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
March 23, 2012
News Update: Wednesday, March 28 – Two Dead in Aquinnah Car Accident
Two women were killed and a third injured after their car crashed into a tree on private land belonging to the Kennedy family Tuesday afternoon.
The driver, 70-year-old Judith Morse from West Tisbury, and front-seat passenger Susan S. Lombard, 69, of Lyman, NH, were pronounced dead at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, according to…
News Update: Tuesday, March 27 – Bank Looks to Replace Oyster Bar with Three Story Building
The Martha’s Vineyard Commission got its first look at the Edgartown National Bank’s ambitious plans to demolish Oak Bluffs restaurant Oyster Bar and build a three-story building in its place. On Monday, building plans presented to commissioners included a bank branch, two commercial units and four two-story townhouse condominiums at the site of the former…
Mayflowers in Bloom
It may feel like winter has returned, but harbingers of spring continue to make their presence known. Cynthia Schillings of Vineyard Haven reports that the first mayflowers of the year are in bloom on Ramble Trail Preserve, a land bank trail in Tisbury.
News Update: Monday, March 26 – Two New Restaurants Coming to Edgartown, Another May Be Facing Trouble
Edgartown restaurant Il Tesoro at the Terrace is in danger of having its liquor license suspended.
The South Summer street restaurant, located inside the Charlotte Inn, was supposed to reopen by Feb. 5 following a short closure. As of now, it remains shuttered. Selectman Margaret Serpa said at an alcohol hearing Monday that…
News Update: Monday, March 26 – West Tisbury Homicide Ruled Self-Defense, No Charges Expected
The fatal shooting of a 64-year-old man by his estranged wife at their West Tisbury home Friday was a homicide during an act of self-defense, the district attorney said Monday.
Cape and Islands district attorney Michael O’Keefe said in a press release that the medical examiner found the cause of death for Kenneth…
Linguini Master Gordon Moore Wins Bridge Competition
Regional high school freshman Gordon Moore dubbed his entry into the 15th Annual Linguini Bridge Contest “awesome,” and on Monday morning, the small pasta-and-glue creation lived up to its name.
The Awesome Bridge, weighing just 342 grams, took home the top prize in the contest, supporting 1500 pounds with nary a crack. Last…
Shakespeare at the Charter School
Next weekend, March 30 and 31, the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School will present its annual theater production. This year they take on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a play with essentially four plots in one: a royal wedding, prank-playing fairies, a love quadrangle and workmen trying to put on a play. Something for everyone…
Left Hungry
The Hunger Games are almost here. Talk to almost any high school student or even teacher at MVRHS about the best-selling trilogy by Suzanne Collins and they’ll have nothing to express but their enthusiastic love for the series. Some, like my friends and I, will say with glee, “March 23! March 23!”March 23 is the…
Record Straight
The March 16 Gazette includes an article on the Chilmark Planning Board’s open discussion regarding regulating large homes. The debate has proven to be an interesting and an important one, when considering future development on the Island. Although I am quoted in the article, the reporter wrote an incomplete account of my full quote and/or…
Cabal Cacophony
This is in response to “Chilmark Considers Using Special Permits to Regulate Size of McMansion Homes.” There must be a secret cabal on Martha’s Vineyard called LAON, an ancient Aramaic word meaning, “Let’s annoy our neighbors.”
Wrong Number
Comcast continues its public relations dance in both local newspapers. They have continued to misrepresent the facts in the ongoing saga to provide universal cable access on Martha’s Vineyard.Two years ago Comcast made a presentation to Edgartown for cabling Chappaquiddick. At the time they estimated a $1.8 to 2 million investment to complete the cabling.
Call Back
I’m writing in response to Steve Hackley’s letter concerning Comcast’s refusal to include cabling of Chappaquiddick in their 2011 license proposal.Comcast’s response to Edgartown’s request for a proposal from Comcast to provide cable to Chappaquiddick has been simply a reiteration of refusal to do so.
Jemima James and Friends
On Saturday, March 24, beginning at 8 p.m., the Pit Stop is hosting an evening with Jemima James and friends. For those still out of tune, the Pit Stop is a new music venue that took root this winter on Dukes County avenue in Oak Bluffs. The space is not a bar, but rather a…
News Update: Friday, March 23 – Woman Injured in Fatal West Tisbury Shooting Sought, Denied Restraining Order
The 63-year-old woman involved in a double shooting at her West Tisbury home this morning that resulted in the death of her estranged husband sought, and was denied, a restraining order earlier this month, police said.
According to West Tisbury police sgt. Jeffrey (Skipper) Manter 3rd, Cynthia C. Bloomquist came to the West…
Prescription Drug Forum Raises Issues of Adequate Treatment
With prescription drug addiction on the rise both nationwide and on Martha’s Vineyard, a well-attended forum about the issue this week focused on how the community can better fight the growing problem.
About 50 people gathered at the high school Wednesday to hear from a panel of community members and addiction experts, and…
No Flip-Flopping, Winter Flounder Arrive, Hatchery Readies Nest
The good news began in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, when 68 flapping fish were delivered to the Wampanoag Tribe’s hatchery in Aquinnah near the edge of Menemsha Pond. The adult winter flounder had just been caught earlier Tuesday by Greg Mayhew and his son, Todd, in the Menemsha fishing dragger Unicorn. The hatchery…
Capital Campaign on Ice
Capital Campaign on Ice
The Martha’s Vineyard Ice Arena this week announced its first step in preparing for its upcoming Capital Campaign.
The plan calls for replacement of the rink’s steel roof in the next few years, as well as insulating the entire facility, walls and roof, to help improve energy…
Women’s Leadership
Women’s Leadership
A new global company, Optimal Women’s Leadership (OWL) has been launched, based in Martha’s Vineyard, according to its founder and organizational consultant, Annika Hurwitt Schahn. It’s mission, Ms. Schahn says, is to help women leaders and emerging leaders experience psychological freedom.
Women’s Network Grants
Women’s Network Grants
Martha’s Vineyard Women’s Network is awarding a $2,500 grant to a small business worker who plans to improve, grow or start a new business on the Island. The grant is open to both men and women, Women’s Network members and nonmembers alike, who are involved in an existing Vineyard business…
Sea Level Rise Teaching Tool Illustrates Harsh Effects
A new study released by the nonprofit organization Climate Central warns that 3.7 million Americans are at risk from flooding in the coming decades due to rising sea levels. As part of that study, researchers have made an online tool available to simulate the effect of different levels of sea level rise on coastal populations.…
Grant Secured, West Tisbury Library Needs Town Vote to Begin Library Renovations
The West Tisbury public library has long been the darling of the Vineyard library system, treasured by its patrons for its charm, versatility and convenience. But with the highest circulation on the Island and one of the highest in the state, the small library has outgrown its stacks. On April 10 town meeting voters will…
Voter Approval Needed for Edgartown Library’s Move from Historic Buildling
In 1904, Edgartown received a gift from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie: $4,000 for a town library, one of more than 1,600 libraries the steel magnate bankrolled nationwide. The brick building on North Water street — the property was deeded to the town by resident Caroline F. Warren — was the smallest Carnegie library built in Massachusetts,…
Pilot in Plane Crash Testifies to Fuzzy Memories, Harsh Reality
Testifying in a crowded makeshift courtroom Thursday, the pilot in a 2005 plane crash at Katama airfield gave his account of the accident that left him confined to a wheelchair without the use of his legs.
“I remember at first my morale was very high,” Alec Naiman — who is deaf and was…
Coast Guard Denies Insurance Claims for Menemsha Boathouse Fire
The U.S. Coast Guard announced this week it would not pay insurance claims for the massive Menemsha boathouse fire, due to the belief the fire started on the town-owned drive-on pier and not on Coast Guard property.
The dismissal, though not unexpected, prompted outrage from town selectmen, who said the Coast Guard’s belief…
Navy Medical Corpsman Matthew Bradley Receives Hero’s Welcome Home
Navy medical corpsman Matthew Bradley, 33, of West Tisbury, returned home from active duty yesterday amid the celebratory sounds of fire engine horns and police sirens. Mr. Bradley, who is serving in the naval reserve, has been stationed with the U.S. Marine Corps. in Afghanistan since he left the Island last August. He has also…
Tisbury Businesses Granted Reprieve In Tax Burden Shift
Seeking to help struggling Vineyard Haven businesses, selectmen voted unanimously on Monday to shift the town’s tax burden away from commercial property owners. But a sharp drop in taxes for businesses will mean a slight uptick for resident and non-resident homeowners alike.
The action, taken at a special meeting following a public hearing…
Foreclosure Marks End To Long-Running Saga Of Southern Woodlands
Corey Kupersmith, the Connecticut-based developer who a decade ago waged a bitter public battle to build a golf course and a development on the largest tract of undeveloped forest in Oak Bluffs, now faces foreclosure on almost all of the property he owns in the Southern Woodlands.
Islanders and Island Lifestyle Benefit from Vineyard Fellowships
She’s a Maine native who is trying to save much of the Island’s shellfish population. He’s a Vineyard high school student with a passion for sustainability.
From shell recyclers to waste-management aficionados, seven Vineyarders have been named recipients of prestigious Island fellowships, receiving funding for individual educational and professional endeavors. But the entire…
Going Super Steamy in Morocco
A friend told me the other day that she had just enjoyed a sauna in a local health club.
Nowadays, of course, Finnish-style saunas are commonplace in health clubs and spas all over the world, but there are many other national baths that are not. One of those is a hammam, the Moroccan…
Never Over Easy, Griddle Master Retires
For regulars at the Dock Street Coffee Shop, it’s a sight they will have some trouble adjusting to. On a recent Thursday morning Don Patrick sat on the other side of the counter. After almost 30 years manning the griddle, the long time cook and fixture at the Edgartown diner has hung up his apron.…
Still Blooming, Daffodil Lady Gives Back, One Flower at Time
To her best friends, she is affectionately known as the “Daffodil Lady.”
Dorothy Bangs, 87, of Vineyard Haven is one of the Island’s most celebrated volunteers, and she was out working hard this week on behalf of the American Cancer Society. Mrs. Bangs—a cancer survivor herself—along with friends and followers, distributed close to 11,000…
Southern Woodlands Next Chapter
The weakened economy has caused plenty of hardship on the Island, but we’re occasionally reminded that even in healthy periods years ago, the good times weren’t always so good.
Spring Kisses
According to the calendar, spring officially began on Tuesday. According to reality, it began on Dec. 22, ordinarily the first day of winter, when spring decided to do away with winter this year. A slight snowfall was a freak occurrence and temperatures below freezing as rare as a visit from the propane man.
Beauty Rests in Mind of the Beholder
It all seemed like a game to me — the telephone with oversized buttons, the notebooks adorned inside with multicolored dividers and bright cut-out floral images, the cassette recorder and accompanying pile of tapes whose covers illustrated the story, the round reading light with a wide magnified lens, the handheld TV remote with major on/off…
Welcome to the World, Angel Baby
Dave Stanwood returned home on Sunday at 2 p.m., after a trip to Woods Hole to see his mother, to find two new lambs had been added to his flock of five ewes. He sat for a while watching them stumble about in his barnyard, before going out to inspect them. “So far we’ve had…
Please Adopt Us
Please Adopt Us
High School Spring Sports Preview
Spring sports are in full bloom at the regional high school, with the fields, courts and Lagoon Pond abuzz with preseason activity.
Girls’ Tennis
John Hughes Honored
John Hughes Honored
John Hughes, former longtime director of the Vineyard’s lobster hatchery, will be honored by the state Division of Marine Fishers on Friday, March 23.
Mr. Hughes will be presented with the Belding Award, given to those who go above and beyond the call of duty to promote the…
Stroke Screening
Stroke Screening
The American Legion Post in Edgarton is hosting stroke and osteoporosis screenings on Tuesday, March 27. Various screening packages are available, starting at $149. For more information or to schedule an appointment call 877-237-1287 or visit lifelinescreening.com. Pre-registration is required.
Soaring Sayres
Soaring Sayres
Regional high school freshman Rasmus Sayre, his father, Nevin, and sister, Solvig, each collected top awards in their divisions at windsurfing championships in Coco Beach, Fla. recently. Rasmus Sayre, 14, won the Techno 293 North American Championship in the Under 17 age group. Solvig Sayre, 20, who hopes to compete in…
The Island Housing Trust Adds to Board of Directors
The Island Housing Trust is pleased to announce the appointment of seven new board members at their annual board meeting. The Housing Trust’s board of directors includes representatives from each of the six Island towns, the Dukes County Regional Housing authority, homeowners and the community-at-large. Through this housing partnership, the Housing Trust is working to…
Correction
Correction
A story about the Chilmark planning board’s residential zoning regulations last week misquoted architect Phil Regan. Mr. Regan said he would like to see guidelines from the “outset” of the regulating process. The Gazette regrets the error.
Oak Bluffs Hires Accountant, Tackles Road Repaving Project
Oak Bluffs, still trying to right its course after recent financial problems, will have help in the form of a town accountant.
Arthur Gallagher has been named to the post for a three-year term. At Tuesday’s selectmen meeting, town administrator Robert Whritenour said that Mr. Gallagher has more than 25 years experience as…
State Ethics Commission Stays Out of Wastewater
The state ethics commission will not be getting involved in Edgartown’s recent wastewater troubles.
In a February report recounting deficiencies in management practices at the town’s wastewater plant, a special town attorney said that some employees, including one wastewater commissioner, had received services for free. That matter was turned over to the state ethics commission…
Beer and Wine Regulations Addressed
With the annual town meeting and election rapidly approaching, West Tisbury selectmen continued to hammer out details for potential beer and wine regulations this week, and learned of a few sticking points that may impact restaurants and one-day license applicants.
Sheriff’s Meadow Purchases Chappaquiddick Property
The Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation has purchased a new property on Chappaquiddick, the conservation foundation recently announced. The 2.3-acre parcel of land sits on Manaca Hill, near Chappy Point. Viewed from the Edgartown side of the Chappaquiddick ferry, it is located on the right side of the small island, across the street from the Chappy Beach…
Aquinnah Selectmen Take Action In January Dog Bite Incident
Aquinnah selectmen took disciplinary action this week against a dog owner whose Labrador retriever bit a houseguest in the face.
Selectmen learned that a yellow Lab rescue dog, Mac, belonging to Ariana Feldman, bit Benjamin Higgins in the face on Jan. 6 in a social situation, resulting in 32 stitches. Mr. Higgins was…
Moon and Planets
Sunrise Sunset
Fri., March 23 6:40 6:56
Sat., March 24 6:38 6:57
Sun., March 25 6:37 6:58
Mon., March 26 6:35 7:00
Tues., March 27 6:33 7:01
Wed., March 28 6:32 7:02
Thurs., March 29 6:30 7:03
Fri., March…
Temperatures
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
March 16 49 37 .00
March 17 44 40 .04
March 18 52 33 Trace
March 19 57 42 .00
March 20 70 41 .00
March 21 68 49 Trace
…
Preschool Pasta Preview
Preschool Pasta Preview
Giordano’s may still be closed for the off-season but for those who can’t wait until the official opening, Gio’s will be serving a spaghetti dinner to benefit Grace Preschool.
The dinner is on March 31 at Grace Church located on Woodlawn avenue in Vineyard Haven. Dinner can be…
To Pamper and Educate
The Workout and Vineyard Tennis Center is hosting its annual Alexandra M. Gagnon’s seventh grade girls’ day event on Saturday, March 24, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The event is a gift to seventh grade girls in that it opens the club up to both pamper and educate. Girls can experience a…
Cheese and Wine
Cheese and Wine
The posters are all around town, but for those who saw international terrorist instead of international terroir and walked on by, here’s the deal. Terroir is a French word meaning the characteristic taste and aroma imparted on a cheese or wine by the environment in which it was produced.
Edgartown
KATHIE CASE
508-627-5349
(kathleencase@comcast.net)
Daffodils are blooming, the red-wing blackbirds are back, people are wearing shorts and flip-flops, and there are record-breaking temperatures all over. I think it is spring, but it feels like summer. Well, whatever it is we won’t complain.
Hello Hannah
Hello Hannah
Veronika and Gary Buckley of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a daughter, Hannah Mae Buckley, born on March 12, 2012, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Hannah weighed 9 pounds, 1 ounce at birth.
Welcome Thalisson
Welcome Thalisson
Leidinaura Rosa and Elieser Baessa of Oak Bluffs announced the birth of a son, Thalisson Ferreira Rosa Baessa, born March 13, 2012 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Thalisson weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces at birth.
Avian Arrives
Avian Arrives
Alvia Wilson and Vivian Curtis of Edgartown announce the birth of a daughter, Avian Ruth Curtis, born on March 9, 2012, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Avian weighed 5 pounds, 4 ounces at birth.
Aquinnah
JUNE D. MANNING
508-645-2574
(lthslnks2004@yahoo.com)
Spring has arrived in Aquinnah — the osprey are at their Lobsterville nest, the pinkletinks are in full chorus across town, the daffodils are in bloom, squirrels are in abundance, as are the rabbits. The fog has lifted and the sun is shining with…
Chilmark
JANE N. SLATER
508-645-3378
(slaterjn@comcast.net)
Chilmark is a busy place. Farmers, fishermen and gardeners are doing lots of outdoor chores in this unseasonable warm and sunny weather. I suspect by the noisy bird noises I hear every morning that they are feeling the pressure of the warm weather and…
West Tisbury
JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
(alleys@vineyard.net)
Well, the first full day of spring was Wednesday. Old man winter left us a “calling card” Sunday morning with a white frost. The snowfall total for the fall and winter was less than 10 inches and the snow did not linger for any…
Full-Throated
We all have a cross to bear, though some of us hide ours better than others.
Pinkletinks wear theirs on their backs. The spring peepers, one of the Island’s favorite harbingers of spring, can be identified by the dark cross on their backs. Their scientific name, Hyla crucifer, translates into “one that bears…
Seedlings Sprouting
I can’t say I’m proud or ashamed to admit this, but I do not understand the computer. Now, I can Google in a pinch and wait impatiently behind someone showing me some supposed quick function while they make excuses for its slowness or an unsolicited advertisement popping up instead. In any event, last week’s column…
Warm Winter
By now, anyone who has listened to a weather report in the last couple of weeks knows that since December this has been one of the warmest winters on record. Tuesday was technically the first day of spring, but it seems that here on the Island, spring began to arrive about two to three weeks…
Bee School
Bee School
Bee School is back for the second year. The Island Grown Initiative’s intensive eight-hour course on beekeeping with Everett Zurlinden takes place Saturday, March 24 from 4 to 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 25 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Island Cohousing in West Tisbury.
Architect Ascent
Architect Ascent
Hutker Achitects recently announced the promotion of two of its employees: Thomas McNeill has been named senior designer; Nate Morgan has been named designer II.
Mr. McNeil is a volunteer with Hutker Architects’ Habitat for Humanity team that is designing a new regional prototype home. Mr. Morgan recently assisted…
Seastreak Announces Ferry Service to NYC and Jersey
Seastreak has announced it will once again offer catamaran ferry service between New Jersey, New York city and New Bedford to the Island. Ferry service from New Jersey and New York city to Oak Bluffs will be offered from May 24 to Sept. 3, as well as on Columbus Day weekend, Oct. 5 to 8.…
Free Course on Coping with Mental Illness
The National Alliance on Mental Illness will offer a series of 12 weekly classes, starting April 11, for families of people diagnosed with serious mental illnesses.
Classes will examine the symptoms of schizophrenia, bipolar disease, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety disorders, as well as offer coping skills, basic information about medications, listening…
Dean’s Award
Dean’s Award
Zachary Bressler Rabin of Edgartown has been named a recipient of the dean’s award for academic excellence during the 2011 fall term at Colgate University. Zachary is the son of Steven D. Rabin and Karen Bressler. He is a member of the class of 2013, concentrating in computer science.
Al Dente Bridges Test Math Skills And Mettle of Pasta Engineers
For a couple of precious seconds, JibJab Jr. held up. And then, as Charlotte Potter and Josie Iadicicco looked on helplessly, the miniature bridge, weighing just half a pound and built of nothing but dry pasta and glue, cracked and collapsed under the weight of the twenty-five pound disc resting on its roadbed.
For…
The Work of Stan Murphy
The Work of Stan Murphy
Stan Murphy’s art on the Vineyard really needs no introduction. His images have become iconic; think Moshup emerging from the waters off of the Aquinnah Cliffs, and his portraits of Islanders, including himself.
Woodcock Dance
Woodcock Dance
Of all the harbingers of spring the mating dance of the woodcock is, shall we say, the most explosive. The woodcock dudes, doing their full-on female strut, put a summer night at the Lampost to shame.
For starters, check out some of their aliases: bog suckers, mud bats or…
Charter School Play
Charter School Play
Next weekend, March 30 and 31, the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School will present its annual theater production. This year they take on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a play with essentially four plots in one: a royal wedding, prank-playing fairies, a love quadrangle and workmen trying to put on a…
Garden Gate Benefit
Garden Gate Benefit
The Garden Gate Child Development Center is throwing its annual Night of Adventure benefit party and auction on March 24 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Wharf in Edgartown.
One of the auction items is a chance to sing with Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish at the…
From Mexican to New England Fare, Year-Round Dining Is Special of the Day
Consistency, dedicated workers, quality product and a good value are required to make a restaurant work. But for restaurant owner J.B. Blau it all comes back to putting the customer on the pedestal, and on the Vineyard, that means putting the year-round population first.
Jemima James and Friends
Jemima James and Friends
On Saturday, March 24, beginning at 8 p.m., the Pit Stop is hosting an evening with Jemima James and friends. For those still out of tune, the Pit Stop is a new music venue that took root this winter on Dukes County avenue in Oak Bluffs. The space is…
Occupy on Full Stomach
Occupy on Full Stomach
On Saturday, March 24 the empowerment and education working group of Occupy MV is hosting a free community dinner and screening of Eyes Wide Open. The documentary movie focuses on the Federal Reserve and the IRS. The screening begins at 7 p.m. at the Chilmark Community Center and will…
