Nantucket Current

12/11/2025

Even as lawmakers in Washington D.C. close in on a deal to end the federal government shutdown that has dragged on for more than a month, the FAA-mandated reductions in air traffic at 40 major airports have resulted in the first cancellation of flights to and from Nantucket Memorial Airport.

Nantucket Current is the island's leading online news source. We deliver the news, stories, and people of Nantucket, unbiased and unfiltered.

12/11/2025

The Steamship Authority's fast ferry, the M/V Iyanough, is out of service indefinitely due to a crack in its hull above the waterline. The boat line disclosed the news late Tuesday night.

"The M/V Iyanough will be out of service while our engineering and maintenance staff works to repair a small crack in the vessel's aluminum shell," the SSA said in a statement. "The crack is above the water line, but for safety reasons the vessel cannot run until repairs are completed. At this time, we do not have an estimated return date for the vessel. Please continue to check our website for updates. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience."

The Steamship Authority had scheduled the Iyanough to make four round trips from Hyannis to Nantucket daily through January 4, 2026, when the vessel will take its annual winter break through March.

Photo by Greg Hinson

12/11/2025

Northern lights putting on a show right now!

11/11/2025

🇺🇸🫡 Island residents gathered Tuesday morning for Nantucket’s annual Veterans Day ceremony at the war memorial on Federal Street, paying their respects to all who served in the U.S. military.

Vietnam War veteran Bert Johnson, pictured in the first photo in this post, took in the ceremony with his granddaughter on his lap.

The Nantucket Scouts and Girl Scouts, along with the island’s police and fire departments, also participated in the ceremony, which was led by the Byron L. Sylvaro American Legion Post 82.

Following the ceremony, everyone in attendance was invited back to the Legion hall for food and refreshments.

With deep gratitude and respect from everyone at the Current, thanks to all who have served and sacrificed to keep us safe.

Photos by

10/11/2025

The Nantucket Land Bank has hired former Environmental Police Capt. and island resident Dean Belanger as its new venison processing manager.

Belanger will oversee whole-deer donation, processing, and distribution for Mass Wildlife's Hunters Share the Harvest program on behalf of the Land Bank at its new agricultural processing center at 17, 19, and 21 Boynton Lane.

From the Land Bank: “Mr. Belanger brings a wealth of experience and community connections to this
role. He recently retired from the Massachusetts Environmental Police after a 28-year career in natural resources and wildlife law enforcement. He will be familiar to many from his time as the Environmental Police Officer stationed on Nantucket from 2004-2009.

This processing facility will allow hunters to donate excess whole deer after meeting their own needs. The Nantucket Land Bank Agricultural Processing Center will accept whole deer donations only and will not process deer for private consumption this year. On Nantucket, this venison from Hunters Share the Harvest and permitted deer removal will go
directly to the Nantucket Food Pantry and Nourish Nantucket, serving our community exclusively.

Hunters that donate whole deer to Hunters Share the Harvest will receive a free antlerless deer tag from MassWildlife to incentivize further hunting and reduction of the deer overpopulation. Establishing a venison processing facility on Nantucket ensures
MassWildlife’s Hunters Share the Harvest program can thrive locally, aligning our shared mission of reducing the size of the deer herd and feeding the community.

Nantucket Land Bank is now hiring seasonal staff venison processors to assist with this effort. Hours for staff processors can be flexible, part-time or on-call.

Belanger and the Nantucket Land Bank are now working at full speed to equip the processing facility to open for whole-deer donation during this 2025 hunting season. With the growing deer population and heightened local concern, creating a local processing site will help manage herd size while supporting food distribution for residents in need. The Land Bank will inform the hunting community and public when the facility is open and ready to accept deer donations. We thank the community for their interest, excitement, and patience while we set processes in motion that will benefit the whole community. Please reach out to Belanger with questions about whole deer donation: 508-221-9574, or [email protected]”

10/11/2025

Island veterans Neville Richen, Patrick Topham, Hollis Webb, and Toby Brown spoke to Nantucket Intermediate School students this morning about service, sacrifice, and what it's like to jump out of a plane. Veterans Day is tomorrow 🫡

10/11/2025

Shipwreck remains discovered in ‘Sconset last month may be from a fishing schooner that wrecked at Low Beach more than 100 years ago in a thick fog.

A 500-pound fragment of what is believed to be a stern post and part of a rudder were found by Karen Russell as she was walking Nantucket’s eastern shoreline after a storm in mid-October. Since then, the Egan Maritime Institute has been investigating the shipwreck remains with David Robinson, the director and chief archeologist for the Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archeological Resources.

“While it is nearly impossible to link wreck fragments to a specific vessel definitively, early assessments suggest these remains may belong to the fishing schooner Evelyn M. Thompson, which wrecked at Low Beach on July 14, 1918,” said Tony Dumitru, ’s museum collections and exhibitions manager.

The 19-person crew of the schooner reached shore safely after the mid-summer wreck, but the vessel was a total loss, according to Arthur Gardner’s book, “Wrecks Around Nantucket.”

The schooner was carrying 30,000 pounds of fresh mackerel, along with 120 barrels of salted mackerel, a “rich haul” worth an estimated $8,000 at the time, according to a report in the Inquirer and Mirror on July 20, 1918.

Nantucket is known as one of the great “graveyards of the Atlantic,” with an estimated 800 shipwrecks around its shoreline, according to Egan Maritime. Today, coastal erosion, shifting sands, and storm activity continue to reveal long-buried maritime remains. Low Beach often exposes fragments after periods of rough weather, offering rare glimpses into Nantucket’s storied seafaring history.

“As a museum, we initially considered recovering the remains,” Dumitru said. “But after learning more about proper conservation and the importance of protecting the surrounding environment, we are following BUAR’s recommended management approach.”

Following Robinson’s guidance, Egan is collaborating with BUAR to monitor and inventory the remains, document them where they are, and track their condition over time.

📸: & Karen Russell

08/11/2025

The Nantucket Fire Department responded to a large fire that broke out in a junk yard near 84 Hummock Pond Road just before 10 pm. Friday night. There were no injuries reported.

Fire Chief Michael Cranson said it was initially reported to authorities as a bonfire.

“So (Nantucket Police) swung by and they confirmed that it was something else, not a bonfire,” Cranson said at the scene late Friday night. “So we arrived, and as you know, coming in here, logistically, there's a little bit of a headache trying to get in here. There's a lot of different things burning. There was a hoop house, some engine blocks, that kind of stuff. So we had to put a lot of water on it to make sure everything was out. So that's been a little bit of the delay, it's a long leg of hose from the hydrant out on Hummock Pond. So it took a little bit of a time to get in here with it.”

Despite the windy conditions, the blaze was brought under control around 10:45pm. The cause remains under investigation.

🎥:

08/11/2025

The Nantucket Fire Department responded to a large fire that broke out in a junk yard near 84 Hummock Pond Road just before 10 pm. Friday night. There were no injuries reported.

Fire Chief Michael Cranson said it was initially reported to authorities as a bonfire.

“So (Nantucket Police) swung by and they confirmed that it was something else, not a bonfire,” Cranson said at the scene late Friday night. “So we arrived, and as you know, coming in here, logistically, there's a little bit of a headache trying to get in here. There's a lot of different things burning. There was a hoop house, some engine blocks, that kind of stuff. So we had to put a lot of water on it to make sure everything was out. So that's been a little bit of the delay, it's a long leg of hose from the hydrant out on Hummock Pond. So it took a little bit of a time to get in here with it.”

Despite the windy conditions, the blaze was brought under control around 10:45pm. The cause remains under investigation.

07/11/2025

Dozens of concerned students, parents, coaches, and Nantucket residents gathered at the Nantucket Intermediate School cafeteria on Thursday for a special meeting of the School Committee to discuss the Nantucket Public School system’s plan to renovate its athletic complexes.

No decisions were made on Thursday, but for the second time, Nantucket Public Schools (NPS) administrators faced pushback from community members opposed to their plan for an asphalt track and a PFAS-free natural-grass playing field to replace the current football field.

Nantucket Current is the island's leading online news source. We deliver the news, stories, and people of Nantucket, unbiased and unfiltered.

07/11/2025

Update on last week’s house fire from the Bakers:

“On behalf of our family, we would like to thank the Nantucket Community, our friends, and our family, for the outreach and support we have received during the past week.

On Tuesday, October 28, our home caught on fire. The community response began with the NFD, NPD, and our neighbors, and stretched far beyond to coworkers, the HM crew, teachers, classmates, and extended family.

Not a day has since passed without one of us shedding a tear, tears of gratitude for the kindness offered to us and for the incredible community we get to call home.

Nantucket is not about what you have, but what you can give back and who you share it with; that all starts with the people who keep things afloat and safe everyday. We are so very, very grateful.

As Jimmy Buffett would often say, “see the good side.”

Much love, Jonas, Christy and Rosey Baker

Peanut (dog), Jazzy, (cat), and Spice (axolotl) too”

06/11/2025

Former President Joe Biden is expected back on Nantucket later this month as his family plans to renew its annual Thanksgiving tradition for the first time since he left the White House after bowing out of his reelection bid during the 2024 presidential race.

"I haven’t received anything official from the Secret Service, but we do expect he will be spending Thanksgiving on the island with a security detail," Nantucket Police Department Lt. Angus MacVicar told the Current.

Nantucket Current is the island's leading online news source. We deliver the news, stories, and people of Nantucket, unbiased and unfiltered.