Two Island men were sentenced to state prison Friday for an October 2011 armed robbery in Edgartown. On Thursday, a jury found Brian D. Gromoshak, 32, of Oak Bluffs, and Demetrio Garcia 3rd, 19, of West Tisbury, guilty on several charges, including armed robbery and larceny more than $250. They were sentenced Friday at the Edgartown courthouse by the Hon. Cornelius J. Moriarty 2nd, associate justice of the superior court.

Vineyard voters go to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots in the 2012 presidential election. And while the big draw is the race for president and large turnouts are expected here as elsewhere, Vineyard voters will also makes choices on a host of other state and local issues, from a close Massachetts Senate race to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission to medical marijuana.

Hurricane Sandy, the historic storm that dealt a knockout blow to New York city and the New Jersey coast early this week spared the Vineyard for the most part. But while the center of the storm stayed hundreds of miles away, the Island experienced near-hurricane conditions throughout the day on Monday, including serious flooding and coastal erosion, forcing school closures, transportation shuts downs and a day indoors for most Islanders, often without power.

Editor’s Note: Fourteen candidates are running for nine seats on the Martha’s Vineyard Commission. At least one and not more than two may be elected from each of the six towns. In interviews with the Gazette, candidates answered questions about the recent vote on the roundabout, the issue of whether the commission should review large houses as developments of regional impact, and the role of the commission on the Vineyard.

While the Island was spared the brunt of Hurricane Sandy, reports early Tuesday confirmed severe erosion, especially on south-facing shorelines. The ocean washed over Norton Point Beach at Katama in Edgartown, turning the eastern end of the beach into a sandbar covered with water at high tide, said Chris Kennedy, superintendent for The Trustees of Reservations.

With Hurricane Sandy still hundreds of miles south of the Vineyard Monday afternoon, the Island was feeling its blast with many roads underwater from extreme high tides and huge ocean waves pounding the shoreline. Winds were gusting up to 60 miles per hour in places, and there was one report from Cuttyhunk of a gust clocked at 81 mph. There were scattered power outages through out the Island and some reports of trees down, including one in Vineyard Haven that caught fire.