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
January 8, 2016
Piping Plovers More Plentiful; Fishermen, Start Your Engines
With piping plovers enjoying a major comeback in the state, new regulations may allow communities to reclaim beaches that would otherwise be closed to protect the nests and chicks in the spring.
Land Bank Revenues: Jan. 1
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $61,040 for the business week ending on Friday, Jan. 1, 2016.
Vineyard Resident Helps Give Stranded Turtles Second Chance
A seasonal resident of Chilmark stepped up to help stranded sea turtles over the Christmas holiday, arranging for 50 of the endangered reptiles to be flown to warmer waters and rehabilitated.
Community Suppers Around the Island
Each year during the offseason months the churches around the Island take turns hosting community suppers on each day of the week.
Please Adopt Us
The animal shelter would like to wish all creatures a very happy 2016. Our wish for the new year is that all homeless animals find their forever homes.
Community Services Introduces Medical Travel Expenses Program
Martha’s Vineyard Community Services is introducing a new program to help Vineyard residents with travel expenses for medical appointments off-Island.
MV Showdown: College Hockey Tournament Comes to the Island
College hockey is coming to the Vineyard Jan. 15 and 16, with the first ever college hockey tournament held on Island: the MV Showdown.
A Test for the New Superintendent
The search for a new principal at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School has unleashed a troubling wave of parochialism around the Island.
Winter Sports Teams Fueled by Mix of Youth and Experience
The high school winter sports season is heating up. Four sports dominate the coldest months: basketball, ice hockey, swimming and winter track.
Loneliness of the Long Distance Bleacher
I was one of three boys growing up. We ate a lot of meat, compared scars, had pushup contests and wrestled competitively.
Murder’s the Thing When Talking to Hitch
The youngest member of the Greater Boston film press corps, I got to spend a couple hours with Hitchcock aboard a theatre owner’s yacht.
Mediation Not Litigation Can Be Practical and Friendlier Solution
Many people assume that litigation is the only way to resolve a difficult dispute. But there is another, often better alternative — mediation.
Time and Tide
There is neither time nor incentive to hike the beaches in summer, when mild weather and low tidal courses leave the sands undisturbed for weeks.
Mental Illness Education
Mental illness not only affects the person who is ill, but their families and loved ones as well.
To Dredge or Not?
find myself less and less patient with the three-cornered discussion that has developed about the future of the Mill Pond.
Saturn and Venus Dance Together
Two bright planets, Venus and Saturn, appear as a close pair Saturday morning, an hour before sunrise.
North Bluff’s Hijacked Plan
This letter is about a looming mistake of epic proportions — the North Bluff seawall project in Oak Bluffs.
Savor the Date
As the 16th year of the 21st century begins, Vineyard memories abound.
Classical Music Recital at West Tisbury Library
On Sunday, Jan. 10, at 4 p.m. the West Tisbury library will host a free classical music recital.
In Report to County, Airport Chairman Offers Upbeat Outlook
Dukes county commissioners applauded airport commission chairman Myron Garfinkle during their meeting Wednesday evening, after Mr. Garfinkle offered a rosy progress report.
Shakespeare for the Masses Wants You
Shakespeare for the Masses is back to cure the January doldrums by demanding from you a pound of flesh.
Nat Benjamin Begins Sail MV Lecture Series
Sail Martha’s Vineyard begins its winter dinner and lecture series on Wednesday, Jan. 13, with featured speaker Nat Benjamin.
Winter Walk at Polly Hill Arboretum
If it’s winter it must be time for the winter walk series at the Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury.
AAA Suspends Contract With Pilgrim Auto
The roadside assistance company AAA has severed ties with Pilgrim Road Auto, the only AAA affiliate on Martha’s Vineyard.
Fishermen’s Trust Looks to the Future
The Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust is pressing ahead with its mission to support commercial fishermen on the Island.
For Gay Head Light, New Location Brings New Responsibilities
The Aquinnah selectmen continued charting a future course for the Gay Head Light, discussing a possible revision of the lightkeeper’s job description.
Selectmen Consider Solar Car Canopies
Tisbury selectmen considered the possibility of building a solar car canopy in town.
Tisbury Voters Face Ambulance Overhaul, Dock Upgrades
Tisbury voters convene for a special town meeting next week. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12, in the Tisbury School gymnasium.
Vineyard Contestant Gets High Marks from American Idol Judges
Twenty-year-old Sonika Vaid, a singer with Vineyard ties, impressed American Idol judges in the season premiere of the reality show, which aired Wednesday.
See a World in a Grain of Sand
There are many of us that notice and wonder at the beauty of the beach’s surface. I’m one of those, too. But some do it more than others.
One Rusty Blackbird, One Snowy Owl: Counting 22,033 Birds
The 56th annual Martha’s Vineyard Christmas Bird Count was held on Saturday, Jan. 2.
First Snow and Seed Catalogs
Monday evening we finally got some winter weather. I must say it’s been very pleasant working outdoors the past month.
West Tisbury Town Column: Jan. 8
Well several parties were held around town on New Year’s Eve. The trend in recent years seems to be toward family or neighborhood gatherings to welcome in the new year. Paul Magid and his wife Anita Botti, of Pond Road, held a New Year’s Eve dinner party for 50 of their friends and neighbors. The…
Oak Bluffs Town Column: Jan. 8
The new year is a time for reflection. 2015 was a great year for Oak Bluffs, among the best since secession in 1880. According to the census, as of January 2015 we’re a town of 4,810 people with 4,346 housing units, 2,357 of which are vacant. This punctuates the fact that 54 per cent of…
Edgartown Town Column; Jan. 8
Happy New Year. So far it has been interesting. Warm sweater weather, cold, mild again then just when you think we are doing well bam! We get snow. Oh well, this is New England after all so we all know we will get the snow sooner or later.
On Chappy: Jan. 8
After the hubbub of two holiday weekends in a row it suddenly seems like the dead of winter. Not much to report. The breach is staying firmly closed. The highway department has been taking down dead trees along the main roads. The newly-seeded grass started to grow on the shoulders down at the ferry point.…
Aquinnah Town Column: Jan. 8
Well, it was great while it lasted but the days of having temperatures in the 60s is over for this winter. We had our first snowfall of the season on Monday evening with significant wind gusts, just a slight dusting but the temperature on Tuesday morning was 18 falling to subzero. Think spring! Fenway Park…
Repairs Resume at Island Theater, Amid Talk of Demolition
One day after Oak Bluffs officials threatened legal action that could lead to demolition, repair work was underway at the theater.
Sand Flies Up-Island as Menemsha Dredging Project Begins
A major project to dredge Menemsha Channel is underway, with a barge stationed on Menemsha Pond and more than a mile of piping laid along the shore between the pond and Lobsterville Beach.
As Principal Search Nears Finish Line, School Leaders Defend Process
Vineyard school administrators are close to deciding who will be the next regional high school principal. The decision comes amid public criticism over recent hasty departures of two principals.
Amid Eroding Sales in Internet Age, Vineyard Electronics Will Close
The former Radio Shack outlet and electronics store that has been a mainstay Vineyard Haven business for 34 years, will close, owner Linda Sibley confirmed.
Real Estate Transactions: Dec. 27 to Jan. 3
Bryson Palmer and Asha Palmer purchased 55 Briarwood Lane in Vineyard Haven from Geoghan E. Coogan and Catherine J. Coogan for $675,000 on Dec. 29.
Selectmen Balk at Shifting School Choice Money
Edgartown selectmen Monday asked school officials to put the brakes on a proposal to change the way school choice funds are allocated through the superintendent’s shared services budget.
Welcome, Finnegan
Kelly Canning and Jason McAleavey of Edgartown announce the birth of a son, Finnegan (Finn) Alden McAleavey, born Dec. 31 at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
Announcing Tyler
Heather and Jaime Boyle of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a son, Tyler James Boyle, born Dec. 31 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
Sister Island, Sister Birder; Edith Andrews Was All Things Avian
Up at first light, three Vineyard birders met at Martha’s Vineyard Airport. Flip Harrington, Lanny McDowell and I were bound for Nantucket.
Blustery Bird Count Day Doesn’t Deter Bevy of Birders
It was cold and blustery on Jan. 2, but that didn’t stop a large number of Island birders from heading out into nature for the 56th annual Christmas Bird Count on the Vineyard.
Martha’s Vineyard Museum Names New Executive Director
The executive director of Audubon Pennsylvania has been named executive director of the museum. Phil Wallis, a longtime Vineyard visitor, will step into the job on Feb. 16.
Oak Bluffs Woman Recovering After Sustaining Burns in House Fire
An Oak Bluffs woman who was seriously burned early Saturday morning in an Oak Bluffs house fire has been upgraded to good condition.
At New Year’s Frisbee Golf Tourney Fun Is Par for the Course
A record number of players, 54, turned out for the eighth annual New Year’s Day Disc Golf Tournament in the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest.
Caffrey Arrives
Anne Cooke and Dan Ennis of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a son, Caffrey Charles Cooke-Ennis, born Dec. 29 at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
