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State Confirms Four Opioid-Related Overdose Deaths On Nantucket Last Year
Opioid overdose deaths may be trending slightly up on Nantucket, though newly released numbers from the state make trends difficult to identify, even as overdose deaths across the state have dropped by 10 percent. There were four opioid-related overdose fatalities reported on Nantucket in 2023, according to a new report...
Photo Gallery: Fourth of July Main Street Water Fight
The annual Fourth of July Main Street water fight took place Thursday morning between the Nantucket Fire Department and the Boynton Lane Reserves. Hundreds of tourists and year-round residents packed the streets to get soaked by both sides and Current photographer Chris Tran was right in the thick of it capturing photos from the action.
A proposed rule would slow down ships to protect right whales. That includes the Nantucket fast ferry.
A proposed speed limit for ships around Cape Cod and the Islands to protect endangered whales would eliminate fast-ferry service for key parts of the year, a move opponents say would threaten ferry businesses and upend island life for residents, visitors, and workers. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is...
Today's Beach Report: A fantastic Fourth of July
(July 4, 2024) The weather couldn't be much nicer, and the beaches are full. So full, in fact, that 40th Pole and Nobadeer are at capacity and closed to vehicle traffic. Pedestrians are still allowed. Nantucket town lifeguards are on duty from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily at 10 island beaches:...
Reader Gallery: Nantucket Fourth of July
(July 4, 2024) Nantucket went all out for the Fourth of July under beautiful weather that filled the beaches and kept downtown hopping. Our readers sent us these photos. Send yours to newsroom@inkym.com and we'll add them to our Nantucket Fourth of July photo gallery.
Select Board adopts September Special Town Meeting warrant
(July 3, 2024) The Select Board this week adopted the warrant for the Sept. 17 Special Town Meeting. The 17-article warrant is heavy on short-term-rental-related proposals, and also contains a handful of citizen's petitions proposing a change in the town's demolition-notification timeline, the town's purchase of the Saltmarsh Senior Center property and a number of zoning-district changes.
New 140-Seat JetBlue Aircraft Makes First Appearance On Nantucket
JetBlue’s new 140-seat aircraft, the Airbus A220-300, made its first-ever appearance on the island on Saturday after JetBlue and Nantucket Memorial Airport coordinated a test operation of the Airbus involving just the aircraft’s crew to familiarize ground and airport staff with its parking and logistics. The A220 is...
Tower Foundation invites applications for programs serving individuals and families affected by disabilities
The Peter & Elizabeth Tower Foundation believes that every young person deserves the chance to achieve their personal goals, regardless of the challenges they face. The foundation invites applications for its Programs and Services grant program. At a minimum, grant partners must currently provide prevention, treatment, and/or recovery services to people aged 26 years or younger from at least one of these populations: people with intellectual disabilities (including those on the autism spectrum); people with specific learning disabilities; people with mental illness/mental health challenges; and people with substance use disorders. Ideal grant partners serve one or more of the populations listed above who also have intersecting identities as members of historically marginalized communities (e.g., Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American/Indigenous Peoples, disability, housing insecure, immigrant/refugee, LGBTQIA+). Projects or initiatives new to an organization or that enhance, expand, or adapt existing activities will be supported.
U.S. Beaches Closed Ahead of Holiday Weekend Due to Bacterial Contamination
Beaches from coast to coast have been closed due to bacterial contamination — just as many Americans are headed to the shore for the Fourth of July holiday. In Nantucket, Mass., two beaches were closed (one due to “bacterial exceedance,” and the other for “harmful cyanobacterial bloom”) and there were 40 more beaches across the state closed to the public, the state’s Department of Health said.
Local Congressional rep favors speed-zone exemption
U.S. Representative Bill Keating, representative for the Islands, favors an exemption for some local waters from speed restrictions proposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration intended to protect North Atlantic right whales. Keating says that while he favors protections for the critically endangered whales, their limited presence in Nantucket...
Wannacomet Water Company Reports Available To Customers
Wannacomet Water and Siasconset Water is advising the public that its customers have been mailed postcards notifying them that the 2022 Consumer Confidence Reports can be viewed online at Nantucket-ma.gov on the Water Department page. The document will be included in Water Quality Reports and can be accessed online at...
Veranda House Guest During 2022 Fire Files Lawsuit Against Hotel Owner
A guest staying at the Veranda House the morning it burned down has joined a pair of neighbors in filing lawsuits against the hotel and its management, alleging that their negligence cost him over $12,000 in property damage, as well as an uncertain amount in emotional suffering. The guest, John Buck Jr., of Maryland, claims that he has not been compensated for the lost property and that he feared for his son's life during the fire.
We Could All Use a Lot More Laughter
The annual Nantucket Comedy Festival, which brings top comedic talent to Nantucket Island opens Thursday, July 11 at 7 pm with Ladies of Laughter, featuring nationally headlining female comedians, including Marina Franklin, Casey Balsham, Emma Willmann, and Jessica Casciano. This event is for both ladies and gentlemen, so make it a date night or bring your friends. Don’t miss this rousing night of comedy with these very funny women!
Missing Mammals
Director of Research & Education at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation. A theme of many of my articles is how special and unique Nantucket’s flora and fauna are. Often I highlight rare species that call the island home: endangered plants, rare butterflies, insects, threatened birds… life on-island that makes Nantucket’s ecology unique. Today, however, I am going to discuss the absence of a group of species which gives the island species character: mammals.
First Sidewalk Art Show of 2024 on July 6
Artists Association of Nantucket (AAN) is pleased to invite the public to its annual Sidewalk Art Show, Saturday, July 6, 9 am to 2 pm in the dappled summer sun of the Nantucket Atheneum Garden on India Street. This is the first of three shows to be held this year. More than twenty AAN artist members will display their work, and the outdoor art show is free and open to the public.
Women+Wellness to Empower Women
In 2017 a trio of dynamic women on Nantucket—Meryl Bralower, Melanie Sablehaus, and Jeanine Borthwick—engaged with Nantucket Cottage Hospital to spearhead an effort to empower women on the island, visitors and residents, to take charge of their healthcare. “Did you know that 80% of all healthcare decisions are...
Nantucket Cottage Hospital Doctor Urges Fireworks Safety Over Fourth Of July Holiday
Dr. Steven Kohler, Nantucket Cottage Hospital's medical director for urgent access, is urging island residents to take safety precautions with any fireworks over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. “Fireworks are not toys," Kohler said. "They are explosives that make noise, produce light or both. Fireworks are dangerous and can...
Committee Votes Unanimously To Ditch Town Meeting In Favor Town Council Form Of Government
Nantucket’s Town Council Study Committee last week voted 8-0 to recommend a transition to a town council form of government that would ultimately have to be passed by the voters at a future Town Meeting - setting up a scenario in which voters would decide whether to give up their direct legislative control. Tom Dixon abstained from the vote because of his position on the Select Board.
Update on the Affordable Homes Act & Local Option Real Estate Transfer Fee
A message from the Housing Office. I wanted to provide you with an important update on the Affordable Homes Act and the Local Option Real Estate Transfer Fee, which many of you have been following closely. On June 27, 2024, the Massachusetts Senate passed a $5.4 billion housing bond bill...
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