As elected officials up-Island balk at the prospect of offshore sand mining, Oak Bluffs is voicing support for the venture. At a selectmen’s meeting early this week, town administrator Robert L. Whritenour said town beaches stand to benefit from new information laid out recently in the draft state Ocean Management Plan.

In a time of flux for Vineyard public schools, a race is underway to determine the makeup of the Up-Island Regional School Committee. Six candidates are competing for five spots on the committee, half of whom are first-timers. The majority are running as write-in candidates.

Candidates running for nine open seats on the Martha’s Vineyard Commission reflect a wide range of priorities for the Island’s regional planning and review agency, but only two are newcomers. All the candidates acknowledge the need for better public understanding of the commission’s role in the community.

Vineyard voters will weigh in on races at the federal, state and local level, some of which are hotly contested. Islanders have requested absentee ballots in unusually high numbers, town clerks said. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Four months after its first meeting, the committee on Squibnocket has shifted gears and is evaluating various proposals and considerations collected from the public.

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The West Tisbury selectmen on Wednesday agreed to review zoning rules for the Agricultural Hall after concern that the number of events held each year on the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society grounds off Panhandle Road may be over the limit.