Bringing back an extinct species raises a whirlwind of questions — technical, ethical and financial. Would it be possible? Should it be done?

More than three months after the Vineyard Gazette formally asked for public records from the town of Tisbury relating to the Stop & Shop expansion proposal, the town has provided only a portion of what was requested.

A crowd of nearly 1,000 people filled the West Tisbury Agricultural Hall Wednesday afternoon for the memorial service for F. Patrick Gregory. Son Tim Gregory called his father a whistler and believer in the human spirit.

In many ways the 10-month review of the grocery chain's expansion plan followed a normal course for a development project in front of the MVC. But emails obtained by the Gazette show the process was unusual in other respects.

Throughout the weekend the Vineyard mourned the loss of the longtime West Tisbury moderator and well-known Islander, who was the victim of a robbery and homicide on a remote hiking trail in northern California Friday. Mr. Gregory was 69.