Nantucket Current

17/09/2025

😱 Heather Stevens Woodbury was taking care of the morning rush at her family’s business Wicked Island Bakery Wednesday morning when some customers gave her the shocking news: the rear windshield of her vehicle in the bakery parking lot had been smashed in.

Who would have done that? Was it some hooligan leaving the Box late at night? An unhappy customer sending a message after missing out on the last morning bun?

The Nantucket Police Department was called, and it took Officer Mike Mastriano only a few minutes to crack the case. The suspect, he said, wasn’t even human. A seagull had dropped a fresh quahog from high in the air, attempting to crack it open for a meal. But instead of hitting the pavement, it had crashed through the car’s rear windshield.

The evidence was right there in the back seat.

As of Wednesday morning, the seagull is still at large. The Nantucket Police Department declined to comment, citing the pending investigation, but a source tells the Current the suspect may be the same seagull involved in the mugging of former Nantucket Airport manager Noah Karberg in the mid-island Stop & Shop parking lot in August 2024. Karberg had his wallet stolen by the grievous gull, who was never brought to justice.

Developing…

17/09/2025

Good morning!

📸: Kit Noble Photography

15/09/2025

📱😤 Have you had trouble making phone calls on Nantucket? You’re not the only one. A coalition of Massachusetts legislators representing the Cape and Islands recently sent a letter to Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, urging the nation’s major cellular carriers to improve coverage in the region, citing public safety fears and potential economic impacts.

“Service failures are more than an inconvenience; they risk public safety, strain local economies, and hinder access to essential services for residents, businesses, and visitors alike,” the letter reads in part. “Constituents consistently report dropped calls and unreliable signals, especially during periods of peak seasonal population. In some areas, residents and visitors cannot place emergency calls or conduct basic communication tasks without leaving their homes or traveling to areas with stronger reception.”

Signatories to the letter include both of Nantucket’s representatives to Beacon Hill, Senator Julian Cyr and Representative Thomas Moakley. The primary concern they emphasized was public safety: without reliable cell service, islanders struggle to contact emergency services.

“Public safety officials have also reported that unreliable cellular connectivity during emergencies has hindered response efforts,” the letter continues. “Data bears out these anecdotal reports. The Barnstable County Broadband Needs Assessment confirms that these issues are widespread. The report identifies significant seasonal degradation of fixed and mobile networks, limited provider competition, and high customer dissatisfaction with service quality and responsiveness. More than 40 percent of residents surveyed report experiencing slowdowns or dropped connections at least once a week, and more than 20 percent report such issues daily.”

Poor cell service during the summer is an issue that has plagued Nantucket in recent years. Concerns have been raised at recent Select Board meetings, and even before the letter, the Town had been in contact with major carriers.

Read the story at NantucketCurrent.com

15/09/2025

👨‍🌾🎪 For the first time in six years, the Island Fair returned to Tom Nevers over the weekend, as Nantucket residents enjoyed two days of great weather for the annual community event.

The volunteer-run event was spearheaded by Abby Slosek and a 15-person organizing committee, along with other island groups, including the Knights of Columbus, the Boy Scouts, and U.S. Coast Guard Station Brant Point, among others. The Island Fair featured hayrides, farm animals, a dog show, games, art, music, and food.

📸:

13/09/2025

12/09/2025

🛟 Two Nantucket anglers were honored Thursday evening by the Egan Maritime Institute and Nantucket Cottage Hospital with the annual Nantucket Lifesaving Award for their dramatic rescue of a man whose boat had capsized off Chatham in October 2024.

Joe Tormay and Nick Whitbeck had been bass fishing northeast of the island that month when something caught their eye in the distance.

“I started casting, and I said, ‘Nick, do you see that? It looks like a dead whale’,” Tormay told the Current last year. “I looked closer and said, ‘No, that’s a flipped boat, and there’s a guy waving to us on top’!”

At that point, it was around 4 p.m. They were a few miles east of Monomoy Island and about a quarter mile away from the capsized boat. The pair said they headed toward the vessel and called the Coast Guard to report what they had seen. As they approached the capsized boat, Tormay, a former member of the U.S. Coast Guard himself, saw a man in his 70s still waving to them.

“It was the worst-case scenario,” Tormay said. “He was by himself with no life jacket on. He was lucky he got on the top of the boat.”

It was just hours until sunset, and the water temperature was around 55 degrees. Whitbeck was able to get the man a life jacket while Tormay maneuvered his 23-foot center console to get him on board.

“Once we got close, it was a shock to realize what we thought was true,” Whitbeck said. “So scary to be that far offshore and no one immediately nearby this time of the year. We pulled up close to him and were able to communicate with him and get confirmation he was ok and not in immediate danger.”

Tonight, Tormay and Whitbeck were recognized for their efforts with the 2025 Lifesaving Award presented by Egan Maritime and the hospital. The award is presented annually to a citizen who rescues — or endeavors to rescue — another person from drowning, shipwreck, or other water-related dangers.

11/09/2025

National Grid is responding to a widespread power outage in downtown Nantucket Thursday afternoon. A source tells the Current the issue is on same cable as the Stroll outage. Developing…

11/09/2025

Photos from this morning’s 9/11 remembrance ceremony at the Nantucket Fire Department to mark the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Never forget.

10/09/2025

Fire at the C&D building at the dump. NFD is on scene

10/09/2025

The Nantucket Airport Commission on Tuesday reviewed a proposed $22 million expansion of its fuel farm that would include the installation of four new 25,000-gallon above-ground jet fuel tanks.

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

10/09/2025

Nantucket theater veteran Laura Gallagher Byrne announced Tuesday that she is leaving her position at The Dreamland to launch a new youth theater program called the Nantucket Stage Company.

Gallagher Byrne has worked in the performing arts on Nantucket for more than two decades, including the past eight years as director of theater and education at The Dreamland, where she led the Dreamland Stage Company. In that role, she directed dozens of youth theater performances and taught hundreds of island students about acting and theatrical productions.

Her new venture, the Nantucket Stage Company, will operate with the tagline "A Stage for Youth, a Theatre for All," and will be dedicated to empowering young performers, producing professional-quality productions, and providing high-quality training.

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