Sometime after dark on Sunday night or early Monday morning, someone carefully removed a hand-carved wooden sign that hung from a post outside the Sandpiper Realty office on Winter street in Edgartown. The thief used specialized tools, not force, to cleanly detach the signboard, which featured a three-dimensional carving of the emblematic Sandpiper bird, then stole away with it in the night.

The U.S. Coast Guard is still interviewing witnesses in the investigation of last month’s fire that destroyed the Menemsha boathouse, and spokesmen said Tuesday that plans for rebuilding the historic boathouse have been put on hold until all evidence has been collected and results of the investigation are released.

With little fanfare, President Obama landed at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport yesterday afternoon to begin a 10-day Vineyard vacation as planned. Like last year, the arrival was completely closed to the public. The President traveled with the family dog, Bo, and a small group that included his close friend and senior advisor Valerie Jarrett and her daughter.

It was the beginning of what would be a long day for the then-future president of the United States, Barack Obama. He’d finished up on the campaign trail about 1 a.m., then returned to his hotel to steal a few hours of sleep with Michelle, who had been busy campaigning separately from her husband. Now the two were gearing up for that day’s primary in New Hampshire. Their paths would diverge again that morning, but first there was a 20-minute bus ride, their only chance for some quiet time alone together.