Eat For Life is a new Saturday evening series of free talks by holistic nutritional consultant Lisa Vunk, hosted by Natural Food Barn.

Everyone is welcome to get information and techniques to take control of your health. Weekly lectures will include such topics as the importance of eating organic (Saturday, Jan. 26), what you should know about genetically modified foods, and healthy alternatives to white sugar.

Fewer Island houses sold in 2007 for slightly more money than in 2006.

Despite a fourth-quarter rally, Island real estate transactions in 2007 declined 8.6 per cent, although median home sale prices increased 3.5 per cent from 2006.

Overall, fourth-quarter sales activity was the year’s strongest. But a three per cent increase in sales also included a seven per cent decline in median sales price.

Moves are afoot to use the economic stimulus package being planned by President Bush and Congress to deal with the national economic crisis, to also resolve an immigration problem which threatens to leave Island businesses without their usual supply of foreign seasonal workers.

Cong. William Delahunt is pushing the proposal to restore immigration provisions of the H2B visa scheme, which have expired as a result of the Congressional gridlock over immigration law.

Although it sounds more like a brand of malt liquor or a famous title from F. Scott Fitzgerald, a new government accounting standard called GASB 45 could force Island towns to open their books and set aside tens of millions of dollars in the coming years for post-retirement benefits for employees.

Peter Wells stands in the sun between Chappaquiddick and Edgartown on the On Time III, the Chappaquiddick ferry, which come Monday he will own, after a third of a century spent behind its wheel as captain.

On a recent Wednesday morning, Michelle Nepton, enrollment specialist at Vineyard Health Care Access, took a quick moment in between clients to put on a pot of coffee. It was the second full pot of the day. It was only 10:30.

There is nothing sleepy at the Portuguese-American Club in Oak Bluffs this winter, or any winter.

While many of the Island’s summer restaurants and clubs might slip into a state of hibernation, at the PA Club the music is loud, the television is playing and the heat is on. Someone has a story to tell.

The club, off Vineyard avenue, is the Island’s community living room, dining room and kitchen. For many of members, the place offers a second home, a second living space. The oven is seldom off.

The domino effect of a few 2006 property sales that have doubled some assessments and taxes in two West Tisbury neighborhoods are simply part of a trend toward sharply increasing values on waterfront and high-end properties, the town principal assessor said this week.

A number of Tisbury Great Pond and Seven Gates Farm homeowners are in the eye of the tax bill storm, while other West Tisbury tax bills have increased moderately, are unchanged or even lower than in 2007.

Chilmark selectmen last week expressed reluctance to join a lawsuit filed recently by the town of Tisbury intended to challenge the state-imposed formula for funding the regional high school.

Selectmen received a press release from the town of Tisbury explaining the lawsuit, which was filed in Dukes County Superior Court two weeks ago. The release invited other Island towns to take part in the complaint.

Oak Bluffs selectmen on Tuesday said goodbye to a pair of longtime business owners with a combined 70 years of experience as they approved the transfer of licenses for the Ritz Café on Circuit avenue and King’s Rentals on Circuit avenue extension to new owners.

In a busy meeting, selectmen also heard plans for the dredging of a new channel in Sengekontacket Pond that could vastly improve that waterway’s tidal flow and approved a contract for town administrator Michael Dutton a full 18 months after he was hired.