Nantucket Current

03/08/2026

Members of the Nantucket Fire Department, Nantucket Police Department, and Massachusetts State Police responded to Fairgrounds Road late Sunday evening following the report of a motor vehicle crash. Upon arrival, public safety personnel observed a snapped telephone pole and a single vehicle to have been involved in the crash.

The driver was evaluated for injuries and eventually transported to Nantucket Cottage Hospital.

A neighbor called 911 to report the crash. He told the Current he was sitting on his deck when he suddenly heard a big bang. He suspected whatever happened had to have involved a deer. When he went to check out what happened, he found the driver - who was walking around.

The neighbor told the Current that the driver said he fell asleep and had just gotten back from a fishing trip. He said from his vantage point, the driver showed no signs of being impaired in any way. While the driver was transported, the neighbor said he was okay and not seriously injured.

Heavy rescue responded to assist clearing debris from the road and sidewalk while also managing the damage to the pole. National Grid was called to assess the pole, which was completely snapped. People should avoid the area - both drivers and pedestrians - while the pole is fixed and the area is cleared.

02/08/2026

Island residents gathered at Cisco Beach Saturday evening to celebrate the life of Caren Öberg, who passed away earlier this year after battling illness with grace and resilience.

Caren’s kind soul left an impression on everyone she met, and her overwhelming positivity made the island a better place. We were lucky to know her.

Caren’s daughter Emmae encouraged us to share these photos taken by Kit Noble of last night’s gathering and the paddle out at Cisco.

Share your memories of Caren in the comments below…❤️

29/07/2026

Island developer Alan Worden presented a request to the Nantucket Land Bank Commission Tuesday afternoon seeking a long-term ground lease or license of a 28.65-acre parcel of land at 41 Milestone Road to turn into a public equestrian program. The property is directly behind the 10.5-acre property slated to be developed into The Hensdale Club by Worden.

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

29/07/2026

The driver of a Toyota Highlander lost control of the vehicle Wednesday morning on Hummock Pond Road and drove along the bike path for a quarter of a mile, hitting fences and nearly people walking along the path before crashing into a tree. The driver had to be extricated from the vehicle and was transported by ambulance to the hospital with what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries, according to witnesses.

Witnesses told the Current the female driver may have been suffering from a medical issue.

The accident occurred in the vicinity of 141 Hummock Pond Road. There were pieces of the car that had broken off the vehicle along the bike path all the way back to Somerset Lane.

A man and his daughter who were walking along the bike path were nearly hit and said it was extremely lucky that no one was struck by the vehicle.

The accident prompted a large public safety response to the bike path Wednesday morning.

28/07/2026

Four island camp counselors are being credited with alerting an island homeowner to a fire at her home following a lightning strike earlier this month and rescuing her cats from the burning structure.

"People need to know that these four people stopped and banged on my door and saved my life," said Susan Hostetler, whose home on Upper Tawpawshaw Road sustained significant damage during the fire.

On the night of July 18th, Hostetler said she was in her kitchen making strawberry ice cream during the intense thunderstorm that night that brought numerous lightning strikes across the island.

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

28/07/2026

After a 69-year-old woman was allegedly pushed to the ground during a protest against ICE in downtown Nantucket, island police have charged a man with assault and battery and disorderly conduct. According to court records, Lee M. Kennedy is the 62-year-old suspect who will be arraigned in Nantucket District Court on Sept. 8th.

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

27/07/2026

Windsor Cottage, at 58 Prospect Street, is believed to be Nantucket’s oldest summer home owned by a Black family. This year, it celebrates its 100th anniversary.

Mabel Carter first came to the island in 1925 as part of her employment with a rich family from Pennsylvania, and when she fell in love with it, she and her husband, a postman named John Carter, purchased a piece of land for $2,500, with a $7 per month mortgage. They built a small cottage, where they would escape the bustle of Philadelphia in the summer for years to come.

Their great-grandson, Carter Stewart, still visits the property to this day, which is owned by his mother, Isabel.

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

27/07/2026

It’s a topic that impacts everyone on Nantucket.

Whether you have access to a private well or are tied to the town’s public water supply, water is this summer’s topic du jour.

July 4th’s Main Street water fight, irrigation, filling pools, PFAS, washing windows, clean drinking water, and fines for some but not for all: you can’t escape it. Yet, as much as we all need it, why do so many want you to believe that we are running out?

“We have plenty of water in the ground,” said Wannacomet Water Company director Mark Willett when I had a chance to sit down and speak with him last week at his office at 1 Milestone Road.

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

26/07/2026

The circus came to the island for the first time in years this weekend, as hundreds enjoyed the highflying entertainment under the big top at Tom Nevers field.

The “Stargazer Circus” was the largest fundraising event in the 124-year-history of the Maria Mitchell Association, and brought the Venardo Circus to Nantucket.

Founded by Kevin Venardos, who was once the youngest ringmaster in Ringling Bros. And Barnum & Bailey’s history, the Venardo Circus is in its 12th year traveling the country as “the little circus that could.” The performances featured traditional circus acts, including acrobats, balancing acts, trapeze artists, and more.

“Bringing this dream to life has been an adventure all its own,” said Maria Mitchell Association executive director Joanna Roche. “Over the past year, we coordinated more than 40 trucks aboard the Steamship Authority, navigated countless meetings and permits, searched the island's thrift shops for the perfect vintage treasures, handcrafted more than 75 crepe-paper flowers, and created every sign, illustration, and artistic detail you see around you. Countless hands, hearts, and hours came together with one goal: to create an unforgettable circus for our island.”

For ringmaster Kevin Venardos, staging the event on the island was extra special.

“For me personally, this visit carries special meaning because my daughters, Andi Lane (6) and Billie Mae (4), will spend part of their summer here on Nantucket, taking part in camp programs connected to this extraordinary community,” Venardos said.

📸: Charity Grace Photography

Did you go to one of the shows? Let us know in the comments 👇