Funded by the Army Corps of Engineers, the project was intended to improve navigation in the channel. But Chilmark leaders said it will invite large yachts into the pond, putting shellfish at risk.

Six riparian owners want to use herbicides to control phragmites in Squibnocket Pond. The town wants to block them, citing rules that prohibit pesticides around the pond. On advice of counsel, selectmen will ask the Supreme Judicial Court to decide the dispute.

Massachusetts Democrats will be caucusing over the next four weeks to select delegates for the state convention held June 13 and 14 in Worcester.

The architect who developed the Tisbury Marketplace in Vineyard Haven wants to demolish a former laundromat on Uncas avenue and build a bowling alley. Neighbors are opposed. A commission hearing opens Thursday at 7 p.m.

In the weeks since the death of organizer Steven James in a duck hunting accident, Islanders have speculated about the future of the tournament, which brought crowds and controversy to the town for 27 years. Now two have applied to take over the contest.

With the much-discussed big-house bylaw now a fact of life in Chilmark, discussion at the town planning board this week turned to preservation of h