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 4, 2019
Appointment With a New Year
Winter seems to stretch out endlessly at its start, but already the calendar for 2019 is filling up.
Moonless Nights
We are in the best part of a stargazing winter this weekend. The temperature outside isn't too chilly at night and the nights this weekend are moonless. If skies are clear we'll have a canopy overhead of billions of stars. The Milky Way can be breathtaking if there is no light pollution. The Milky Way…
Two School Budgets Are Approved
Breaking a stalemate over post-employment benefit funding and money for a new track, the regional high school district committee approved a $22 million operating budget to start the new year.
Island Roots, Equine Boots, Tracey Olsen Has Horse Sense
It’s early morning and Tracey Olsen is sweeping up the tack room at Woodbe Farm in West Tisbury.
Vineyard Boatline Governor Points to Positives in Report
Ferries are running better than ever, but the Steamship Authority needs a management overhaul. That was the message from Vineyard SSA governor Marc Hanover to the Dukes County commission.
Land Bank Revenues Week Ending Dec. 28
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $184,310 for the business week ending on Friday, Dec. 28, 2018.
School Committee Votes 6-2 to Approve Regional High School Budget
Breaking a stalemate over post-employment benefit funding and money for a new track, the regional high school district committee approved a $22 million regional high school operating budget.
Yellow House Construction Delayed to October
The Yellow House will stay gray until the end of next summer, according to a small change in the property’s lease agreement made at the Edgartown selectmen’s meeting last week.
Real Estate Transactions: Dec. 19 to 30
Bruce W. Gray and Samantha N. Jason purchased 9 Quansoo Road in Chilmark from David M. Ford for $770,000 on Dec. 28.
Aquinnah Town Column: Jan. 4
Happy New Year! Peaceful moments at the tip of Aquinnah.
Chilmark Town Column: Jan. 4
2019 is a new year standing before us like 365 blank pages in a book just waiting to be filled with everything from the messy penmanship of daily life or the fancy calligraphy of well thought out plans.
West Tisbury Town Column: Jan. 4
Well, December has gone into the record books as the fourth warmest ever recorded.
Vineyard Haven Town Column: Jan. 4
I am starting the New Year in the Old Country. I arrived in the nick of time for a lovely party on New Year’s Eve.
Chappy Town Column: Jan. 4
I am writing to you this week from the snowy White Mountains of New Hampshire where the landscape is a far cry from our Chappy flatlands.
Christmas Bird Count Time
True to predictions, this has been an invasion year for the irruptive northern species of the boreal forests.
New Year, New Chores
Here it is the first day of a brand new year. The day was simply beautiful, up into the 50s and sunny.
Hermit Happiness
Fruitcake lovers, come over to the dark side.
Captain of Letters
The following letter was recently received by Captain George Fred Tilton, master of the ship Charles W. Morgan, from F. G. Hillman of New Bedford.
Sweeping Out the Holiday Season
I don’t mind taking down the tree. It has served its purpose. At first it was a welcome holiday guest but it took up a lot of room and I wanted my living room back.
Vineyard Bookshelf: Chappaquiddick Speaks
One of the lesser tolls of tragedy is the way it taints places.
Community Suppers Bring Light to Winter
Each winter the Island churches come together to offer free meals to help Islanders break bread together through the dark nights of winter.
Wicked Good Musical Review
Wicked Good The Wicked Good Musical opens up its 2019 season on Friday, Jan. 4 with shows on Saturday and Sunday too.
Coast Guard Suspends Search for Two Rhode Island Fishermen
Coast Guard Station Menemsha joined a 72-hour search effort for two fishermen who went missing off Block Island Tuesday morning when their vessel capsized.
American Man Detained in Russia Has Vineyard Ties
An American who was detained in Moscow last week on a spying charge is the brother of a Vineyarder.
Welcome Solstice, First Vineyard Baby of the New Year
The first Vineyard baby of 2019 entered the world in dramatic fashion early Wednesday morning, in the back of a Tri-Town ambulance.
Cake, Salutations and a Final Goodbye for Joe Sollitto
For the first time in 42 years, Joseph E. Sollitto Jr. descended the steps of the Edgartown courthouse as something other than the clerk of the superior court.
Polar Plunge Gets the Heart Pumping for a New Year
Vineyarders plunged into 2019 on Tuesday, as many indomitable souls took part in the annual tradition of washing away the previous year with a dip in 40-degree waters.
Sharks Look to Switch Leagues
The Island’s championship summer collegiate baseball team is mired in a court dispute with its parent Futures Collegiate Baseball League over plans to switch to another league.
Governor Signs Rental Tax Bill Into Law
With an end-of-the-year stroke of the pen, Gov. Charlie Baker signed legislation last Friday extending state and local occupancy taxes now paid by hotels to short-term rentals such as those offered through Airbnb.
Edgartown Inn Is Sold for $5 Million
The historic Edgartown Inn was sold to Milton-based real-estate investor and hotelier Charles C. Hajjar for $5 million.
