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
April 12, 2019
Gibbous Moon and the Lion
Sunday night's gibbous moon appears close to the bright star Regulus in the zodiacal constellation Leo. This is another sign that the season is changing. We associate this constellation with spring and warmer weather ahead. Leo is a large constellation. The head and forward profile of the lion is a mirrored question mark. Regulus is…
Tisbury Rejects Housing Bank at Three-Night Meeting
As a three-night annual town meeting ground to a close, voters in Tisbury rejected the housing bank initiative by a vote of 115 to 75. It was the third town to defeat the measure.
Three Annual Town Elections See Light Voter Turnout
Edgartown voters reelected longtime selectman Michael Donaroma and gave final approval for the restoration of the Katama Airfield hangar in the annual town election April 11.
West Tisbury Backs Housing Bank, Ban on Plastic Bottles
West Tisbury agreed to back the controversial housing bank proposal and establish a first-time rooms tax during a two-night annual town meeting that saw debate, procedural tangles and a final twist.
Edgartown Defeats Housing Bank, Backs Katama Hangar
In a long and often emotional evening, Edgartown voters powered through a 95-article town meeting that saw the defeat of two housing bank measures and the approval of a new hangar at Katama.
Oak Bluffs Rejects High School Spending and Housing Bank
Oak Bluffs voters were in a rebellious mood at their annual town meeting Tuesday, defeating the housing bank and rejecting a request for money to study repairs at the regional high school.
Sailing Through Winter, Staying Connected
This winter the cold settled in my bones, and so with no poetry in my head I accepted invitations to the warmer West and South from Vineyard summer pals.
Counting Heads
Although census-taking in 1910 was a simpler matter than it is now, it was harder work, mainly because of the transportation.
Town Meeting Tales for Tuesdays in the Newsroom
Midway through an especially fractious town meeting season, voters may reasonably wonder why anyone would want to preside over these raucous affairs. Everett Poole, who has served as Chilmark town moderator for more than four decades, has his reasons and will share them next Tuesday evening when he takes center stage at this month’s Tuesdays…
Stop & Shop Strike Buffets Vineyard Grocery Stores
The Stop & Shop store in Vineyard Haven is closed following the Thursday job walkoff by workers in New England and on the Vineyard. The Edgartown store is open. Striking workers are picketing.
Tisbury Goes to a Third Night, Housing Bank Undecided
With the housing bank question still undecided, Tisbury voters will go to a third night for their annual town meeting. Voters adjourned at 11 p.m.
Recent Real Estate Transactions: April 1 to 7
Vineyard Mariner Holding LLC purchased 1 Mariners Landing Unit 8 from Mariners Way LLC for $600,000 on April 4.
Vineyard Haven Town Column: April 12
I remember the quaint days before cell phones existed.
Aquinnah Town Column: April 12
Great days of sunshine in Aquinnah all week with several nights of rain. The herring are running. The mute swans that have been in Squibnocket for the past few months have moved aside for the herring and are now in Meadow Lake.
Blooms in the Concrete
There is a lone dandelion blooming right in the parking lot in a crack in the cement next to the curbstone.
Two Towns Defeat Housing Bank; One Approves
Edgartown and Oak Bluffs voters defeated the controversial housing bank question Tuesday night, while in West Tisbury the question won approval. Tisbury voters take up the question tonight.
Annual Town Meetings Under Way; Four Towns See Large Turnouts
A plastic bottle ban was swiftly approved in West Tisbury, and an emotional tribute marked the start of the annual town meeting in Tisbury Tuesday night.
West Tisbury Town Column: April 9
Patriot’s Day is Monday and all town buildings will be closed. At last spring weather has arrived last weekend. Most everyone in town was out either cleaning up or gardening.
Chilmark Town Column: April 12
The sun rises over a calm and glass-like harbor. The air is crisp and cool but the sun is already beginning to feel warm on the lobsterman’s back.
On Chappy: April 12
Although I have been a farmer for over 10 years, I continue to be amazed when a seed or bulb evolves into an entire plant. How can so much life emerge from the simple act of placing a seed in soil?
The Tiniest Show on Earth
My sister Lisa is not a flea markets fanatic, but she did come across an interesting find while rummaging around on the internet. She called to ask if I knew that flea circuses were an actual thing.
Designs Change for Woods Hole Ticket Office, But Critics Persist
The Steamship Authority general manager and his architect fielded a volley of questions Monday night about the new Woods Hole ticket office, including the building site, size and energy efficiency.
Super Tuesday: Four Annual Town Meetings Tonight
Millions of dollars in spending initiatives and the fiercely-debated housing bank proposal will be on the agenda when voters in Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury and West Tisbury take up the annual business of their towns tonight.
Hearing on Moped Bill Is Postponed
A hearing at the Massachusetts state house on a bill that would allow the town of Oak Bluffs to ban moped rentals has been postponed. The hearing was scheduled for Tuesday morning.
Patriotism, Grit, Heart: the Best in American Spirit
An essay honoring Ted Morgan, who died this week at age 97.
Commission-Tribe Talks Are Put on Hold
Bingo hall talks between the Martha’s Vineyard Commission and leaders at the Wampanoag tribe are on hold, MVC chairman Doug Sederholm said last week.
Three-Day Shutdown Planned for Airport Runway During Repaving
No planes will be able to land or take off from the Martha’s Vineyard Airport beginning Tuesday and running through Thursday due to runway repaving, airport officials confirmed on Monday.
Hundreds Flock to Benefit for Flat Point Farm
The Hay Barn Hoedown at the Agricultural Hall saw an outpouring of good will and generosity for the Fischer family following a devastating fire at their West Tisbury farm last month.
Ted Morgan, Martha’s Vineyard’s Senior Statesman, Dies at 97
Fred B. Morgan Jr., the decorated World War II veteran who parachuted into Normandy on D-Day and long-serving Edgartown selectman, died on April 7 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. He was 97.
MVC Approves Community Services Campus Expansion
A three-phase, $17 million campus redevelopment plan for Martha’s Vineyard Community Services is one step closer to launch after the project got a green light from the Martha’s Vineyard Commission Thursday night. The 11-1 vote to approve the plan with conditions capped an exhaustive review that included multiple public hearings and two hours of debate…
