Tributes and expressions of sympathy were heard around the country for the acclaimed illustrator and children’s author who delighted multiple generations with his books.

Vineyarders joined countless others this week in mourning the loss of Mike Nichols, the noted film director who died Wednesday in Manhattan at the age of 83. The cause was cardiac arrest. Mr. Nichols and his wife, broadcast journalist Diane Sawyer, were longtime seasonal residents of Vineyard Haven. They were married in 1988 at the Federated Church in Edgartown.

A package of rate hikes for the coming year will be on the table for discussion, including increases to excursion fares. The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Oak Bluffs library.

Mr. Potts died on Oct. 11 of complications from a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. His West Tisbury weekly, The Broadside, famously sold for ten cents at Alley’s and Conroy’s. It was published from 2000 until 2012.

The iconic and much-debated pond comes back into the spotlight this week as the town prepares to begin a one-year watershed study. A series of public forums begins tonight in the West Tisbury Library.

While holding their place across the board for strong academic achievement, Vineyard public schools turned in mixed scores this year on the MCAS exam with some schools showing new areas that need improvement, especially when it comes to improving proficiency among low income, non-English-speaking and special needs students.