On The Vineyard

Experience the beauty, sensibility, and news of Martha’s Vineyard. On the Vineyard is deeply rooted in the sense of place the Vineyard evokes with reports on local happenings, sightings, passings, and archival voices and musings. It reviews the week in the news on the Island with the award-winning Vineyard Gazette news team. New episodes every Friday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

Three towns on Martha’s Vineyard voted to ban gas-powered leaf blowers by 2028. And the Island is feeling the impact of federal cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We check out “For the Birds,” a new exhibit at Featherstone.

It’s Town Meeting Time!  The first of the town meetings are this week, we’ll have a preview of some of the issues including proposed restrictions on jet skis and leaf blowers. And Allen Farm has its first lamb of the season. We’ll celebrate by hearing some sounds of spring.

 

Leaf blowers are on nearly every town warrant as we head into town meeting season. And the Osprey are back! The osprey are magnificent fish-eating birds of prey and are an iconic sign of spring and warmer temperatures on Martha’s Vineyard.

An Oak Bluffs woman who allegedly left a young boy she was babysitting alone in an SUV for several hours is facing a manslaughter charge after the boy died. 

A plan to cut acres of white pine trees in the State Forest that is backed by Vineyard ecologists and firefighters was met with stiff resistance from Islanders this week. And the first pinkletinks of the season have been heard on the Vineyard. You can hear them too.

Cuts to NOAA will be felt by Island organizations and the Gazette announces a celebration for Jaws 50th anniversary.

Homelessness is getting worse on the Island with 56 people counted as unhoused in late January. This high count comes at a time when the winter shelter is being forced to move from the MV Community Services campus because of construction and is looking for a new location.

A beloved institution in Oak Bluffs, Linda Jean’s restaurant has closed. A well-known restaurant group is taking over the location promising healthier food options. And the debate over Mill Pond heats up, along with the water temperatures in the pond.

A state forest task force that looked at plans to clear out some white pine trees says it’s a good idea for forest ecology and fire safety. And bird flu is confirmed on-Island by health officials but eggs are safe and a plenty at farm stands where prices haven’t been affected.

 

Twenty dead wild turkeys in Edgartown lead health official to suspect bird flu. And the Steamship Authority says it's system is ready for the summer crush of reservations.