The Tisbury building commissioner is looking for a 24 per cent increase in his department’s budget, with much of the proposed hike going to payroll including a new position for short-term rental inspections.

The Vineyard Conservation Society is leading the way to get regulations that would initially limit the time frames that landscapers could use gas-powered leaf blowers, before instituting a ban on the gas-powered machines by 2028. 

As winter weather descended on the Island this week, organizations have helped meet the needs of at-risk Islanders.

Vineyard towns have started to wrap their arms around regulating the thousands of short-term rentals on the Island, tackling an issue that housing advocates have long said exacerbates the ongoing housing crisis.