For the first time in the history of high school sports on the Vineyard, all four of the high school’s winter sports teams—girls’ and boys’ hockey and basketball—have won enough games to qualify for post-season playoff tournaments.

Still reeling from the tumultuous affairs at their town sewer plant that resulted in the resignation of the plant manager and criminal charges against a septic hauler, the Edgartown selectmen now must confront yet another town scandal, this one involving the stunningly irresponsible actions of Norman Rankow.

Islanders love to talk about the weather, and this winter has been no exception — except that the conversation is strikingly different. No snow save a couple of dustings and a late January dump of eight or nine inches of wet white stuff that melted away in the sunshine and mild temperatures over the next two days. No ice save a thin layer on freshwater ponds on a few winter mornings after temperatures fell into the single digits.

The West Tisbury selectmen have been put in a difficult spot as they try to navigate the ongoing conflict over two Akitas that have killed chickens and geese at a neighboring farm. The selectmen’s responsibility is to the town as a whole, and — as cruel as it may sound to some — they must do what is necessary to ensure that the dogs don’t continue to prey on local livestock.

Tea Lane Farm in Chilmark will get a new lease on life following the special town meeting this week, when voters swiftly approved a plan to create a long-term arrangement for a farmer to take over the fifty-acre property that has been a landmark at the corner of Middle Road and Tea Lane for as long as anyone can remember.

If you were out and about on the Island before the Super Bowl on Sunday, you saw ample evidence that you don’t need a ferry reservation to be a Patriots fan. A father and child dressed in matching Patriots jerseys wandered the aisles of the grocery store. A woman buying her latte sported a windbreaker with the team logo splashed across the back.