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 8, 2016
Savings Bank Closed Due to Water Damage, Looks to Renovations
Extensive renovations are planned at the Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank branch next to the Edgartown Post Office.
Healthy Aging Task Force Community Meeting
Healthy Aging of Martha’s Vineyard invites Islanders to a community meeting on April 11.
Oak Bluffs to Debate Beach Rake Issue
A $28.4 million operating budget tops the warrants for Oak Bluffs special and annual town meetings Tuesday.
Tisbury Voters Could Avert General Override Question
Spending for a new town school and the sale of hard liquor in restaurants top the agenda for the annual town meeting in Tisbury.
Edgartown Takes Up Crowded Warrant
A $33.5 million operating budget and renovation of Memorial Wharf are among the items coming before Edgartown voters.
West Tisbury Faces Spending Articles Large and Small
Show them the money — that could well be the theme at the West Tisbury annual town meeting this year.
Please Adopt Us
It’s been a successful week at the shelter with lots of adoptions happening.
Going Postal
Like its namesake off Bermuda, the Edgartown Triangle has long been the site of mysterious disappearances, mail mostly.
Debate Heats Up Over Edgartown Historic District Expansion
Picking up on efforts that began more than 40 years ago, Edgartown voters will decide next week whether to more than double the size of their historic district, which includes about 250 homes in the heart of the village.
At the Head of Mill Brook, Controversy Builds a New Dam
A plan by a prominent Vineyard conservation group to restore the Mill Brook headwaters in Chilmark has run into fierce opposition from a nearby resident who says it conflicts with decades of observation.
Edgartown Library History Book
The Friends of the Edgartown Library announce the publication of a new book, The Edgartown Free Public Library 1891-2016.
Spring at Polly Hill
Get a jump on spring flowers at Polly Hill Arboretum with two upcoming events.
Recycled Excuses No Reason to Reject Plastic Bag Ban
Every year on the Vineyard we dispose of millions of plastic shopping bags. Millions. Though they take a variety of paths, almost all eventually end up in the environment.
Mercury at its Best
Mercury appears next to a thin crescent moon Friday night.
On the Tarmac During Brussels Bombing While Fears Take Off
On Tuesday, March 22, my husband and I landed at the Brussels airport. This voyage is in my DNA.
Bottom Line, It’s Time for a Regional Middle School
This town meeting season we are collectively being asked to appropriate $47 million to educate our 2,133 public school students.
Edgartown Post Office Will Temporarily Relocate to Old Library
The Edgartown post office will temporarily relocate to the former town library on North Water street in the next few weeks as town officials, the postal service and the building owner work to assess water damage that has left the post office closed since last Friday.
Reading the Tea Leaves of Tea Lane
Everyone knows this Vineyard highway, some much better than others, naturally.
An Apology
As a longtime seasonal resident of Oak Bluffs, I was deeply disappointed to learn of the damage done to the Edgartown Post Office during the inclement weather over the past week. When I saw it in person, I was embarrassed to see residents, some of them my neighbors, maneuvering around buckets in the post office.…
Sad Story at North Bluff
It is with great sadness that we share with the Island the news of the demise of the beloved and historic North Bluff beach.
Tax Levy Alert
After a period of relatively moderate growth between 2007 and 2012, the tax levy for the town of West Tisbury has risen steadily and dramatically over the past four years:
Long Overdue
Next Tuesday Island annual town meetings begin.
Paper Versus Plastic
Town meetings are coming up. There are a lot of important articles for voters to consider.
Beach Sense
Oak Bluffs beaches are the town’s most valuable recreational and economic asset.
Beach Rake Needed
The people of Oak Bluffs should rightfully be proud of the beaches which are fundamental to our identity and our economy.
Make Beaches Comfortable
As a lifelong summer resident and a current full time resident of Oak Bluffs, I am very concerned with the state of our town beaches.
Polar Bears Speak Out
On behalf of the Polar Bears of Martha’s Vineyard, I would like to urge the Oak Bluffs selectmen to support the article on the town warrant for the $40,000 for a beach rake.
Tax Dollars Well Spent
On Tuesday, April 12 the voters of Oak Bluffs have the chance to do the right thing for our public recreational beaches.
First Stop
FirstStop MV is the Island’s only centralized information resource hub for seniors and senior services.
Edgartown Planning Board Allows Beach Street Demolition
After more than a year of wrangling among neighbors, the planning board this week approved the demolition of a home at 2 Beach street which is more than 100 years old.
Skating Troupe from Canada Is Ice Cold Cool
Le Patin Libre, an ice skating dance troupe from Montreal, moves the audience around to different locations — including on the ice.
County, Trustees Settle on Norton Point Beach Management Contract
The Dukes County Commission unanimously approved a new contract with the Trustees of Reservations to manage Norton Point Beach this week, ending a recent disagreement over wages.
Judge Rules Against Edgartown Historic Commission
The Hon. Cornelius Moriarty 2nd said a 2014 decision by the town historic commission to deny the demolition of an old house was deficient.
Real Estate Transactions: March 29 to April 3
Jacqueline Miller and John D. Miller purchased 29 Putnam avenue in Oak Bluffs from Barbara D. Willmott and Thomas Willmott for $940,000 on April 1.
Land Bank Revenues: April 1
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $106,010 for the business week ending on Friday, April 1, 2016.
Aquinnah Town Column: April 8
What a week, the temperatures have gone from the 60s down to 20. Snow overnight on two occasions that melted rather quickly. A little sleet. Snow showers even on Tuesday. We still know it is spring as the forsythia is in full bloom along with the daffodils.
Vineyard Haven Town Column: April 8
I hate to admit it but Jeff Petre was correct. No, I did not put away my winter coat as he warned me not to. I took it to the dry cleaners. The rest, as they say, is recent history. I froze all weekend and into the week.
Edgartown Town Column: April 8
Well, I thought I saw Noah’s Ark going by this week after all the rain but I could not be sure because it was snowing too hard! Then it got so cold I thought about buying Christmas presents, except the tulips and daffodils are still blooming. What a week it was.
Chilmark Town Column: April 8
Chilmark is bathed in April sunshine as I write in early week, making the abundantly planted window boxes at the new Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank location look cheerfully spring like. Needless to say they will look even better when the snow melts off them.
On Chappy: April 8
Yippee!! Snow! What a way to finish up winter. Mother Nature put on quite a show for us last Sunday. We had samples of all types of snow.
Oak Bluffs Town Column: April 8
It’s only in magical places like Oak Bluffs that one might find himself neighbors with a real Indian chief. About six columns ago I reminisced about growing up during the summer on Dukes County avenue a few doors down from who I thought was Napoleon Madison. Our folks had referred to him as chief of…
West Tisbury Town Column: April 8
Well the weekend weather was more like winter than spring, rain all day Saturday and snow showers, thunder and strong wind on Sunday morning forcing the cancellation by the SSA of many boats.
Woods Hole Welcomes Research Vessel Neil Armstrong
The scene was celebratory in Woods Hole Wednesday as the oceanographic research vessel Neil Armstrong was welcomed for the first time at her home port.
Museum Is Awarded Contract to Manage Gay Head Light
The Martha’s Vineyard Museum will resume its role as steward of the lighthouse, outscoring an Aquinnah-based group in a turbulent review.
Got Your Goat?
Goats seem to be the new Vineyard obsession. And why not? Goats have a lot going for them.
Wanted: Osprey Monitors
Have you ever wondered how we know how many breeding pairs of osprey are on Martha’s Vineyard?
Rise Up and Dance
Dancers from the RISE Dance Company will perform their award-winning competition choreography on Sunday, April 10 at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center.
Shrek and Schoolhouse Rock: Theatre to Get Schooled By
Two grammar school plays are set to hit the stages this weekend — Shrek and Schoolhouse Rock.
Tartan Day Celebration
On April 9 from 1 to 3 p.m. it’s time to get Scottish at the new Edgartown Library for Tartan Day.
Sexual Assault Awareness Walk
The fourth annual Sexual Assault Awareness Walk begins at 10:45 a.m. on Sunday, April 10.
The Perils of Pruning
I am a slave to tradition and the queen of repetition at the same time.
Get Educated at Hospital Health Fair
Helicopter tours, kids’ yoga, acupuncture and proper hand washing techniques all in one place?
Art by Island Art Teachers
Featherstone Center for the Arts is holding an opening reception for its new spring show featuring Martha’s Vineyard art teachers.
Wicked Good Cabaret Performs Last Show for This Season
The final Wicked Good Cabaret event at the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse takes place this weekend, on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Parent Group Wants to Upgrade High School Playing Fields
An ambitious upgrade for playing fields at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School was pitched to the high school committee this week.
Teen Injured in Oak Bluffs Car Crash
A 17-year-old was air lifted to a Boston area hospital Monday night with serious injuries after a single car crash in Oak Bluffs, state police said. The Coast Guard was called in to assist with the medevac from the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital during poor weather conditions.
Grand Jury Indicts Two on Rape Charges
A Dukes County grand jury handed down indictments Monday for two men, Adam M. Smith of Berkeley, Calif. and Michael L. Jackson of Edgartown, on rape charges.
MV United Travel Teams Open Season
Four M.V. United travel teams took to the pitch on a soggy, rainy Saturday last week. One team played at home while the other three played away.
Post Office Closure Causes Backlash
Frustration marked the Edgartown selectmen’s meeting over the situation at the Triangle, where the main post office has been closed since Friday.
Commission Chooses New Airport Manager
The Martha’s Vineyard Airport Commission voted to hire Ann Crook, director of aviation for the Elmira Corning Regional Airport in central New York, to manage the county-owned airport.
Rep. Timothy Madden Joins Tuesdays in the Newsroom
Rep. Timothy Madden, who represents Martha’s Vineyard in the Massachusetts legislature, will be the featured guest for this week’s Tuesdays in the Newsroom event held at the Gazette office on April 5.
Community Chorus Tackles Brahms Requiem and Scores a Touchdown
The Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center was filledfor the Island Community Chorus’s performances of the Brahms Requiem.
Historic District Case Set to be Heard in Superior Court
The spring sitting of Dukes County superior court opens this week with a mix of cases, including one civil case that pits an Edgartown property owner against the town historic district commission.
Life’s Golden When Filled With Canine Carousing, Puppy Love
Rebecca Mayhew and her husband Mike Hewitt are leading a dog’s life, running Sunstruck Goldens and Grooming out of their Edgartown home. A recent litter in January included eight puppies, seven girls and one boy.
Edgartown Post Office Temporarily Closed; Customers Sent to Vineyard Haven
The Edgartown Post Office has been closed since Friday morning and operations temporarily moved to Vineyard Haven because of water damage.
Tisbury Harbor Master Will Retire
Jay Wilbur will leave his post June 30, after 24 years at the helm on the Vineyard Haven harbor. Mr. Wilbur, 64, notified the town this week.
