The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) has no authority to build a casino on the Vineyard under state or federal law, town counsel Ronald H. Rappaport said in an opinion this week.

The opinion was requested by the chairman of the Aquinnah selectmen three weeks ago, following an announcement by the tribe that it would consider some kind of casino operation on the Vineyard as it scrambles to compete for one of three state gambling licenses expected to be issued in the coming months.

West Tisbury renaissance man Paul Karasik — cartoonist extraordinaire, development director for the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School, professor at the Rhode Island School of Design, author, graphic novelist — can add yet another accomplishment to his list. One of his cartoons appears in the latest edition of the New Yorker. This isn’t the first time he’s achieved such a feat, but it’s certainly a momentous one, and once again places Mr. Karasik in most esteemed company.

We've got May showers, and May flowers, but April showers were harder to come by. Total rainfall at the Edgartown National Weather Service Cooperative Weather Station for the month of April was 1.94 inches, less than half the monthly average of 4.28 inches. By contrast, the Vineyard could receive up to half an inch of rain today, the first day of May, if predictions hold true.

Change is on the way for the Island’s music scene, as the Edgartown board of selectmen approved an alcohol license transfer from Nectar’s nightclub to Flatbread Pizza Company on Monday.

A few months ago the Martha’s Vineyard Museum in collaboration with Featherstone Center for the Arts urged everyone to paint a portrait as part of the Island Faces Portrait Contest. Approximately 60 brave souls took up the charge and submitted paintings, drawings, and photographs. Now comes the hard part — judging the winners.