Nantucket Current

A protest against the Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency in downtown Nantucket on Saturday was marred by an alleged assault on a 69-year-old woman who was taking part in the demonstration. The "Justice For All" protest, organized by the left-leaning political action group Indivisible Nantucket, began with a candlelight vigil at Children's Beach and was followed by a march through the downtown area.

The island community came together Saturday morning at Jetties Beach for the 14th annual Swim Across America - Nantucket open water swim and raised nearly $1 million for on-island cancer care and oncology research. The annual event was blessed with sunny skies and a high tide as hundreds of participants took to the water with many more on the beach cheering them on.

Former Nantucket Planning and Economic Development Commission (NP&EDC) member Hillary Hedges Rayport has filed an open meeting law complaint alleging that the NP&EDC violated the state law during a recent executive session discussion on Planning Director Leslie Snell’s new contract.

In the last few weeks, many Madaket residents have complained about a booming mosquito population. It may be the result of the intense rainstorms Nantucket has seen this month. Both town representatives and conservation professionals told the Current that the explosion of Madaket’s mosquito population is the result of a dry June followed by heavy rainfall and higher-than-normal tides in July. This created an excess of standing water, the favored habitat of mosquitoes.

The African Meeting House on York Street. A report on the town’s investigation into the 2018 hate crime at the African Meeting House on York Street drew mixed reactions at the Select Board’s meeting on Wednesday.

The Steamship Authority Board of Governors emerged from a closed-door executive session Tuesday afternoon with some good news for general manager Alex Kryska. The new boss of the Steamship Authority, in just his seventh month on the job, was awarded a sizable raise. Kryska's salary was increased from $225,000 per year to $251,513 annually, a nearly 12 percent bump.

One of the suspects being taken into custody on Essex Road last Thursday. Photo by Jason Graziadei An assault on Cedar Circle last week was the impetus that led to the beating and kidnapping of a man two days later at the Essex Road playground, according to court documents and hearings. On Monday, five men allegedly involved in both incidents were arraigned on criminal charges in Nantucket District Court, revealing new insights into the disturbing series of events.

The Select Board continued a discussion on how to award eight rental car medallions on Monday after acting airport manager Preston Harimon informed members of town administration that the airport “does not have open space” for another car rental agency. Select Board members said that access to a physical storefront was a major factor in their decision, and multiple applicants had suggested they would like to use space at the airport.

A Superior Court judge has remanded a Nantucket Historic District Commission decision from 2024 after a 19-month legal battle. The judge determined that the decision, which prevented the demolition of a garage on Union Street, was “facially deficient” and that the HDC failed to give “any reasoning or factual support” for why the demolition would be detrimental to Nantucket’s historic character.

The Select Board is set to distribute eight rental car medallions today after a year-long wait. The town’s slow-moving attempts to regulate the online car-sharing platform Turo may resurface during the meeting. Last July, the Select Board voted 3-2 to award the medallions to agencies that are not already operating on Nantucket, excluding potential operators who use Turo. There are four applicants for the eight medallions.