The Martha’s Vineyard Commission closed a public hearing Thursday on the first phase of a master plan for Island Grown Initiative after discussing nitrogen mitigation and an archeology report.

Three planets shine together tomorrow morning before sunrise.

"Only Connect!" If I were the kind of person who could commit to literary-inspired tattoos, this epigraph from E.M. Forster’s 1910 novel Howard’s End might be my choice. As someone who spent a great deal of time pre-pandemic thinking and talking about the importance of real-life connection – The Oyster began as a sort of in-person social survival network for young adults looking for things to do in the off-season –the prolonged periods of quarantine we’ve all had to endure in the name of public safety has felt not just personally devastating but also professionally confusing. How can I encourage social and personal connection as a strategy for emotional well-being from six feet apart? How do we reconcile caring both for our community and our own mental health? And how many days in a row can I possibly work from home wearing pajama pants without officially becoming what one friend calls a “pajama pants person?”

These are the questions that keep me up at night. And since we’re (still, STILL) surviving a pandemic, I recently did what any self-respecting person with a smart phone would do, and I asked Instagram for advice. I wondered– in the form of several stories and some targeted emails and DMs –in the absence of our regular off-season survival tactics (potlucks, movie nights, raucous nights downtown) what are people doing to stay connected, engaged and reasonably happy, during this, the second full winter of our collective discontent?

Combat the winter wearies with art and cooking classes, beauty boosts and self-care.

Luanne Johnson’s to-do list runs to the wild side: study otter scat, track owls by moonlight. Last week the founder, director and biologist for BiodiversityWorks was in Aquinnah.

The Oak Bluffs project to revamp downtown with rearranged parking and expanded sidewalks, is forging ahead through blizzards and other winter obstacles.

Jenny Rosen and Oraibi Voumard, of Aquinnah, announce the birth of a daughter, Kaia Rose Oraibi Voumard, born on Jan. 31.

Victoria Campbell has always been a storyteller, with the Vineyard providing some of her earliest inspirations.

We’re delighted to report that Max, the lab/husky mix, has found his forever home.

The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $255,910 for the business week ending on Friday, Jan. 28, 2022.