The Island's only Medicare-certified home health agency has been struggling financially and has agreed to sell its operations to Cape Cod Health Care.

The longtime West Tisbury resident wore many hats but was best known in recent years for his role as a self-appointed watchdog of Island politics, especially in his home town.

The gift of 17 small parcels valued at $3.7 million represents an important conservation gain in the rare heathlands of Aquinnah, conservation leaders said.

The 1,000-foot crescent of sand that lies south of the Lagoon Pond Bridge came as an early Christmas present for the Martha's Vineyard Land Bank, where outright gifts of land are rare.

Announced Monday, the news from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was hailed as a boost to protection efforts for the critically endangered right whales.

Facing a severe revenue shortfall, the Vineyard Nursing Association is on track to end the year with a large and unsustainable operating loss, leaders at the Island’s only home health care agency told the Gazette this week.