Plans to develop a wind energy area in federal waters south of the Vineyard continue to move forward with the Bureau of Ocean Management (BOEM) releasing an environmental assessment and identifying five different configurations for the area.

At a public hearing last week, bureau representatives said the preferred option would be to develop an 877 square nautical mile area about 12 nautical miles south of the Vineyard, though smaller configurations are also on the table to address concerns about North Atlantic right whales and impacts to cultural resources and view sheds.

One of the drivers involved in a fatal Fourth of July car crash is being charged with motor vehicle homicide.

Thomas C. Jones, 53, is scheduled to be arraigned at the Edgartown courthouse Friday, Nov. 30 on two counts of motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation and one count of negligent operation of a motor vehicle. The charges come from a car accident that led to the deaths of his son, Seth Jones, 26, and Seth’s girlfriend, Heather Laflamme, 21.

Members of the building community came out in force Thursday night with concerns about the Martha Vineyard Commission’s proposed changes to the DRI checklist, the list that dictates what projects are referred to the regional body. Most of the concerns centered around whether the commission would regulate large houses as developments of regional impact.

Citing a community effort to counter teenage drinking, the Youth Task Force announced last week that a youth behavior survey shows a decrease in alcohol use by Island teens, though the rates are slightly higher than the national average.

But they also cited concern about a rise in marijuana use, saying that the legalization of marijuana has contributed to increased use by teenagers.

And for Islander Ryan Murtha, who organized an impromptu relief effort, the overwhelming response was as positive as the devastation was striking.