Jane Kenyon
I am the stone step, the latch, and the working hinge. I am the heart contracted by joy, the longest hair, white before the rest.-Jane Kenyon
October 9, 2020
Milky Way Overhead
One of the great features of autumn nights is high overhead when the Milky Way, our galaxy, crosses the sky. You can’t miss it on a moonless night.
Residential Construction Is Booming on Island
Martha’s Vineyard towns are seeing a boom in residential construction projects, as building demands soar both up-Island and down. The majority of the activity is in renovations.
Ticks and Tick Diseases Are on the Rise
Tick-borne illnesses on Martha’s Vineyard have reached possible record highs this year, as lone star ticks and their larvae spread in the Island’s outermost reaches.
As Seasons Shift, Island Donors Step Up for Homeless Population
A rapidly growing philanthropic effort to address homelessness on the Island this winter awarded Harbor Homes of Martha’s Vineyard grants totaling $100,000.
High Demand, Low Supply; Flu Vaccinations Are Tough Ticket
Heightened demand for flu vaccinations and slow distribution statewide are causing a temporary shortage of the vaccine for many Island suppliers.
New to October
A plague of lone star ticks. Pestilence in our ponds. Hunger. Homelessness. Drought. Even here, eight miles from America, the headlines are dire.
Land Bank Revenues: Week Ending Oct. 2
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $1,650,750 for the business week ending on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020.
Oak Bluffs Town Column
This past weekend Pamela Hayling Hoffman and Patricia Hayling Price announced the passing of their beloved father, Dr. William “Bill” Hartley Hayling.
Edgartown Town Column
The house is cold but outside it is warm. Heat on to take the chill off, heat off because it is not November. Yes it is fall.
Chilmark Town Column
Even if you don’t have kids in the school system you’ll probably recognize the name Jenny DeVivo.
Chappy Town Column
Just a reminder, when the derby ends so does the summer schedule on the Chappy Ferry.
Aquinnah Town Column
The weather has been pleasurable over the past week.
Walking in Viking Footsteps? Maybe
Just off the coast of Noman’s Land is a rock that once rested on the island.
An Abecedarian to Fall
Autumn’s back, courting dreams.
Help for the Homeless
As autumn arrives on Martha’s Vineyard and we feel the temperatures slowly drop, we begin to think about the colder months ahead.
Up in Smoke
As I watch my native California burn, yet again, I ponder the possibilities of a Vineyard burn.
Gimcrack Days
From the Oct. 8, 1937 edition of the Vineyard Gazette: In the vernacular of the old Vineyard, the word gimcrack covered even more than a multitude of sins, and some of them were sins indeed though committed, no doubt, with the most lofty of intentions.
Competition Is Fierce as 75th Derby Heads to Final Week
Even without striped bass in the derby this year, the number of fish crossing the scales each day routinely reaches triple digits.
Please Adopt Us: Oct 9
We have kittens. Two eight-week old kittens have come to stay until forever homes can be found.
Peabody Museum Exhibit Pairs Tribal Members With Wampanoag Artifacts
Three members of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) are among seven Wampanoag tribal members whose voices guide a virtual exhibit that opens today at the Harvard University Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.
Hello Everett
Morning Star Healy and John J. Healy Jr., of Edgartown, announce the birth of a son, Everett Arthur Healy, born on Oct. 5.
Welcome Alexandria
Megan and Jason Giordano, of Oak Bluffs, announce the birth of a daughter, Alexandria Grace Giordano, born on Sept. 30.
Stella Arrives
Joice and Bruno Da Silva, of Vineyard Haven, announce the birth of a daughter, Stella Louise Silva, born on Oct. 2.
Real Estate Transactions: Week Ending Oct. 2
David W. Rommel and Patricia A. Rommel purchased 38 Morse street in Edgartown from 38 Morse Street LLC for $6,875,000 on Sept. 28.
Western Strays
Dedicated and perhaps obsessive birders live for this.
Horse Sense
In my house, foraging is a favorite family pastime.
Live and Learn
The last few weeks have offered up some pretty spectacular cloud formations.
Library Offers Delivery, Wi-Fi Hotspots
Edgartown residents who can’t make it to the town library for contactless pick-up now can have library materials delivered.
WMVY Seeks Community Support for New Home
Fundraising for the new studio and offices is 40 per cent completed, according to an announcement from the Island radio station.
Jaws Returns to Edgartown
Edgartown Cinemas is reopening for the weekend with recent movies and a Sunday-afternoon screening of Jaws.
Lone Star Ticks Have Swarmed Aquinnah, Biologist Says
Lone star ticks — and thousands of their larvae — have overrun the town of Aquinnah, biologist and tick expert Richard Johnson told Aquinnah selectmen Wednesday.
SSA Proposes Steep Fare Hikes for Coming Year
The Steamship Authority is proposing significant, across-the-board rate hikes in an effort to cover expected losses in revenue and budget shortfalls during the 2021 operating season.
Chilmark Sets Dates for Bay Scallop, Oyster Seasons
Chilmark selectmen voted Tuesday to approve new regulations for the upcoming scallop and oyster seasons, while keeping a close eye on toxic blue-green algae growth in coastal ponds.
High School Confronts Rising Costs Due to Covid
New pandemic-related expenses and the use of contingency funds to cover them were the subject of lively debate at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School district committee meeting Monday.
West Tisbury Voters Back Climate Action Plan, Bike Path for Old County Road
Meeting at the Tabernacle, voters strongly backed an ambitious climate change initiative and agreed to take the first steps toward a bike path along Old County Road.
Man Accidentally Shoots Himself With Handgun at Woods Hole Ferry Terminal, Sustaining Minor Injuries
A man who was waiting to board a ferry to the Vineyard accidentally shot himself inside a bus shelter at the Woods Hole Steamship Authority terminal Tuesday evening.
Artists Weigh in for Derby Scholarship Fund
As fishermen around the Island perfect the art of hooking the big one, artists on land are casting their talents into the mix to help raise money for the derby scholarship fund.
One New Case on the Vineyard Monday; Nantucket Still High Risk
TestMV reported one new case of Covid-19 over the weekend, bringing the Island’s total coronavirus caseload to 102 patients since the pandemic began.
Town Delays Eviction for Trustees, as Talk Turns to Future for Katama Farm
In the latest shift since evicting the Trustees of Reservations from Katama Farm, the Edgartown conservation commission is considering the idea of more than one tenant.
Derby Fish Donation Program Expands Beyond Senior Centers
The Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby will partner with Island Grown Initiative to distribute fresh fish for seniors, community meals and Islanders in need.
Film Festival Turns 20 at the Drive-In
Cancelled in March, the 20th Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival returns this week, with screenings that begin Thursday and run through the weekend at the drive-in at the YMCA in Oak Bluffs.
Superior Court Set to Convene Fall Session, Absent Jury Trials
Three bench trials — including a long-running fight over a Chappaquiddick cell tower — top a busy civil docket as the Dukes County Superior Court meets for its fall sitting starting Monday.
Library Given Grand Piano
Pianist and former Island restaurateur David Crohan has donated a Mason and Hamlin grand piano to the Edgartown Library.
Oak Bluffs Town Hall Project Wins Enthusiastic Endorsement from MVC
The $13.3 million new Oak Bluffs town hall project got an enthusiastic thumbs up from the Martha’s Vineyard Commission Thursday, with members praising the design.
Scrappy to the Last, Katama Hangar Comes Down
The World War II-era hangar at Katama Airfield was reduced to scrap on Thursday afternoon — not for the first time, but definitely for the last.
Kelley House Hotel Changes Hands
The historic Kelley House in Edgartown, among the oldest hotels in the country, was sold Friday to Blue Flag Partners, a Boston-based real estate private equity firm, for $19.6 million.
Meeting House Developers Appeal MVC Denial in Superior Court
Developers of the Meetinghouse Place subdivision in Edgartown have appealed the Martha’s Vineyard Commission’s decision to deny the plan, setting up a potential court battle over the MVC’s broad powers.
