In a show of confidence for the fiscal management of their town, Oak Bluffs voters at their annual town meeting Tuesday approved a large increase in the operating budget and said yes to spending a combined $15 million for a new town hall and fire station.

They came for the food — celebrities and Islanders alike would line up on Kennebec avenue at Jimmy Seas every summer. But after a 20-year run the Oak Bluffs restaurant closed two years ago. It was sold at a foreclosure auction Tuesday morning.

Special Education parents received official endorsement from the all-Island school committee at last Thursday's meeting, opening the door for the group to take a more active role in school matters.

With newfound financial stability as a backdrop, Oak Bluffs voters will be asked to shoulder some hefty spending items at their annual town meeting this year. And the town operating budget needs an override.

This spring’s field test of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exam may spell the last days of MCAS, the state’s standardized test since 1998. Nearly all Island schools are participating in the trial.

Oak Bluffs has hired an off-Island accountant John Sullivan to resume an investigation into the possible mismanagement of funds at the council on aging, selectman and board chairman Walter Vail said Wednesday.