New charges of rape and abuse have been brought against Vineyard Haven resident Peter Duart, who was indicted by a grand jury last month for sexual assault on a mentally challenged person.

Mr. Duart, 42, was arraigned in Edgartown district court on Friday on charges of rape and indecent assault. He has been held in the Dukes County Jail since March following his arrest on charges of rape and indecent assault and battery on a retarded person. The term retarded is used in the criminal statute.

Amid ongoing financial problems in Oak Bluffs, a group of town business leaders has proposed moving the police department from its current headquarters on the corner of Ocean and Lake avenues so the building can be rented out to a retail operation.

At the selectmen’s meeting last week, members of the community development committee pitched the idea as a way to generate revenue for the town. The community development committee is appointed by the selectmen and charged with promoting economic development.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court appointed Martin V. Tomassian of Edgartown to a five-year term on the board of directors of the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, which ensures that low-income people with critical, non-criminal legal problems would have access to legal information, advice and representation. It is the largest funding source for civil legal aid programs.

The numbers have finally come through on Island energy savings during Earth Hour, the annual worldwide event that called for people to shut down all non-essential lights and electronics for one hour on the evening of March 29. But despite widespread publicity and verbal support on the Island, NStar reports showed that the Vineyard registered zero impact on energy use during Earth Hour.

Nine students from Martha’s Vineyard were named to the Headmaster’s List at Falmouth Academy for the second trimester of the 2009-2010 academic year. These students earned at least three As and had no grade lower than a B-minus:

Twelfth grade: Clea Baumhofer, of Vineyard Haven; Lily Cronig, of West Tisbury; and Lagan Trieschmann, of Vineyard Haven.

Eleventh grade: Emelia Armstead, of Edgartown.

Eighth grade: Julia Guérin, of Edgartown; Nathaniel Horwitz, of Vineyard Haven; and Jacqueline Menton, of Vineyard Haven.

The Seafood Shanty will have to keep the noise down this summer, the Edgartown selectmen decided Monday.

Responding to complaints from neighbors over the past five years, selectmen voted to require the harborfront restaurant to contain the volume of live music on the property.