Nantucket Current's Top 10 Most Read Stories Of 2025

When it comes to news, 2025 was like every year. There was no shortage of stories on the island and the Nantucket Current was on the scene for it all. We are in the final days of the year and we have compiled a list of the most-read stories by our readers in 2025, according to Google Analytics.

1) Judge Permanently Bans Pilot From Nantucket Airport

Bob Walsh, an island homeowner and longtime pilot, was permanently banned from flying in and out of Nantucket Memorial Airport following a ruling by Nantucket Superior Court Judge Maureen Hogan in August. The ruling brought an end to a multi-year dispute between Walsh and the airport, which accused Walsh of “unauthorized activity” and repeatedly violating criminal trespass orders. You can read the full story here.

2) Man Bitten By Shark After Catching It From Nantucket Beach

A man was bitten by a shark after catching and releasing it on the beach near Hoicks Hollow in July, and was later transported by a Boston Medflight helicopter to a mainland hospital to be treated for his injuries. The 21-year-old man was bitten on the leg, sources told the Current, and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Massachusetts shark biologist John Chisholm, of the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, identified the shark that bit the man as a sandbar shark, a common species in the waters around Nantucket. You can read the full story here.

3) "Epic Day" - Nantucket Charter Boat Topspin Lands A 1,000-Pound Bluefin Tuna

The Nantucket charter boat Topspin landed a giant 118-inch bluefin tuna off the island in August, a fish estimated to weigh more than 1,000 pounds. "Epic day," Topspin captain Carl Bois summed up. The fish was eventually sold to a wholesaler at the Hyannis Marina. Bois said the catch almost didn't happen, as his clients on the charter were originally seeking a different kind of fish altogether. You can read the full story here.

4) One Year Later, Vineyard Wind Blade Failure Still Unfolding

On July 16th, 2024, Nantucket residents awoke to reports that green debris was littering the south shore beaches from Madaket out to Tom Nevers. It quickly became clear that the thousands of pieces of fiberglass and foam had floated to the island from the Vineyard Wind farm 15 miles to the southwest following a blade failure. After failing to notify the town about the incident for 48 hours, Vineyard Wind finally acknowledged the situation following the initial reports of debris washing up and dispatched a team to the island to begin the assessment and cleanup. But in those first few hours, it was the island's lifeguards - some of them just teenagers - who collected the largest and most dangerous pieces of debris from the surf. Despite warnings not to, residents took it upon themselves to gather and dispose of the blade pieces. On the one year anniversary of the environmental disaster, the Current looked back at the hectic morning. You can read the full story here.

5) Only On Nantucket: The Curious Case Of The "Stolen" Mercedes

The case of a stolen Mercedes G Wagon from the downtown Nantucket Stop & Shop parking lot on Sunday had many on the island captivated for nearly 48 hours in June. How the vehicle was taken, and its ultimate return to the owner, ended up being one of those "only on Nantucket" stories that was more comical than sinister. You can read the full story here.

6) ICE Raid On Nantucket: 12 Detained And Removed By Coast Guard

At least 12 people were detained and removed from Nantucket on Tuesday in a federal immigration raid by ICE and FBI agents in May. In what was the largest immigration enforcement operation on Nantucket in years, federal agents pulled over multiple vehicles across the mid-island area beginning around 7 a.m. on May 27th, taking at least a dozen suspected illegal immigrants into custody. The arrests were part of a larger federal operation conducted on both Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and in Hyannis that day that resulted in 40 total arrests, officials said. You can read the full story here.

7) Nantucket Homeowner Sued For Allegedly Cutting Down Neighbors' Trees To Create Ocean View

A Nantucket homeowner sued their neighbor in July, seeking over $1.4 million in damages, and accused them of trespassing into their yard earlier this year and cutting down a stand of 50-year-old trees in order to create an ocean view for themselves from the abutting property. The alleged perpetrator subsequently listed their property for sale for nearly $10 million while touting its “sweeping ocean views.” The man had charges filed against him but ultimately had the charges dismissed prior to arraignment as the two sides worked towards a settlement in the lawsuit. A status hearing is scheduled for April 6th, 2026 in federal court.

8) $200,000 Nantucket Beach House Demolished Due To Erosion But "It Was Worth It In The End"

Just six months after it was sold for only $200,000 due erosion concerns, the house at 28 Sheep Pond Road was demolished in January after being condemned by the town in December of 2024. The property lost another 10 to 20 feet of the coastal bank since the sale in 2024 and its new owner, Don Vaccaro, paid to have the structure demolished after renting it for a few months. You can read the full story here.

9) Nantucket Considering Island-Wide Ban On Pickleball Courts

An island-wide prohibition on pickleball courts was floated at a January Nantucket Select Board meeting as a potential warrant article for the 2025 Annual Town Meeting. The popular and rapidly growing sport has been a flashpoint in neighborhoods across the country due to the noise generated at outdoor courts. A recent New York Times headline opined that "Pickleball Noise Is Driving Everyone Nuts." Town officials said at a future meeting they allegedly weren't looking to ban pickleball courts, and a warrant article was never submitted for the Annual Town Meeting. You can read more on this story here.

10) How Much Cocaine Is In Nantucket's Sewage? The Town Is About To Find Out

How much cocaine is in Nantucket’s sewage? And what about fentanyl and other opiates? The town is about to find out. Nantucket’s Health Department began testing the island’s sewage in June for a range of hard drugs to establish a baseline that will help health leaders better understand trends in Nantucket’s use of illicit substances. The data could also be used as a tool to anticipate when outreach and intervention become more important for substance abuse prevention organizations and medical providers. You can read the full story here.