Here are 10 of the stories that most engaged Vineyard Gazette readers in print and online in 2022:
1. Fifty Venezuelan migrants were flown to the Martha’s Vineyard in September under false promises of jobs in what was later confirmed to be a political act orchestrated by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Islanders quickly rallied to find the migrants food and shelter and other assistance in a community-wide effort that showed a side of the Vineyard that outsiders seldom see.
2. In a brazen early morning heist, three armed and masked robbers held up a Rockland Trust bank branch in November and fled to the state forest in a stolen car. Intensive federal, state and local law enforcement efforts resulted in the arrest of three men, including two for armed robbery, as the investigation continued.
3. A late-night jump off the big bridge at the height of the summer ended in tragedy for two brothers, seasonal restaurant workers from Jamaica. The fatal accident renewed debate about how to improve safety at the popular jumping spot, often called the Jaws bridge for its role in the blockbuster movie.
4. A proposal to create a Martha’s Vineyard Housing bank, funded by a transfer tax on some real estate sales, won resounding support at every town meeting in the spring. As the year closed, the proposed legislation was sent to the state unchanged, despite a suggestion from local legislators to pare it down.
5. The Ocean View restaurant, a long-established Oak Bluffs eatery and bar, was destroyed in March by a fire that drew response from every Island town. Building owner Charles Hajjar quickly pledged to rebuild.
6. Three years after the state extended its room tax to short-term rentals, revenues have soared, along with the number of registered properties, prompting debate over their role in the Island’s critical shortage of year-round housing.
7. The Martha’s Vineyard Commission settled a lawsuit with the Harbor View hotel in July and faced a record number of other legal challenges that threatened to drive up assessments for Island towns. As the year ended, the MVC awaited a judge’s decision in a case that challenged the agency’s broad powers to control development.
8. In February, a fast-moving fire destroyed a historic home on outer Main Street in Vineyard Haven. In an open letter to the community, the owner wrote movingly of the home’s history and the loss of two family dogs.
9. The Boathouse and Field Club in Edgartown pleaded guilty in superior court in June to involuntary corporate manslaughter, taking criminal responsibility for the drowning death of a three-year-old boy in 2021 in the club’s pool.
10. David McCullough, who wrote widely about the American experience from his small writing shed in West Tisbury, died in August at 89, just two months after the death of Rosalee, his wife of 68 years.
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