Edgartown officials have begun a major effort to warn boaters of treacherous tides in the town harbor and Katama Bay resulting from the breach which has opened at Norton Point Beach.

The direction of the tidal flow has reversed due to the breach, and currents are running three times faster in the narrows, posing a major threat of collision, as well as seriously hampering the operation of the ferry to Chappaquiddick, now the only access to Chappy.

Setting up another potential roadblock for the offshore wind farm proposed in Nantucket Sound, the town of Barnstable and two groups of Cape Cod citizens last week filed notices of intent to sue the state’s top environmental official for his endorsement of the project.

The three separate notices serve as formal appeals of the certificate signed last month by Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles, who found that developers of the Cape Wind project had fulfilled their environmental review requirements on the state level.

Geological time mostly runs incredibly slowly, in measures of hundreds of thousands, if not millions or billions of years. No wonder Bob Woodruff was excited about what happened over the weekend.

New health regulations aimed at reducing groundwater contamination will result in many homeowners in Ocean Heights and Arbutus Park paying tens of thousands of dollars for new water and septic systems.

The regulations, finalized this week, will apply to all new developments and will also, over time, require modifications to hundreds of existing homes built on substandard lots.

Property owners wanting to put houses on undersized lots in Ocean Heights and Arbutus Park may have to pay for the cost of bringing town water to their neighbors, under a plan to avert a public health threat that will be considered next week.

Substandard lot owners also may be required to pay for expensive denitrifying septic systems under new regulations proposed as a solution to groundwater pollution in the densely settled area.

In their continuing effort to support local commercial fishermen, Chilmark selectmen want to better define such fishermen in the town.

At stake is who qualifies for Menemsha perks in matters such as dock space and fuel prices - and who doesn't.