Mary Oliver
The wind wags its many tails. And in the evening the piled firewood shifts a little, longing to be on its way. —Mary Oliver
April 4, 2008
Three Candidates Run for Two Oak Bluffs Seats
Although the three candidates for Oak Bluffs selectmen this year boast vastly different backgrounds — one is a former teacher, one worked for a resource recovery corporation and the other is a former union president — all agree the town is at a crossroads, and must start changing the way it does business.
Tennis Registration Open
Tennis Registration Open Registration is now open for summer tennis clinics at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. Children ages 6 through 18 can sign up for the program, which begins June 30. Classes run from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday. The cost is $150 per week, and racquets are provided to anyone…
Super Tuesday
Super Tuesday More than once it has been called the purest form of democracy. And while some may quibble with the adjective, there is no doubt that annual town meetings — in all their messy, colorful, argumentative and sometimes droning-on-at-length glory — remain at heart one of the finest examples of democracy at work. Tuesday…
Waskosim’s Rock
The Waskosim’s Rock Reservation is a Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank holding which can be reached off North Road at the West Tisbury-Chilmark line. Because of its habitat diversity, its elevation changes, its lack of so-called improvements, its overall acreage (just under 185 acres), its beech-lined stream and excellent trails, it is a great find for…
Hoping to Unseat Incumbent, Richard Knabel Speaks Out
He is a retired college professor with additional background in journalism and environmental advocacy. As co-chairman of the West Tisbury finance committee he focuses on town finances and long-term financial planning. And now Richard Knabel wants to be a West Tisbury selectman. A New York city native, Mr. Knabel was educated at City College of…
Flap Over Rooster Noise Settled in West Tisbury
A long-running feud over roosters between West Tisbury neighbors has been settled in mediation. The town zoning board of appeals last month accepted a withdrawal of an appeal filed by John Amabile, a Brockton attorney for Robert and Kathy Harris, 7 Millstone Lane, who had contended that roosters housed on Lambert’s Cove property owned by…
Mill Pond
Mill Pond Spring didn’t fool around on Tuesday, April Fool’s Day. Instead, quite properly, the month of golden daffodils and forsythia and of plump, furry pussy willows arrived with a warm rain. The month’s arrival could have been heralded by sun, but that has come since — to show off the greenery and the buds…
Rod and Gun Club Will Host Hunter Safety Course
Rod and Gun Club Will Host Hunter Safety Course On April 14, 17, 19 and 20, the Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club will host the 2008 Massachusetts Hunter Safety Certification Course. The club is off Third street in Edgartown. The classes will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. April 14 and 17, and…
With His No-Nonsense Style, Glenn Hearn Seeks Reelection
Incumbent West Tisbury selectman Glenn Hearn is an Islander with a no-frills, taciturn personal style. Born and raised in West Tisbury, he attended Tisbury grammar school and high school. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 1959 and holds two master’s degrees, one in engineering from Northeastern University and one in education from the…
Commission Schedules Moujabber, Bradley Hearings
The Martha’s Vineyard Commission will host what promises to be a well-attended meeting on April 17. The meeting will feature public hearings on two controversial projects in Oak Bluffs: the Moujabber garage on the North Bluff and a proposal to renovate Bradley Memorial Church at the corner of Dukes County and Masonic avenues into a…
Democracy: A Cacophony of Voices
FREEDOM FOR THE THOUGHT THAT WE HATE. By Anthony Lewis. Basic Books, New York, N.Y. 2008. 221 pages. $25 hard cover.
The Vineyard’s political season is in full swing, with town meetings and local elections happening this month. It is in a season such as this that Anthony Lewis’s most recent book, Freedom…
The Vineyard Gardener
By LYNNE IRONS I was considering taking a garden hoe to my attic last week. The weatherman predicted four days of rain and I figured it was my last opportunity to get rid of years of collectibles before gardening chores take up all my time. The other alternative is to hope my children torch the…
Robert Fynbo Runs as a Newcomer
Robert Fynbo, a 49 year-old carpenter from Chappaquiddick, remembers the moment he decided to run for selectman. It was last December following the puffback incident at the Edgartown library, when oily furnace soot coated books and computers and forced the library to set up temporary headquarters in the Edgartown town hall.
Foghorn Serves as Soundtrack for Family’s Lighthouse Living
Coast Guard Senior Chief Steve Barr knows that he lives in a special place. “On a good stormy night looking out from the lighthouse, with the waves crashing below and sheets of rain coming down all around in flashes, illuminated by the light . . . there’s nothing like it,” he said. It’s probably one…
Letters to the Editor
CAPABLE CAPTAIN Editors, Vineyard Gazette: As homeowners on Chappy, we want to express our complete and unrestricted support for Brad Fligor as a captain of the Chappy ferry. We have known Brad since he started captaining the ferry. Of course he may not be the prettiest of the captains, but he sure is one of…
Creative Construction
Green home building is all the rage right now, but humans are Johnny-come-latelys to ecological building. Our “nests” are too often made from new materials that come from far and wide. Not so in the avian world.
Margaret Serpa Cites Her Long Experience in Financial Affairs
A quiet and efficient presence at the weekly Edgartown selectmen’s meetings, Margaret Serpa has spent a long career scrutinizing municipal budgets on the Vineyard. Born and raised in Edgartown, Mrs. Serpa was a member of the last class to graduate from the old Edgartown High School. She started to work at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional…
Moon
A thin crescent moon on Tuesday night appears close to the star cluster Pleiades in the zodiacal constellation Taurus. The two appear in the southwestern sky after sunset. The best view is through a pair of binoculars. With glasses the moon appears to graze right by the star cluster.
Gazette Chronicle: Pig on the Loose
Pig on the Loose From the Vineyard Gazette editions of April, 1983:
News Update: April 4, 12pm – County Appoints New Manager
Russell H. Smith of Aquinnah has been named as the next Dukes County manager. In a special meeting Friday morning, the Dukes County Commission voted unanimously to appoint Mr. Smith to the position, which has been vacant since August.
Town Election Thursday Sees Planning Board Race
Edgartown’s town election will be held Thursday, April 10 at the Baylies Room of the Old Whaling Church. Polls are open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eleven positions on the ballot are uncontested, with no nomination papers returned for the board of health. In addition to the race for a selectman’s seat between challenger Robert…
Chappy
MARGARET KNIGHT 508-627-8894 (margaret02539@yahoo.com) After such a mild winter, I guess we can’t expect spring to be warmer than usual, too. As we were heading into April with the weather still cold and windy, I made up this Vineyard joke: What’s the difference between February and April? The answer: February has more letters.
Mixed Opinions on Tisbury Beer and Wine Question: The Vote Against
Think Again Editors, Vineyard Gazette: On April 15, the voters of Tisbury will go to the polls to vote on a proposal to allow the selectmen to license the sale of beer and wine in establishments around our town. If you think that this proposal concerns what beverage you may drink with your meals, think…
News Update: Thursday, April 10 – Three Annual Town Elections Post Results
Edgartown voters returned selectman Margaret Serpa to a third term Thursday and Oak Bluffs voters also decided to back incumbents, reelecting selectmen Duncan Ross and Ron DiOrio. But West Tisbury voters took a different path, electing Richard Knabel over two-term selectman Glenn Hearn. The vote was 380 to 294. Complete election results will appear in…
Town Election Sees Contest for Library Trustee
West Tisbury voters go to the polls on Thursday, April 10 for the annual town election. One selectman’s seat and two library trustee seats are contested. Polls are open from noon to 8 p.m. at the public safety building. Incumbent selectman Glenn Hearn and challenger Richard Knabel are competing for a three-year term as selectman.…
Edgartown
KATHIE CASE 508-627-5349 kathleencase@comcast.net The sun is shining, the temperature is rising and the hope of spring is getting nearer and nearer. With the warm temperatures, my daffodils burst open yesterday and it is so refreshing to see them blooming. Happy birthday to all who celebrated their day this past week. Big balloons go out…
Sophomores Speak Out
Hello again to our readers. We have some interesting articles for you this week from our sophomores, but we have had to hustle due to MCAS. We just took the test that basically determines whether or not we graduate, so last week we were more worried about that than about our other school tasks. But…
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip. Day Max. Min. Inches. Fº Fº March 28 51 41 Trace March 29 45 32 .04 March 30 45 27 .00 March 31 44 25 .00 April 1 49 40 .05 April 2 54 41 .23 April 3 50 28 .04
Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 45º F.
Maritime Academy Offers Captain’s License Course
The Center for Maritime Training at Massachusetts Maritime Academy will begin its spring captain’s license course on Island Friday, April 11. Classes will be offered each Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the month of April, all held at the Edgartown School. Now in the third year offering on-Island training, the academy gives Vineyard residents the…
Portrait of Preschool Arts Teacher: Lani Carney Lights Imaginations
For Lani Carney, paintbrushes were not made for painting. Paintbrushes were made for dancing. “I taught them how to dance with the brush,” she said, and by them, she meant her students. “Last week I said to them, ‘Today, the light blue of the sky really says spring is here! Will you dance with me…
Man Killed as Truck Plunges Off Cliff
An Island man was killed last Thursday after he reportedly drove his vehicle off a 50-foot cliff along East Chop in Oak Bluffs into the shallow ocean water below. The body of Benjamin Viera, 35, was recovered two days later after a passenger aboard a Steamship Authority ferry spotted the body inside the Vineyard Haven…
Hello, Kiandra
Hello, Kiandra Sandra Paim Borges and Julian F. Borges of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a daughter, Kiandra Julianne Paim Borges, born March 30 at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. She weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces.
Edgy Ambiance, Text Messages Coax Talent to Teen Center Open Mike Night
Christmas lights illuminate the yellow upstairs room filled with squashy armchairs, each of which contains at least one sprawling teenager. Up front, two boys fool around with a microphone, testing their amplified voices, revelling in the leisurely atmosphere — that is, until the real show begins.
Town Objects To Cape Wind
The town of Edgartown moved this week to formally join the fight against Cape Wind, both out of specific concern about the impact of the project and a broader concern about the erosion of the powers of local government. On Monday the selectmen authorized town counsel Ronald H. Rappaport to file a motion to intervene…
Chappy Ferry Vehicle Driver to Face Charges in Accident
A Pennsylvania woman who was driving a sport utility vehicle carrying three people that fell off the Chappaquiddick ferry and into the Edgartown harbor last week has been cited by police for negligent operation of a motor vehicle and operating under the influence of alcohol. Susan McLean, 54, of Ambler, Pa., was issued a citation…
Oak Bluffs
HOLLY NADLER 508-693-3880 (sunporch@vineyard.net) Safety alert! We’ve got a situation on our hands, and it’s imperative that we address it right away before the good will of our town residents evaporates. I know I do a lot of kidding in this column, but I’m perfectly serious today. In fact, I’m feeling like a poor man’s…
Chilmark Poets to Read Favorite Works at Library
Celebrate National Poetry Month with readings by three published Chilmark poets: Margaret (Peggy) Howe Freydberg, John Maloney and Donald Nitchie. The authors will read some of their favorite poems on Wednesday, April 9, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Chilmark Public Library. Ms. Freydberg recently celebrated her 100th birthday at the library surrounded by…
In a Spending Mood, Tisbury Voters Okay Park Betterment
Bruce Doten tried just about everything to deter Tisbury voters from their free-spending ways at Wednesday night’s annual town meeting. He cited Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke’s dark views of the state of the economy. He quoted dead Presidents. He claimed the town was breaking the law by spending so much. He rebuked Tisbury parents…
Land Bank, Sheriff’s Meadow Reach Deal to Protect Quansoo
In an unprecedented act of cooperation between conservation organizations, the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank and Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation have completed a $3 million deal which will see 145 acres at Quansoo fully protected from development. The land was given to Sheriff’s Meadow by the late Florence (Flipper) Harris, whose great generosity was matched by the…
West Tisbury
JOHN S. ALLEY 508-693-2950 (alleys@vineyard.net) Since it is spring, although it has not felt like it, people are beginning the task of cleaning up the yard after the long winter, throwing away the Christmas tree that is beginning to turn rust color out in the back yard, raking the lawn and flower beds. Some folks…
The Vote In Favor
To Our Advantage Editors, Vineyard Gazette: In consideration of whether or not to allow beer and wine to be served by wait staff in restaurants with seating of 30 or more, using china settings, it should be noted that Tisbury is not now a dry town.
Oak Bluffs Voters Face Hard Choices
Just a few months ago Oak Bluffs leaders idealistically looked to the future and discussed plans like the renovation of the town waterfront, the creation of a fund to pay for employees’ post retirement benefits and the dredging of Sengekontacket Pond to reduce bacteria levels. But much like the New England weather, things change pretty…
Letters Unearth Rich History of a Family
It was Emily Dickinson who wrote, “a letter always seemed to me like immortality.” After spending the past two decades uncovering boxes of handwritten diaries, letters composed on old typewriters and files of personal documents, professor and sociologist Adelaide Cromwell would have to agree.
Food Pantry
Food Pantry The Island Food Pantry’s last day of distribution for the season will be April 14. The service will resume in mid October. For emergency needs during that time, or for more information, please call 508-693-4764.
Phantom Violin to Haunt Concert
It’s a little musicians’ inside joke: Delores Stevens, pianist and artistic director of the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society, has dubbed this weekend’s performance The Phantom Violin Concert. A quartet of acclaimed musicians will gather on the stage of the Old Whaling Church at 7:30 p.m. this Saturday, April 5, for the society’s annual spring…
West Tisbury Town Hall Project: It’s Do or Die
West Tisbury voters will confront their third — and what many hope will be the final — decision on renovation of their old town hall when they convene for the annual town meeting on Tuesday night. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the West Tisbury elementary school. Town moderator Pat Gregory will call the…
Club Taps Vineyard’s Senior Market
A number of different organizations, from assisted living facilities to councils on aging, help cover the needs of the aging on the Vineyard. Now a new paid membership organization is offering service via telephone to the senior citizen in need of a little help getting through the day. Vineyard Village at Home is a club…
Chilmark
JANE N. SLATER 508-645-3378 (slaterjn@comcast.net) The big sleep is over. Now the race begins . . . can we get all the spring chores done in time? The pressure is on all the caretakers, gardeners, fishermen and farmers . . . all with deadlines to meet. It is our unique New England lifestyle and we…
Storyteller Susan Klein Gives Special Free Show
Storyteller and author Susan Klein will recount her Island childhood in a special free performance at the Old Whaling Church on Saturday, April 12, at 7:30 p.m., sponsored by the Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank. A signed copy of Ms. Klein’s book, Through a Ruby Window: A Martha’s Vineyard Childhood, will be given out to the…
Edgartown Takes Up Lean Budget Tuesday
A lean budget, down two per cent overall on last year, and compiled in the shadow of a darkening national economic scene, will go before voters at the Edgartown annual town meeting next Tuesday, April 8. The meeting is set for 7 p.m. at the Old Whaling Church on Main street. Philip J. Norton Jr.…
Town May Take Back Mooring Permits
Two longstanding Chilmark residents may be forced to hand over to the town multiple mooring permits they hold and rent out, according to a letter submitted to the town selectmen this week by their attorney. A sharply divided board of selectmen requested the opinion from Ronald H. Rappaport earlier this winter.
Aquinnah
JUNE MANNING 508-645-2574 (lthslnks@gis.net) William Kistner and his wife Joan returned to their home in New York on Monday after spending a few days with our grandson Noah James Manning and his parents Paul and Theresa. Saturday evening we all ventured to Offshore Ale for dinner and a celebration. Joan and Bill spent hours with…
Desserts to Raise Dough for Breast Cancer Research
At least two Vineyard restaurants plan to participate in the Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer effort to battle the disease. Mediterranean Restaurant in Vineyard Haven and Sweet Life Cafe in Oak Bluffs will bake unique desserts the week of May 5 through 11 leading up to Mother’s Day. They are among more than 100 restaurants…
Board Votes to Allow Ocean Park Concert
Despite lingering financial and legal questions, Oak Bluffs selectmen on Monday decided the show must go on and unanimously voted to accept a proposal from the organizers of the Boston Pops concert to again hold the popular event this summer in Ocean Park.
Vineyarders Turn Their Lights Out
Shops, restaurants and offices joined homeowners across the Island in switching off their lights from 8 to 9 p.m. last Saturday in an effort to raise awareness about energy consumption. Earth Hour, an event established last year in Sydney, Australia, by the World Wildlife Fund, went global this year when the Vineyard and a number…
Vineyard Haven
NANCY GARDELLA 508-693-3308 (vhavenvgazette@yahoo.com) She was a mail-order bride. Lady Angelique Beaverbrook of Vermont was sent for to be the wife of Lord Maxwell Beaverbrook of Massachusetts. Four-year-old Max had waited patiently for a companion, a wife, and another Lhasa Apso to be the mother of his children. His qualities of calmness, loyalty, and playfulness…
Dress Up and Act at Kids’ Creative Drama Classes
Phyllis Vecchia Creative Drama will be holding a five week spring workshop at the Oak Bluffs School. The spring session will be on Thursday afternoons, May 8 to June 5, from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. in the home economics room. The workshops for children ages four and a half to ten begin with theatre warm-ups,…
Earthy? Briney? Oysters to Brave Battle of Shells
Oyster growers are as competitive as they come. “Insanely competitive,” according to Bob Rheault. As president of the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association, Mr. Rheault also encounters cultivators of clams, quahaugs and mussels, but none rivals the oyster farmer for competitive spirit. “We all have this conviction that our oyster tastes the best,” said Mr.…
Register in Chilmark
Register in Chilmark Tuesday is the last day to register to vote in Chilmark town meeting and town elections. The town hall will be open from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 7 to 8 p.m. to register voters. The League of Women Voters will host a candidate’s forum at 7 p.m. at the Chilmark…
Vineyard Women Honored as Unsung Heroines
Vineyard Women Honored As Unsung Heroines Six Vineyard women have been named among the 287 Unsung Heroines for 2008 by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. They are Camille Rose of Aquinnah, Katherine L. Carroll of Chilmark, Diane Smadbeck of Edgartown, the late Dorothy A. Larkosh Roberts of Oak Bluffs, Dolly Campbell of…
Employer Workshop Set on New Insurance Rules
The Vineyard Health Care Access Program is sponsoring a workshop for local employers about rules regarding health insurance enacted as part of the state’s health care reform program. The workshop is set for Thursday, April 10 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School in the library conference room.
