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 6, 2015
Oak Bluffs Town Column: March 6
“Proud to be from OB” is a modest claim compared with past articles. In one Vineyard Gazette article a writer opined, “People have said that there would not be any Vineyard summer resort without Oak Bluffs. Whether or not there is general agreement on this, history has thus far shown that is largely true.”
County and Airport Spar Over Commission Selection
Appointing members to the Martha’s Vineyard Airport Commission, once a routine task for the Dukes County Commission, has become steeped in controversy. With ongoing legal conflicts, three seats opened up this year on the airport commission.
School Choice Offers Flexibility for Parents, Logistical Issues for Schools
Each morning Vineyard elementary school students gather at bus stops in their towns and head off to school. But for 119 students in the school choice program, their school is not in their town.
Heath Hen Project Advances Quickly
A complex and groundbreaking project that aims to bring back the heath hen is advancing “at lightning speed,” scientists said this week.
Vineyard’s First Pediatrician Hangs Up His Stethoscope
The Island’s first pediatrician has announced his retirement. Dr. Michael Goldfein of Vineyard Pediatrics, one of the few remaining private practices on the Vineyard, will retire on June 1 after 38 years on the Vineyard.
Summer’s Around the Corner and Menemsha Is Already Busy
Chilmark is gearing up for summer at Menemsha harbor, where several ongoing improvement projects are underway. In one, the town plans to create a five-foot walkway along the Menemsha parking lot from the public restrooms to the beach. The path will extend 395 feet and will be separated from the asphalt lot by beach grass…
Land Bank Revenues: Feb. 27
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $39,570 for the business week ending on Friday, Feb. 27, 2015.
Sea Supremacy During the War of 1812
In America’s earliest years, the waters surrounding the young country were vulnerable to foreign invasion, principally by the British Navy.
Please Adopt Us
Spring is coming, unlikely as that seems. At the animal shelter, we’ve got the first kittens of the season.
Looking for Spring in the Night Sky
If you are out around midnight, look overhead at the stars and you’ll find all the spring constellations in view
A Poet’s Birthday
Chilmark poet, author and distinguished elder citizen Margaret Howe Freydberg turns one hundred and seven today, an age so remarkable that you have to just stop and say it again.
Plowing New Ground
The Tisbury department of public works has come under some deserved criticism for its less than stellar performance during this winter’s serial snowstorms, and surely an operational review is in order.
When We Still Danced to the Beat of Summer
The Cape Cod video was cued up when I walked in to Anne and Willie’s house last weekend. We have watched it so many times over the past 14 years that I can narrate the course of events.
Still the Heart and Soul of Says You!
Twenty years ago I was sitting in the Weston (MA) kitchen of Richard Sher and we were talking about how radio was great before TV killed it.
Living in a Glacier’s Footprint
Dodgers Hole is more than a nifty address. It’s a kettle pond situated in Edgartown just west of Majors Cove on Sengekontacket Pond. But what is a kettle pond, you ask?
Attention Ferry Users
This letter is to any person, especially Islanders, who use the ferry system.
Love Letter to Winter
As I head out to the porch for another armload of wood for the stove, I am reminded of the upside to this truly remarkable winter.
Snow Melt
I would think an interesting article could be written about snow removal. Pictures of the piles of snow, say, at the Edgartown Triangle.
Spring Fever
Everything that could be said about spring was said last year, not to mention some years before last year, but spring is again a favorite topic.
Before Summer Crowds, Edgartown Hears Chappy Ferry Concerns
Edgartown selectmen received complaints last week about the line of vehicles that forms at the ferry to Chappaquiddick, which they say hampers access to their homes and poses a safety hazard in peak season.
A Tree Panel Grows in West Tisbury: Traveling Exhibit Visits Polly Hill
At the Polly Hill Arboretum, horticulturalist Ian Jochems has started planting trees in the frozen ground — not living trees, but important stand-ins: tree-shaped panels that make up a traveling outdoor exhibit. Vanishing Acts: Trees Under Threat will be at the Arboretum from mid-March to June.
Tracking Teen Stress
Tracking Teen Stress Vineyarders working with teenagers have documented a rise in stress, anxiety and depression among Island youth. In response, the Island Wide Youth Collaborative was formed in 2013 to fill gaps in adolescent mental health services.
Aquinnah Town Column: March 6
Snow, more snow, and a little more snow. It has already snowed three out of four nights this week thus far. Sleet, rain, a little warmer to melt some of the ice and snow and then create a little more ice.
Vineyard Haven Town Column: March 6
Do you like good writing? Do you like to read? What do you read, Emmanuel Kant, David Berry, Primo Levi, Danielle Steele? All the town columns, the editorials, the letters to the editor?
Steamship Authority Hosts Public Meeting Tuesday
The Steamship Authority’s Woods Hole terminal reconstruction project will be up for discussion at a special meeting Tuesday on the Vineyard. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the regional high school Performing Arts Center.
On Chappy: March 6
Why would beings consisting of 65 per cent water live where water freezes? Every winter at about this time I start wondering about us.
Edgartown Town Column: March 6
Snow: There are people that still love it and then there are those who are just tired of it and want to see grass and the ground without shoveling to get to it.
Chilmark Town Column: March 6
Chilmark will miss Chet Wisneiewski who died in early February. He had lived on Flanders Lane for many years and was known to many. Chet was a successful architect and had worked in New York city.
High School Moves Forward With Library Upgrades
The regional high school library is on track to move into the 21st century after the high school committee approved $18,500 for a new library design plan during their meeting Monday evening, the first step towards overhauling the library.
Finding Green in the Winter White
It has become increasingly difficult to write about gardening. For starters, I cannot find mine. Bear with me as I’m grasping!
In Deep With Black Holes
Black hole science might really just be a shot in the dark. Scientists agree that black holes are a bit of a mystery.
Despite Strong Effort, Girls’ Basketball Playoff Run Ends
A standout season for the varsity girls’ basketball team came to a tough ending Tuesday as they fell to Abington in the section semifinals. Despite an early lead and stellar defense, the Vineyard lost 37-30 to the number one seed in the bracket.
Homeless Count Documents Islanders in Need of Shelter
Last Wednesday night, when the temperature dropped to 22 degrees on Martha’s Vineyard, more than a dozen people were homeless. A team of volunteers canvassed the Island as part of the annual point-in-time homeless count.
West Tisbury Town Column: March 6
Well, the month of March came in like a lion, no doubt about it, with a mini snowstorm. The old saying is that March will leave like a lamb, we certainly hope so.
Eva Balboni Named to Dean’s List
Eva Balboni of Edgartown was named to the fall 2014 semester dean’s list at MCPHS University.
New Superintendent’s Building Ready to Go Before Voters
The high school committee has approved a plan for a new $3.9 million schools administration building, which will be up for town meeting approval this spring.
Daffodil Time Shines in March
The Martha’s Vineyard Cancer Support Group is hosting its annual daffodil fundraiser on March 17 to help financially support those dealing with cancer on the Island.
Hoop Redo
The All Cape and Islands alumni basketball game will take place on March 15 at the Hyannis Youth and Community Center.
Peter H. Luce Playreaders Take the Stage
What happens to Twelve Angry Men when you throw women into the mix? Do they stay angry or do they become a more even-tempered group?
Shakespeare for Knaves and Rascals
This weekend, just for the fun of it, watch Brian Ditchfield descend into madness during the production of King Lear performed by the Shakespeare for the Masses theatre troupe.
From Fruits to Nuts
Even though the ground is still covered in white, it’s not too soon to think about an abundant harvest. Thimble Farm is getting everyone in the mood with its hands-on grafting and fruit growing workshop.
Film Festival Ushers In Springtime
One of the sure signs of spring on the Island is the Martha’s Vineyard Film festival, which for the past 15 years has brightened up the days and nights of mid March.
March Is for Music at All-Island Choral Festival
Next week the Island’s choral teachers present the All Island Choral Festival with performances by the high school band and orchestra in celebration of March is Music in Our Schools Month.
She’s Got Talent
Pathways at the Chilmark Tavern celebrates the artistry and creativity of women at its second annual Women Live: Making Art/Realizing Change event.
March on, Birders, Spring is on the Way
We have heard the increased volume of birds singing, especially in the mornings. These early vocalists include black-capped chickadees.
Announcing Valentina
Cleidiane and Luciano de Souza of Edgartown announce the birth of a daughter, Valentina de Souza Santana, born on March 1.
State Case Against Tribe Inches Along in Federal Court
A federal court case that could decide whether the Wampanoag tribe has the right to open a gaming facility in Aquinnah has inched forward with an interim ruling that allows a group of taxpayers to remain a party.
Coast Guard Frees Two Boats from Ice
The U.S. Coast Guard is asking mariners to avoid the Woods Hole passage and to be cautious navigating southeastern New England waters after two fishing vessels were trapped in ice this weekend around the Vineyard.
Tisbury Selectmen Move to Bring DPW Under Their Control
The Tisbury selectmen are pursuing an effort to bring the town department of public works under their control, saying they believe it will better streamline management.
Real Estate Transactions: Feb. 23 to March 1
Heidi O’Mara and James O’Mara purchased 109 Center street in Vineyard Haven from Robert B. Levine for $700,000 on Feb. 27.
Katherine Smith Named to Dean’s List
Katherine Anne Smith of Chilmark was named to the fall 2014 dean’s list at Simmons College.
Treasure in the Sea: Shellfish Group Cultivates Distinctive Golden Mussels
For the past year, the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group, along with Scott Lindell of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, have been quietly working on a project to breed golden mussels as a distinctive Vineyard product.
With Construction Next Door, Edgartown Library Loses Parking Lot
The Edgartown library is losing access to an adjoining parking lot next week, when renovations begin at a historic house next door. Starting Monday, patrons and staff will have to park their cars on North Water street or in other public parking spaces.
Right Whales Spotted, Mariners Asked to Use Caution
Federal officials warn mariners that North Atlantic right whales have been spotted in the ocean south of the Vineyard, and a voluntary vessel restriction zone has been temporarily put in place to protect the endangered mammals. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association said 10 right whales were spotted south of the two Islands on Feb.…
At the Film Center
The Martha’s Vineyard Film Center will host a special one-time screening of the film Patrick’s Day on March 5.
Girls Advance to Semifinals in State Tournament
The postseason continues for the Vineyard girls’ basketball team after a thrilling defeat of Hanover Friday. The girls play Abington Tuesday at the Massasoit Community College in Brockton.
