Expanding transportation services among airlines, ferries, buses and trains have made the Vineyard more accessible than ever this summer.

Four airlines are now operating summer service between the Island and three major metropolitan areas. And two months ago train service began between Boston and the Cape that connects with a shuttle to the Steamship Authority.

The water isn’t the only thing heating up midsummer in Oak Bluffs. At a Tuesday meeting of the town selectmen, residents held passionate debates about the new lifeguard force at Inkwell Beach and parking safety in the North Bluff neighborhood.

State Sen. Daniel A. Wolf, who represents the Cape and Islands on Beacon Hill, announced his candidacy for governor this week.

“With your encouragement and support, with an entrepreneurial spirit and love for our great commonwealth, I’m excited to announce my candidacy to be your next governor,” Mr. Wolf, a Democrat, said in a video posted Wednesday on You Tube and his campaign website.

Moviegoers should not look to Oak Bluffs to catch the latest blockbusters, as both the Island and the Strand theatre are closed until further notice. The historic Island, currently roofless, will most likely not be in commission before next summer. And despite efforts to reopen it, the Strand remains out of use.

The public’s confidence in the Steamship Authority has improved markedly since 1987, according to polls commissioned 25 years apart by the Vineyard Gazette and conducted by a leading national market research firm.

A Chilmark zoning bylaw regulating house size is now official after the town received approval from the state attorney general’s office this week. Kelli Gunagan, assistant attorney general and bylaw coordinator, informed the town in a July 9 letter that the state approved the zoning amendments passed at the annual town meeting in April.

“Based upon our review of the text of [the bylaw], the relevant case law, and all the materials submitted to our office, we conclude that Section 6.11 is not clearly inconsistent with [Massachusetts general law],” Ms.