On the heels of a planning effort aimed at expanding Island housing opportunities, the Chilmark planning board has begun investigating short-term rentals such as those offered through Airbnb.

The Edgartown planning board has closed a public hearing but has yet to vote on whether to approve plans for eight loft apartments in the busy B-2 business district off Upper Main street. Residents of the Dark Woods neighborhood are up in arms over the plan.

The Martha’s Vineyard Housing Needs Assessment Study Committee will present the findings of its latest study at a public meeting on Wednesday, January 19. The informational session will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Tisbury Senior Center.

Only carry from place to place what can fit in your car, or if you’re lucky, a friend’s pickup truck. Pack your clothes in garbage bags and carefully stack them so they don’t tumble over on the drive. Leave the cabinets completely empty, tuck the plates and dishes in between your clothes, and lock the door behind you as though you were never there.

The boom years are over, the Island population is aging at a rapid rate and an underground economy — conservatively estimated at $34 million in unreported wages — threatens to undermine the stability of the Island community.

This is the conclusion of a recent study prepared for the Martha’s Vineyard Commission by John J. Ryan, a consultant with Development Cycles in Amherst.

The greatest thing about the Vineyard for the Rev. Alden Besse is
not the natural beauty - as much as he appreciates it - but
the intimacy of the Island community.

As a longtime minister at Grace Episcopal Church in Vineyard Haven,
and someone who is involved in numerous nonprofit organizations, he
believes that people on the Vineyard have always taken care of one
another.