Dylan Thomas
The birds of the winged trees flying my name Above the farms and the white horses I rose in rainy autumn And walked abroad in a shower of all my days. – Dylan Thomas
December 18, 2009
Plum Streams Live
Plum Streams Live
Plum TV, Comcast channel 76, announces live streaming on plumtv.com.
Plum TV, a network of eight stations around the country featuring local TV from destinations such as Martha’s Vineyard, Aspen, Vail and Miami Beach.
Gazette Fa La La
Good morning. The Vineyard Gazette will publish Christmas week on Thursday, Dec. 24, and the following week on Thursday, Dec. 31. We send warmest holiday wishes to all our readers near and far.
Deer Count Suggests Herd Thrives Though Hunters Hurt This Season
A total of 292 deer were taken during the two weeks of shotgun season on the Vineyard, which ended on Saturday, Dec. 12. Hunters were successful and the numbers are close to what was expected, despite weather conditions that were less than ideal.
“The weather was not that great,” said John Scanlon, state…
Lost in Dramas, Hellman Legacy Makes Entrance
The late Lillian Hellman did not have to wait long for validation of her talent — many of her 12 plays, including The Children’s Hour and The Little Foxes, were instant successes. But some of her other contributions have taken a bit longer — in this case, more than 25 years — to reach fulfillment.
Wind Restrictions Could Thwart Farmers’ Plan to Power Schools
A small group of Island farmers appeared before the Martha’s Vineyard Commission last Thursday to voice concerns over a proposal to nominate nearly all of the air space over the Island as a special protection zone to control the development of land-based wind turbines.
If it is designated, the district of critical planning…
How We’re Spending Stimulus Money
“Putting America to Work,” the oversized green sign announces at the razed ferry terminal near the North Bluff in Oak Bluffs, a site now littered with orange cones, hydraulic equipment and rubble. It is perhaps the most visible presence of federal stimulus money on the Vineyard, but the Island has been affected in many other…
Commission Adopts Island Plan Over Critics of Its Vision of Vineyard Future
íOver the objections of a few, including the county representative, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission last Thursday voted to adopt the Island plan, the ambitious and far-reaching initiative by the commission seeking to chart the Island’s course over the next 50 years.
Bridge Housing Project Falters
Bridge Housing has 14.9 acres of land on State Road in Vineyard Haven, and completed plans for 22 affordable houses on that site. It also has no money, little prospect of raising any money and a $2.35 million loan on which it is currently in default.
And it has written promises from the…
Housing Trust Gets Fresh Start On Design of Lake Street Plan
Amid ongoing questions about transparency and possible conflicts of interest among its board members, the Island Housing Trust on Saturday agreed to draft new selection criteria for all future affordable projects, in the process throwing out a pair of bids for the design phase of the Lake street affordable housing plan in Vineyard Haven.
Bradley Square Set for Redesign
Citing pointed concerns about the financial stability of the Island Affordable Housing Fund in the wake of recent events, the Oak Bluffs Community Preservation Committee on Monday voted without dissent to deny a $400,000 request from the fund for the Bradley Square project.
Fire at West Tisbury Home Sends Resident to Hospital
A fire last Friday morning destroyed a one-bedroom home in West Tisbury and sent one young person to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and burn injuries. All three occupants of 123 Charles Neck Way were home when the fire broke out at around 2 a.m.
Oak Bluffs Library Amnesty
Oak Bluffs Library Amnesty
The Oak Bluffs Public Library would like to remind community members that it is offering fine amnesty between the dates of Tuesday, Dec. 15 and Saturday, Dec. 19. During this time, library patrons may bring a donation of nonperishable food to the library, along with any library materials that…
Four Decades Later, The Island Theatre Workshop Comes Home
The Island’s oldest players, the self-described vagabonds of Island Theatre Workshop, have found a home. After 41 years on an endless Vineyard shuffle, the troupe aims to set up shop in the cozy building on Music street in West Tisbury that housed the town’s library for 100 years.
Tisbury Tangles With Trailers To House Town Employees
Following last week’s town vote in favor of a new $5.8 million emergency services building, Tisbury selectmen this week continued to wrestle with the problem of what to do with town workers who will be displaced by the new construction project.
The new building will go on the site of what is now…
Miles to Go on Chilmark Bylaw Concerning Cars Used for Work
Chilmark town employees will need to get back in the habit of tracking and documenting their mileage while out on town business. The selectmen voted at their meeting Tuesday night to uphold a town mileage reimbursement bylaw that has until now gone mostly unenforced.
On the Boathouse
On the Boathouse
The Boathouse Club in Edgartown has established a foundation to provide financial grants to nonprofits on Martha’s Vineyard. The Boathouse Foundation Inc. is funded by the generosity of members and owners via an annual contribution. The foundation is delighted to be able to support the YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard and…
Corrections
Corrections
An interview in Friday’s Gazette with Rabbi Caryn Broitman reported incorrectly on the denomination of the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center. It is reform, while Rabbi Broitman is reconstructionist.
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Schooner, the new book about the building of Rebecca, celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Gannon and Benjamin Marine Railway, not…
Task Force Seizes Drugs, Arrests Five in Oak Bluffs
By JIM HICKEY
The Martha’s Vineyard Drug Task Force and Oak Bluffs police arrested five people last week on a series of drug charges, including heroin and cocaine trafficking.
On Tuesday the task force executed a search warrant at a house on Lyme street in Oak Bluffs following a nearly four-month…
Edgartown Library Asks Voters To Fund $4 Million Grant Match
Still well short of their goal to raise $4 million from private contributions to expand and renovate the Edgartown Public Library, town library trustees turned to the selectmen for help this week, asking them to place an article on the annual town meeting warrant for the money.
The trustees need to raise $4…
Mental Illness Support
Mental Illness Support
A free Vineyard support group open to anyone with a close relative, spouse or significant other suffering from a mental illness — such as bipolar disorder, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder or anxiety disorder — is being sponsored by the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Massachusetts.
School Science Programs Earn Donations, Grants
Science education on the Island will benefit from generous new donations and grants.
First, through the online education charity DonorsChoose.org, Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School teacher Jane Paquet will have applied sciences resources and experiences for 70 students. One generous donor contributed $226 in total to the project, which was matched with funds…
First Ever Vineyard Otter Study Underway
With plenty of room, food and no predators (other than humans behind a gun or steering wheel), deer, skunks, squirrels, rabbits and raccoons on the Vineyard enjoy a level of sanctuary to be envied by their mainland counterparts, allowing their populations to grow to considerable size.
Congressional Cuts Hurt Island Health
The current debate in Washington isn’t solely about the grand goal of expanding access to health insurance. It has turned into a spar about spending and controlling costs in the federal Medicare program. For those who need reminding, the Medicare program covers all Americans over age 65, as well as many disabled younger people.
From a Far Away Place, A Light Shines
There is a song about a light in the sky above Bethlehem, and a baby born in a manger. The light draws people from far and wide, to celebrate an emergence from darkness, the birth of salvation, the dawn of a new age. In their hearts, the people recognized that this child, however full of…
First We Take Manhattan . . .
It was a perfect New York art storm — Kandinsky, the Bauhaus, Monet, Georgia O’Keeffe, Hockney and Richard Serra — for starters. And it was all happening as winter gales descended on the rock, a good time to get away.
My cousin Lanny McDowell and I fought our way through Wednesday’s snowstorm, passing…
Saving the Planet, One Oyster at a Time
The Copenhagen climate summit has been much in the news for two weeks and the media is full of stories about rising carbon dioxide (C02) levels, increasing acidity of the oceans, drastic changes in weather patterns, the warmest decade on record, melting glaciers, rising sea water levels and coastal communities in imminent danger of inundation.…
If Not Our Backyard, Then Whose?
Last week, a deal was struck that will push forward an eight-turbine offshore wind project near Block Island, R.I. That project has received strong support from the local island community. Two weeks ago, the residents of Cuttyhunk told state officials that they would be willing to host a wind farm within Massachusetts territorial waters. Several…
Deflect the Bludgeon of Beacon Hill
When the Martha’s Vineyard Commission created a district of critical planning concern for the waters of the County of Dukes County, it offered a rare opportunity for the Islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Cuttyhunk to work together to preserve the unique attributes of their environment — I say “their” because this environment is truly theirs…
Sophomores Speak Out
This week the sophomore class had the opportunity to walk the entire African American Heritage Trail, which is also a nonprofit organization. The trail provided students with much more knowledge about African American history here on the Vineyard. In our history II course we are taught a lot about African American history nationwide, but are…
Letters to the Editor
OUT OF BOUNDS
Editors, Vineyard Gazette:
As I sit at my kitchen table, working late, surrounded by quiet, darkened homes with sleeping residents, I am hearing popping sounds that are carrying on the wind from the not-so-distant distance for the second night in a row. If I didn’t know better, I…
Martyr Complex Aside, Tiny Tim Finds Solace
Christmas, as much as I love it, has in the last few years become shrouded in the dark, heavy, woolen garments of my childhood.
December Days
December Days
The Fifty-Year Plan
The Fifty-Year Plan
Islanders, we have a plan.
Of course, even the planners — in this case the Martha’s Vineyard Commission — took pains to call the Island Plan, adopted last Thursday, “a dynamic living document . . . for guidance and inspiration.”
Moon, Jupiter and Neptune
A thin crescent moon appears low in the southwestern sky tonight, after sunset. The moon will be low in twilight. More Vineyarders will see the moon tomorrow and thereafter as the moon appears a good deal higher in the sky.
Please Adopt Us
Please Adopt Us
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
Dec. 11 45 25 .00
Dec. 12 30 24 .00
Dec. 13 43 32 .00
Dec. 14 53 34 .92
Dec. 15 49 38 .02
Dec. 16 52 31 .01
Dec. 17 34 22 .00
…
Chappy
MARGARET KNIGHT
508-627-8894
(margaret02539@yahoo.com)
The grass may still be green but it’s starting to feel more like winter on Chappaquiddick. Brine’s Pond had a skim coat of ice earlier in the week, and we’ve had some nights below freezing. The winter solstice is on Monday, which will be the…
Welcome Willa
Welcome Willa
Cooper, Connor, Maggie, Hanni, Cully and Katie would like to announce the birth of their sister, Willa Beth Johnson, who was born on Dec. 3, 2009 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Willa weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces at birth. Her parents are Beth and John Johnson of Tisbury. Her grandparents are…
West Tisbury
JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
(alleys@vineyard.net)
Winter officially begins on Monday and the temperature has jumped around as much as the Energizer bunny. Warm and springlike one day, then cold and raw another day. We could have our first snowfall this weekend. Monday, the winter solstice, will be the shortest…
Vineyard Haven
NANCY GARDELLA
508-693-3308
(vhavenvgazette@yahoo.com)
The library parties, for kids and grownups, were simply fantastic last Wednesday night. Wednesday was also a very special day for the Rotarians who hold their lunch meeting weekly. The speaker was Warren Pettit, who presented a most interesting talk on his photography done by…
Aquinnah
JUNE D. MANNING
508-645-2574
(lthslnks@gis.net)
The Aquinnah holiday party will be held at the old town hall on Saturday evening, Dec. 19 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. This is a potluck gathering for community members to enjoy. Santa will arrive on his usual mode of transportation at this time…
Chilmark
JANE N. SLATER
508-645-3378
(slaterjn@comcast.net)
Chilmark is in the midst of the busy times — end of the year budgets under construction and destruction at the town hall, and the holiday buzz in many households. There is always something to demand our attention … and something good to eat…
Oak Bluffs
HOLLY NADLER
508-274-2329
(hollynadler@gmail.com)
Something happened to me and an Oak Bluffs man-about-town — of the drinking variety — some half-dozen Christmases ago that had a bit of the ol’ Angels We Have Heard on High quality to it.
Edgartown
KATHIE CASE
508-627-5349
(kathleencase@comcast.net)
I love this time of year. Even though people are stressed, there is always a glimmer of excitement and, yes, merriment. The kids are getting excited, and even those adults who never have grown up as far as Christmas is concerned, are all waiting for…
Welcome Isaiah
Welcome Isaiah
Talia Rogers and Sean Geddes of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a son, Isaiah Dennis John Geddes, on Dec. 12 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Isaiah weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces at birth.
Logan Arrives
Logan Arrives
Eryn Kathryn Gillis and Daniel Cournoyer of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a son, Logan James Gillis, on Dec. 10 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Logan weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces at birth.
Hello, George
Hello, George
Polina Asenova and George Nikolov of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a son, George G. Nikolov, born on Dec. 7, 2009, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. George weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces at birth.
Hello, Carlotta
Hello, Carlotta
Elissa Lash and Christopher Roberts of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a daughter, Carlotta Josephine Lash Roberts, born on Dec. 12, 2009, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Carlotta weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce at birth.
Announcing Juliana
Announcing Juliana
Kristina and Cory Melemed of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a daughter, Juliana Ruth Melemed, born on Dec. 8, 2009, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Juliana weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces at birth. She joins sisters Lexus and Alyssa Pate.
Singing Songs for Singing’s Sake
Singing Songs for Singing’s Sake
On Monday, why not begin the longest night of the year with a very Vineyard thing — something casual, free, short, uplifting and all about connecting with other people? It’s musical, too, and, like so many events in this community, makes you wonder what other hidden talents your…
Best Ever Sugar Cookies
So, you promised to make Christmas cookies with the kids, but you’re feeling rather Scrooge-like.
Felix Neck Gift Shop Showcases Island Artists
Holiday shoppers can support the Vineyard’s nature sanctuary and find gifts honoring the beauty of nature through fine arts and crafts at Felix Neck’s shop, which will represent selected Island artists and artisans year-round.
Featured are paintings by Vasha Brunelle, Rose Abrahamson, Elizabeth Lockhart Taft, Susan Silva, and Chilmark painters Wendy Weldon, Linda…
A Wonderful Life: Rejoicing on the Radio
C hristmastime is predictable: swirls of white lights; favorite carols that young kids first learn as Chet’s Nuts Roasting on an Open Fire and Hark the Harold Angels Sing; dustings of snow, real in the East, fake in the West; and the viewing of classic Christmas movies such as It’s a Wonderful Life, directed by…
United Methodists Welcome All to Very Special Pageant
On the last Sunday in Advent, Dec. 20, the United Methodist Church of Martha’s Vineyard will present this year’s Christmas Pageant, written by E. St. John Villard, during the 10 a.m. sermon time at Trinity Worship Center, across from the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs.
Nursery Decks the Halls
Nursery Decks the Halls
The Oak Bluffs Association has announced that Crossland Nursery is this year’s winner for best business decorations in Oak Bluffs. An award of free membership is given annually to the business which does the best job with holiday decorations.
Crossland Nursery, owned by Mark Crossland, has donated…
New Writers’ Group
New Writers’ Group
The Bunch of Grapes Writers’ Group with Cynthia Riggs meets every Tuesday morning from 10 a.m. to noon, upstairs in the Bunch of Grapes Bookstore. New and seasoned writers are welcome, laughter required. For details, e-mail criggs@vineyard.net.
Felix Neck Photo Event
Felix Neck Photo Event
Open Studio
Open Studio
Vineyard Haven artist Cindy Kane will be opening her studio from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19, and Sunday, Dec. 20. The studio is located at 31 Sylvan avenue in Vineyard Haven; please call 508-696-8533 for directions or more information.
The Vineyard Gardener
By LYNNE IRONS
Trudy Taylor stopped by for a visit. We have common interests in canaries and gardening. We discussed our love for chicken and how many meals one can eat from one bird. I believe we settled on five for a small one. The first night, of course, can be enjoyed with…
Vineyard Winter
This is the start of the quiet time for wildlife on the Vineyard. Fall migration is essentially over, with the possible exception of a few hawks that got a late start. Most of the hardy species that usually winter here in small numbers have retired to thickets and swampy places. This group includes birds like…
Adult and Community Education Classes Set to Resume
College credit (without leaving the Island) is on the course schedule for the winter session of the Adult and Community Education program (ACE MV), as well as its popular enrichment and training classes on a wide range of subjects.
There are seven courses for graduate and undergraduate credit from Northeastern University, and another…
Oh, Cedar
Susie Bowman has a cedar situation.
The red cedar trees in the field behind her house are infected, which means that the apple trees in the area also may be in jeopardy. A match made in heaven these plants are not. In fact, they make a toxic twosome if they are in the right…
Chappy Native Pens Kids’ Book, Talks About Growing Up Different
As a student at the Edgartown School, a counselor once told Chappaquiddick native Stephanie Duckworth-Elliott that she wouldn’t go to college, and implied that Ms. Duckworth-Elliott would not achieve in life. The young girl had a background and home life that already separated her from other kids her age — she was a member of…
