Four of the six Island towns will take the first steps next week in deciding the pivotal question of whether to ask the state legislature to allow creation of a Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank.

Open space conservation, winterized housing for employees and generous assistance from a community bank are all factors in an out-of-the-ordinary purchase by the land bank.

The state department of Fishers, Wildlife and Environmental Law Enforcement announced yesterday that it has taken ownership of the Leland beach - 100 acres of virtually unspoiled barrier beach stretching from Wasque to the Dike Bridge on Chappaquiddick.

Purchase price is just under $1 million; the beach, which has been owned by the family of the late Oliver and Edmund Leland since 1907, was purchased through land-taking measures under the state’s eminent domain laws.

As the Martha’s Vineyard business community begins to climb back on its feet, including the multi-million-dollar wedding industry, Big Sky Tents is planning for expansion.

A series of police reports released this week in connection with the alleged incident involving health agent Meegan Lancaster detail a confusing and at times garbled timeline of events.

A bill making its way through the state legislature would eliminate a 48-year-old provision that allows for a voting member appointed by the governor of Massachusetts.

An all-Island meeting set for Monday to discuss the regional high school funding formula has been postponed.

A federal judge has firmly denied a request for an injunction by a group of Steamship Authority employees seeking to overturn the boat line’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate for its workers.

TestMV, the Island’s free coronavirus testing site, will close at the end of March, some 22 months after it launched to overwhelming demand at the start of the pandemic.

The proprietor of the Ocean View restaurant said he plans to rebuild as quickly as possible following the massive fire that left the building a total loss last Thursday.