For decades, Farm Pond in Oak Bluffs has been closed to shellfishing. But salvation may not be far off. The town has learned that it’s in the running for major federal funding to widen a culvert under Sea View avenue and restore tidal flushing to the pond.

A campaign to revive two historic movie theatres has raised more than a third of its $1 million goal. Mark Snider, who created a nonprofit to renovate and lease the Strand and Capawock cinemas, said he has collected $350,000 in pledges in one week.

Mike Benjamin started his musical career playing in Harvard Square and in the subways of Boston. He came to the Vineyard for a summer, planning to go to back to the city. The Vineyard-based Mike Benjamin Band is now often booked every weekend from May to October.

It’s common on the Vineyard to hear of someone couch surfing for a few weeks or struggling through a long transition between rentals, but the exact number of people without homes on the Vineyard remains elusive.

Over the next year, the Sustainable Book Club will read and discuss books about diverse environmental topics. The entire Island is invited to participate. The book club is sponsored by Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and all six Island libraries, and will meet every over month for the next year at locations around the Island.