Vineyard schools start up again on Tuesday, Sept. 6. The school system expects to welcome 2,158 students to the new year, slightly up from last year which saw 2,117 students in the six public schools. A total of 69 new staff members joined the school system.

New high school principal Sara Dingledy will have her first official day with students on Tuesday, but over the summer she has been busy rolling up her sleeves at work and securing year-round housing on the Island for her family.

Adrian Smith has been carving animals into stone since he was a teenager. It is a meditative process, which appeals to the artist, who sells his pieces out of his small gallery nearly hidden off Main street in Vineyard Haven.

As West Tisbury animal control officer for 27 years, Joan Jenkinson has been at the beck and call of residents and their animals. But come Oct. 1, when she retires, she'll be able to sleep through a full night.

To prepare for a long walk do some stretches and limber up with a little pre-walk walk.

Drew’s Cove in Lake Tashmoo could become a no-anchor zone for the next three years to protect fragile eelgrass beds near the head of the saltwater estuary.