I am writing in response to the recent decision by the Oak Bluffs selectmen to not allow the voting citizens of the town the opportunity of expressing their views on the issue of making the annual Monster Shark Tournament a catch-and-release-only event.

Sail Martha’s Vineyard has lost a dear friend, wise counsel and loyal supporter with the passing of Tom Hale. Tom was an integral part of the Vineyard’s waterfront as a sailor, boat builder and owner of Martha’s Vineyard Shipyard, but he was also a distinguished author, historian, curator and artist. Through the books he wrote, the stories he told and the boats he designed and built (full-size and model), he promoted and perpetuated the Island’s seafaring past and advocated for its future. He will be sorely missed.

Comcast’s final offer requiring individual Chappy homeowners to pay $3,800 up front to receive cable service is the best evidence that the corporation has no intention of servicing our island. So we continue to be part of the 19 million Americans where high-speed Internet is not available, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Has Comcast negotiated with transparency with the all-Island town committee dealing with this issue? Edgartown’s Pam Dolby doesn’t think so. She has asked Comcast for “some type of proof that this project will cost $1.58 million.” Comcast spends billions in deals with NBC Universal, GE and other acquisitions, but plays financial hardball with us. Chairman Brian Roberts, in a recent interview about his corporation, said, “What do we stand for? What are our values?” I think we know. Bob O’Rourke Chappaquiddick

In response to the latest Comcast proposal for cabling Chappaquiddick, it is doubtful that any homeowner located along a town or state road on the entire Island of Martha’s Vineyard has had to pay to get Comcast service to their property. Martha’s Vineyard homeowners located miles down private subdivision roads have received cable service without having to pay a dime beyond their monthly bill. Yet Comcast has suggested that on Chappaquiddick we should kick in $3,800 each to build a system that Comcast will profit from for years to come. The amount of $3,800 paid over...

What follows are edited comments from the Gazette website reacting to the Gazette story last week about Le Grenier going on the market.

You will be missed, Jean. My wife Pat and I will forever remember nights at your delicious table . . . especially a night several years ago when we had the absolute pleasure of sitting next to a party which included the lead violinist of the Paris Symphony who treated your guests to a most delightful private concert.

From the Vineyard Gazette editions of September 1942: The primaries for the nomination of candidates whose names will be on the ballot at the state election in November will be held on Tuesday, September 15. Not for many years have the primaries held so much interest to Vineyarders, with two contests for county offices in which the Republican nomination is usually the equivalent of election. For the first time in the history of Martha’s Vineyard, or of the motion picture industry, the Island is to be the scene of a World Premiere tomorrow night, with the first public showing of The Moon and Sixpence, made from W. Somerset Maugham’s famous novel, at the Edgartown Playhouse.