pickup from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. One roll, chips and a beverage is $15. Hotdogs are $3 and a slice of pie is $4.

The church urges those with big appetites to call ahead to 508-693-0332.

Do Islanders like it, not know about it or just not care?

A nearly-nonexistent turnout at the Martha’s Vineyard Commission Thursday night for a public hearing on a new 12,200-square-foot solar canopy over the parking lot at Cronig’s Market in Vineyard Haven had some commissioners scratching their heads.

“There certainly doesn’t seem to be an outcry of public concern about this project, but I’m curious whether people are really paying a lot of attention,” said commissioner Linda Sibley.

The Farm Institute and Morning Glory Farm are teaming up to screen the film American Meat tonight, Friday, Feb. 3, starting at 6 p.m. at the Morning Glory Farm stand.

The film is a documentary about the current state of meat production in the U.S. It is not billed as a mere harangue against the meat industry but rather looks at the complex issue through the eyes of actual workers at these plants, feedlots and confinement houses. The film also introduces the current revolution developing in animal husbandry.

Ten Island high school students have been awarded top prizes in the Boston Globe’s 2012 Scholastic Art Awards for work ranging from a ceramic pot with a snake on it to a photo of bare feet in the rain.

The winning works, including ceramics, glass, drawings and photography, were selected from 14,000 entries, with less than 5 per cent winning the top honor, a Gold Key. Nine Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School students won Gold Keys, as did one Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School student.

The freight ferry Governor’s term may be over. At the monthly Steamship Authority meeting this week, the fate of the humble vessel, which dates to the 1950s, was a subject for discussion. Boat line general manager Wayne Lamson announced the launch of a study — scheduled to be completed in March — about options for replacing the Governor.

A Vineyard Haven man who has worked as an assistant boys’ basketball coach at the Edgartown School and volunteered at Martha’s Vineyard Boys’ and Girls’ Club was arraigned Thursday on charges of sexually assaulting a seven-year-old boy.

School officials said the alleged victim is not a student at the school, but Daniel P. Parker’s arrest by Tisbury police on Wednesday prompted the Vineyard schools superintendent to bar him from all Island schools.

The chairman of the Oak Bluffs selectmen said yesterday that the two members of the town wastewater commission who moved late last week to eliminate plant superintendent Joseph Alosso’s position had no authority to make such a decision.

A yearlong investigation into record-keeping practices at the Edgartown wastewater treatment plant came to an end this week with the release of a sharply critical report from a special town attorney, who found a long list of deficiencies in management practices at the plant and in the way the elected members of the town wastewater commission conducted themselves.

Holmes Hole Dinner

The Holmes Hole Sailing Association will hold its annual winter dinner at the Wharf Pub in Edgartown on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 6 p.m., at which point plans for the 2012 sailing season will be announced. All sailing assocation members and interested parties are invited to attend.

The cost for the dinner is $40 and includes tax and tips, but not drinks. To RSVP, contact Diane Hartmann at 508-693-459 or e-mail missemmasails@Yahoo.com.