Benefit Party

The Portuguese American Club in Oak Bluffs is hosting Jimmy Buffet Night, a benefit party for Brenda Lehman, at 6 p.m. Friday, April 16. The evening will feature live music courtesy of the Sting Rays, food, trivia, silent auction, and prizes for best Parrothead. Tickets are $20, available at the door or in advance from Deb Rogers at 508-627-4171, or Barbara Phillips, 508-627-9097.

Vineyard Verses

The Friends of the Chilmark Library invite Islanders to celebrate National Poetry Month with a reading by Vineyard poet and stonemason John Maloney on Wednesday, April 14 at 5:30 p.m. Mr. Maloney, has had work published in Poetry, Ploughshares, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and elsewhere, as well as in his two books, Proposal and Town of Chilmark. His work poem, Good!, was featured on Garrison Keillor’s National Public Radio show, The Writer’s Almanac, in March.

For the second time in six months, the Dukes County Regional Housing Authority has been unable to make its payments to landlords involved in its subsidized housing program.

In a statement released late on Thursday, the due day for payment of some $20,000 to the owners of 35 properties, the authority said it had run out of money and could not make its April commitment.

It had begun contacting all landlords and tenants to let them know.

A new $2,500 grant is available to help a small business person on the Island improve or begin a new business.

The grant is offered by the Martha’s Vineyard Women’s Network as a way to give back to the community. Applying is easy; just explain your project in a short form available online at mvwomensnetwork.org. The network hopes to make it an annual grant with increasing funds.

BY MEGAN DOOLEY

The Edgartown tidal energy project in Muskeget Channel is moving steadily along, project developer Steve Barrett, of Harris Miller Miller and Hanson (HMMH), told selectmen at their meeting Monday.