Nantucket Current's Top 10 Most Read Stories Of 2024

There was no shortage of news on Nantucket in 2024, and the Nantucket Current was on the scene for it all. As we approach the final days of the year, we have compiled a list of the most-read stories by our readers in 2024, according to Google Analytics.

1) WATCH: Live Great White Shark Beaches On Nantucket, Rescued By California Family

Liza Phillips was walking along Low Beach in ‘Sconset in mid-August with family and friends before they had to catch a flight when they came across an all-timer of a beach find.

“I was tossing the football with my dad and he looked down the beach and said ‘Oh there’s a beached whale’!” Phillips told the Current. “I grabbed my phone and started sprinting down the beach, and as soon as I got close enough to see it, I said ‘Oh my god’.”

It was no whale. Phillips had come upon a great white shark that was still alive and floundering in the surf. You can read the full story here.

2) Fugitive Aspen Investor Arrested On Nantucket After His Island Estate Sold At Foreclosure Auction

Fugitive Aspen investor Daniel Burrell was arrested on Nantucket in late September on a warrant out of Las Vegas, where he was alleged to have written a bad check to a casino for $1.5 million, just one day after his island mansion was sold at a foreclosure auction. Wanted by law enforcement authorities in Colorado and Nevada, the law finally caught up with the Yale-educated businessman on Nantucket who allegedly defaulted on over $75 million in bank loans he used to pay off divorce payments, buy a yacht, and purchase luxury homes. You can read the full story here

3) Coach Bill Belichick Buys Downtown Nantucket Property, Adding To His Island Portfolio

Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick may be out of the NFL - for now - but he's still making moves. Belichick, 72, who has owned a compound in 'Sconset on Nantucket's east end for decades, added to his island real estate portfolio in May, closing on a $4.8 million home on Fair Street. You can read the full story here.

4) Erosion Firesale: Nantucket Waterfront Home Assessed At Nearly $2 Million Sold For Just $200,000

When Jane Carlin and her husband Ben Gifford purchased a summer home on Nantucket’s west end in 1988, there was a wide expanse between their new property and the Atlantic Ocean that included three neighboring homes closer to the shore, Sheep Pond Road, and an acre of land. After years of erosion, those homes and the road itself are all gone, and the shoreline is now just a stone’s throw from Carlin's back porch. It led to a phone call from a businessman who purchased 26 Sheep Pond Road 10 years ago, with a $200,000 offer for the adjacent property. You can read the full story here.

5) Cyber Stuck: First Tesla Cybertruck On Nantucket Has A Rough Day

The first Tesla Cybertruck to visit Nantucket rolled off the Steamship Authority ferry in early May. It didn't take long to make an impression. The vehicle with Connecticut plates was first spotted by people on Main Street, where it was parked directly on a crosswalk in front of Congdon & Coleman. But that was just the beginning. A few hours later the truck reappeared, and this time it was stuck in the sand at Eel Point. The spectacle drew a small crowd before the $80,000 (starting price) vehicle was pulled out by the new "I Pull Out Beach Towing" service. You can read the full story of this chaotic situation here.

6) Beyoncé And Jay-Z Attend Nantucket Wedding

Nantucket has hosted some well-known celebrities and politicians over the years, but perhaps none bigger than the pair of entertainers who were spotted on-island in early September. Beyoncé and Jay-Z, along with the couple's daughter Blue Ivey, were on Nantucket to attend the wedding of Beyoncé's former assistant, Sam Greenberg, and Will Spring. You can read the full story here.

7) Broken Vineyard Wind Turbine Scatters Debris Along Nantucket's South Shore; Wind Farm Operations Shut Down By Feds

The broken Vineyard Wind turbine debacle has been covered extensively by the Current for months, and our initial report on the debris that washed ashore in the middle of July was one of our most read stories of the year. You can read the full story here.

8) "It's A Gamble" Beachfront Nantucket Home Threatened By Erosion Sells For Just $600,000

A waterfront home on Nantucket sold for $600,000? That’s not a typo. While most properties with water views on the island are selling in the tens of millions of dollars, the home at 4 and 6 Sheep Pond Road changed hands in late February with a price tag so low that it turned heads. A combination of severe erosion and a motivated seller resulted in an asking price that dropped from $2.2 million down to $600,000 in a matter of months, leading to a frenzy of interest and one of the most unique real estate sales on Nantucket in recent memory. You can read the full story here.

9) "Kind Of A Waste" A $19.2 Million Partially Finished Spec House On Nantucket Harbor May Soon Be Demolished

When news broke that a partially completed waterfront spec house built on Pocomo Road in 2023 - which sold last November for $19.2 million - may soon be demolished to make way for a redesigned mansion, it caught the eyes of many as we broke down the situation. You can read the full story here.

10) Emergency Demolition For Billionaire's Beach House Due To Severe Erosion

Billionaire summer resident Barry Sternlicht's beach house in Cisco was set to be demolished after severe erosion left him with no options but to tear down the three-bedroom home that sits between Hummock Pond and the Atlantic Ocean. Unable to retreat any farther on the eroding property or move it to an entirely new location, Sternlicht filed for an emergency demolition permit earlier this month, which was unanimously approved by the Nantucket Historic District Commission in March. The home was eventually demolished in April. You can read the full story here.

As we look ahead to 2025, we always welcome feedback and news tips from our readers. You can reach Editor-in-Chief Jason Graziadei at jasongraziadei@n-magazine.com or senior news reporter/sports editor David Creed at davidcreed@n-magazine.com