Approximately 500 buildings in downtown Edgartown, most of them wood frame houses of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, are now part of a nationally recognized historic district.

In a chilling midsummer tragedy that made overnight headlines around the world and quickly put the Vineyard beneath the harsh spotlight of the national media, a small airplane flown by John F. Kennedy Jr. plunged into the Atlantic Ocean off the western end of the Island on Friday night.

A private aircraft that strayed into the no-fly zone over President Obama’s summer house in Chilmark received a prompt military escort to Nantucket.

President Obama stepped out of vacation mode briefly Monday to stump for Hillary Clinton at a private fundraiser in Chilmark. The event was hosted by Hank and Carol Brown Goldberg at their home off Middle Road.

It’s 10 p.m. on a Thursday night. Steve Durkee, the Gazette graphics director, is in Dick Reston’s office, his head stuck out the open skylight, smoking a cigarette. Dick is at his computer, writing headlines.

As the upcoming presidential election remains stuck in the glare of the national spotlight, closer to home Martha’s Vineyard voters will have some sorting to do when it comes to local races this fall.

The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank will significantly expand its hilltop Middle Ridge Preserve in Chilmark with the purchase of 19.8 acres off Tea Lane.

She has prowled Island bookstores, gone crabbing in the Oyster Pond and pored over old records stored in the vault at the Edgartown town hall. Hillary Clinton’s ties to Martha’s Vineyard were forged well before she sought political office for herself.

Gov. Charlie Baker’s decision to scale back the state budget dealt a blow to environmental and social service programs on the Vineyard, including shellfish propagation and help for the homeless.