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
February 17, 2023
Edgartown Town Column: Feb. 17
The sun is shining, the birds are singing, you can notice that it is lighter later, and if you are an early riser it is getting lighter earlier.
Crescent Moon, Jupiter and Venus
On Tuesday and Wednesday nights a thin crescent moon is in proximity to the bright planets Venus and Jupiter. The three are low in the southwestern sky right after sunset and available for viewing for a short time. Tuesday is the earliest view and the most challenging. A thin crescent moon appears just above the…
West Tisbury Pauses Howes House Planning
West Tisbury is pumping the brakes on plans to renovate the Howes House after the select board voted Wednesday to withdraw an article to appropriate $215,000 for a project now estimated to cost $10 million in total.
Graybar Hotel Shows its Age and Financial Burdens
Built when Ulysses S. Grant was president, the Dukes County Jail – which doubles as a county lockup for up to 800 arrestees each year – is marking its 150th year with critical needs for both capital and operational funding.
New Season of Shed Probes More Conversations About Race
Going into the second season of Shed, a podcast about race produced by the Vineyard Gazette, host Eric Adams wishes more has changed.
Banner Year for Winter Sports as Post Season Play Arrives
On the hardwood and on the ice, in the pool and on the track, the regional high school winter sports teams have excelled in every arena this year.
Finding Family Around Every Turn
I stand at the top of Huckleberry Hill Lane with my husband, Lance, and our dog, Riley.
Vineyard Bookshelf: Hobo Diaries
Holly Nadler’s feel-good memoir The Hobo Diaries: Down and Out on Martha’s Vineyard” is a bright and sunny reading experience, but it starts with a straightforward horror-story scenario.
Gazette Chronicle: The Cliffs
From the Feb. 19, 1971 edition of the Vineyard Gazette:
Going to the Mat to Bring Wrestling Back
It’s been more than 40 years since anyone has laced up wrestling shoes at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. But Coach Jerry Kadien is working hard to bring the program back.
Tisbury Contemplates Different Downtown Visions
As Tisbury imagines what development over the next 10 to 15 years will look like, some half-dozen consulting firms collaborated to produce varying scenarios for the future, including specialists in transportation, economic development and natural resources.
Oak Bluffs Considers Moving Up Last Call
Oak Bluffs, which boasts the largest nightlife scene on the Island, has seen thirsty revelers rush over from other towns after their restaurants and bars close.
Welcome Wesley
Tara Ledden and William Ledden, of Vineyard Haven, announce the birth of a son, Wesley Russell Ledden, born on Feb. 13.
Hello Porter
Rebecca Sharp and Heather Sharp, of West Tisbury, announce the birth of a daughter, Porter Rae Sharp, born on Feb. 10.
Please Adopt Us
We have no adoptions to report this week, but we did have a visit from a former resident: Max, the Labrador retriever/husky mix.
Land Bank Revenues
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $235,470.48 for the business week ending on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023.
Recent Real Estate Transactions: Week Ending Feb. 10
Paula Altman purchased 42 Pennacook avenue in Oak Bluffs from Debra Martel, Debra A. Bosworth, Cheryl Martel and Cheryl A. Beaudoin for $1,490,000 on Feb. 6.
Northward Migration
We used to have to wait until late February, or even early March, to find birds that are making their way northward.
February Blooming
With the exception of the “big freeze,” this has been the most un-February of months.
Tasty Treat
Timing is everything.
Chappaquiddick Town Column: Feb. 17
Since the shortest day of the year back in December, sunrise has been a half-hour earlier and sunset is a whole hour later.
Aquinnah Ponders Adopting Stricter Green Building Standards
The town could also opt into a specialized code that would require all fossil-fuel-based heating systems to be wired for future electric use and have solar power capability.
New District Attorney Fulfills Pledge of Bigger Vineyard Presence
The new Cape and Islands district attorney is in the process of setting up a new office in downtown Edgartown, fulfilling a campaign promise to create more of a presence on Martha’s Vineyard.
Edgartown School Lockdown Lifted
The Edgartown School went into lockdown Tuesday morning after receiving an anonymous threat. Police later determined it was a hoax but will continue to monitor the situation.
Art of Stella Waitzkin Continues to Tell New Stories
Artist Stella Waitzkin, a longtime Vineyarder who died in 2003, is being celebrated again with an exhibit at the Slag Gallery in New York city called These Books Are Paintings.
A Second Chapter for Linda Jean’s Restaurant
A hungry and coffee-craving crowd stretched down Circuit avenue early Tuesday morning anxiously awaiting the reopening of Linda Jean’s Restaurant.
Martha Goes to Beacon Hill
On March 23, advocates for the MV Housing Bank Act will travel to the Massachusetts State House in Boston to encourage legislators to vote for the MV Housing Bank Act and local option transfer fee legislation.
Town Begins Dredging in Edgartown Great Pond
In an ongoing battle with nature, dredging has begun again in Edgartown Great Pond as its salinity levels have hit a critical low.
Veterans Park Needs Funding, Tisbury Officials Say
Veterans Memorial Park in Tisbury, the home of the Beach Road Weekend music festival, needs its own stewards to ensure the grass and other park facilities are maintained consistently, town officials say.
Donaroma’s to Stay at Airport Business Park Location
Donaroma’s Nursery will be allowed to keep their lot at the airport business park, reversing an airport commission decision last month to evict the company after a history of noncompliance with their lease.
Islanders Get Advice on How to Handle Coyotes
An off-Island animal control officer came to the Vineyard Saturday to talk about coyotes after the predators have been seen several times on the Vineyard this winter.
Vineyard Haven Taqueria Approved by MVC
A planned Mexican restaurant at the former Stone Bank property in Vineyard Haven has won approval from the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, and now heads to the Tisbury planning board for a 6 p.m. public hearing Wednesday.
Linda Jean’s Is on the Menu Again
Linda Jean’s restaurant on Circuit avenue in Oak Bluffs reopens with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 8 a.m.
Scholarship Honors Longtime Edgartown Moderator
Martha’s Vineyard Bank announced the creation of a $250,000 scholarship fund in memory of Philip (Jeffrey) Norton, who served as Edgartown town moderator for more than four decades.
