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
October 12, 2018
Derby Heads for Home; Last Weigh-In Saturday
A record number of fishermen signed up for the 73rd Martha’s Vineyard Bass and Bluefish Derby. Fishing finishes today and the awards ceremony begins on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Farm Neck Golf Club.
Moon, Saturn and Mars
On Sunday night after sunset the crescent moon appears due south.
In the Swimmer’s Wake
On one of the last days of summer we had never seen the bay so flat, still nor had we ever seen a swimmer’s unbroken wake, two thin ripples widening into a perfect isosceles triangle.
Debate Heats Up Around Question 1
As debate heats up over a proposed law to limit patient/nurse ratios in Massachusetts, leaders at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and Island nurses have joined the fray.
Airport Legal Bills on the Rise, Mobil Station Case Leads the Way
Legal spending is on the rise at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport, much of it due to ongoing litigation with the former owner of Airport Mobil.
As Midterm Elections Approach, Island Sees Rise in Voter Registrations
It’s an even-numbered year and midterm election season has arrived in Dukes County as well as around the country.
Chilly Reception for Steamship Authority Terminal Design
The Steamship Authority held an open house in Vineyard Haven Wednesday to share plans for a sweeping redesign of the Woods Hole ferry terminal.
Islandwide Early Voting Schedule
The deadline to register to vote or change party for the Nov. 6 election is Oct. 17. All town clerk’s offices will be open that day until 8 p.m.
Right to Vote
The November 6 election is still three weeks away but town clerks around the Vineyard are already in full election mode.
Graceful Migration
The coastal areas of Martha’s Vineyard have been alive with tree swallows in recent days and weeks.
Darkness Into Light
We would like to thank everyone who participated in the first annual Darkness into Vineyard Light Suicide prevention and awareness walk on Sept. 29.
Floundering Nation
I fear this age of Trump, his irresponsible judges, inept department heads and especially the climate deniers.
Vineyard Bookshelf: Every Day Is Extra
Enter John Kerry’s recent memoir, Every Day Is Extra, a decidedly heartfelt book.
Truckin’ MV Is Tangible Education
The Vineyard Montessori School will hold its sixth annual Truckin’ MV touch-a-truck fundraiser on Saturday, Oct. 20.
Food and Wine Festival Arrives for Tasty October Treat
Chefs and vintners from across the Island and the world will showcase their creations next week during the 11th annual Martha’s Vineyard Food & Wine Festival.
Marine Mural Celebration
On Friday, Oct. 12 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. there will be a party to officially celebrate the marine mural by Margot Datz
It Takes Two (or Three)
The First Congregational Church of West Tisbury will be hosting a concert on Sunday, Oct. 21, entitled It Takes Two (or Three).
Fighting Hunger, One Step at a Time
This year’s CROP Walk on Sunday Oct. 14 will be held in memory of Rev. Alden Besse, founder and leader of the Martha’s Vineyard chapter of the national walk.
Land Bank Revenues: Oct. 5
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $427,970 for the business week ending on Friday, Oct. 5, 2018.
Mila Arrives
Noava Kay Knight and Stanislav Harag of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a daughter, Mila Knight Haragova, born on Oct. 7.
Electronics Disposal
Martha’s Vineyard Community Services will host and Electronics Disposal Day on Saturday, October 20.
Health Fair
The Tisbury Council on Aging will hold its fifth annual health fair on Thursday, Oct. 18.
Healthy Aging Executive
Holly Bellebuono has been named the executive coordinator of Healthy Aging Martha’s Vineyard.
Mansion House Manager
Justin Mercier has been named general manager of the Mansion House in Vineyard Haven.
Featherstone Receives Grants
Featherstone Center for the Arts has been selected to participate in the Barr-Klarman Massachusetts Arts Initiative.
Police Academy Grad
Kyle Taylor Altieri graduated on Sept. 14 from the State Police Municipal Academy in New Braintree.
Sea Turtle Rescue Is Result of Training and Heart
It was a sunny Wednesday afternoon when Bret Stearns, director of the natural resources department for the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), got a call on his mobile phone. On the other end of the line was the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, which had just received a call about a sea turtle…
Hello Havana
Paige Lucas and Alex Malcom of Edgartown announce the birth of a daughter, Havana Alexandra, born on Oct. 5 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
Welcome Mika
Jaime and Jason Schwab of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a daughter, Mika Taylor Schwab, born on Oct. 5.
Nature’s Palette
After a long, hot, humid and seemingly endless summer, fall temperatures and light are a welcome relief.
Advocates Seek Funding for Permanent Shelter for Neediest Islanders
A new initiative to establish group housing for homeless Islanders aims to get off the ground by next spring if funding can be secured.
Tuesdays in the Newsroom Resumes With Sea Turtle Talk
The Vineyard Gazette’s off-season discussion series Tuesdays in the Newsroom returns on Tuesday, Oct. 23, with a presentation about current threats facing the sea turtle population.
Selectmen Ink Contract With New Police Chief, Set Scallop Dates
Tisbury selectmen voted Tuesday night to approve a three-year contract for new police chief Mark Saloio. The new chief will be paid $155,000 annually.
Voters Will Decide Town Hall Question
Oak Bluffs voters will decide next month whether to approve additional funding for a new town hall project.
Vineyard Haven Town Column: Oct. 12
The turkeys must have found another restaurant to try. They did not visit for two days.
Aquinnah Town Column: Oct. 12
It was a great day for the cranberry harvest and nearing the end of the MV Bass and Bluefish Derby for this year.
Guns and Broomsticks
The story of her long life begins before that war, and there is a touch of mystery and interesting tradition in the very beginning.
Vineyard Haven Town Column: Sept. 5
Two day trippers were passing my house on bikes last week. The woman biker yelled, “Look! Turkeys!” The man biker responded, “That must be a turkey farm!” And so, I suppose it is.
Weekend Incidents Occupy Tisbury, Edgartown Police
Island police responded to a car driving into a tennis court, a malfunction at the Lagoon Pond drawbridge and a bike accident over the long Columbus Day weekend.
A Night at the Derby Weigh Station
Stories are reeled in every day at derby headquarters at the foot of Main street on the Edgartown harbor. A Gazette video captures a night at the weigh station.
Cotton-Candy-Colored Vision
Usually brown or green, Marjorie Spitz of Aquinnah found a katydid that was pretty in pink.
Edgartown Man Charged With Firearms Violation
An Edgartown man was placed under arrest Sunday when state police seized a fully-loaded handgun and ammunition following a routine traffic stop.
Blackbird Decline
In the past 50 years, a majority of bird species have declined by 50 percent or more. But rusty blackbirds are unique, and not in a good way.
On Chappy: Oct. 12
I am writing this column to you while on a family vacation in New Mexico, within a landscape that could not be more different than our own on Chappaquiddick.
Chilmark Town Column: Oct. 12
This past weekend, we were surrounded by bare feet, salty hair, buckets of bait fish, convertibles with their tops down and children with ice cream.
Edgartown Town Column: Oct. 12
The big question is: do we put the summer clothes away or do we keep them out? One day it is 80 degrees, then the next 50.
West Tisbury Town Column: Oct: 12
Scarecrows and pumpkins dot the landscape these days in all parts of town.
Art of Dredging: Edgartown Crew Tackles the Job at Tashmoo
Tisbury has hired the Edgartown dredge crew for an emergency job in the Tashmoo channel. Using finely-tuned teamwork, the crew makes the sand flow.
Drawbridge Malfunction Repaired
The Lagoon Pond drawbridge was back in working order Monday evening after it was closed for more than three hours, rerouting traffic.
Work Hard Is Mantra for New Owner of Citrine
Emma Kiley Bryant opened Citrine on Main street in Vineyard Haven in 2006. Last month longtime employee Tanya Rustigian took ownership of the boutique clothing store.
Runners Help Keep the Light on in Gay Head 10K
Rene Da Silva of Vineyard Haven and Kellie Clabby of Marietta, Ga., took top honors in the Gay Head 10K Sunday morning.
Chilmark Eyes Green Community Status
Chilmark will take steps apply to become a green community under the Massachusetts Green Communities Act.
Sheriff’s Tower Wins Commission Approval
A plan by the Dukes County sheriff to build a 140-foot emergency services tower in Oak Bluffs won unanimous approval from the Martha’s Vineyard Commission Thursday night.
Playhouse Set Designer Takes Turn at Center Stage
At the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse, set designer Lisa Pegnato usually plays a key role that never requires her to step in front of the audience. But this month her art work is on display in the playhouse lobby.
Vermont Doctors Celebrate 40 Years of Shearer Cottage Visits
For the past 40 years, Shearer Cottage — the rambling, red-sided building in the East Chop highlands — has been the annual destination for a group of doctors from Vermont.
Damaged by Trucks, Old Oak on Music Street Faces Uncertain Future
A large oak tree that graces the east side of Music street near Middle Road will soon die, the West Tisbury tree warden told selectmen this week.
