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
March 24, 2023
Springtime Crescent Moon
Tonight's crescent moon has a feature we all associate with spring. The cusps are evenly placed in distance from the horizon. It looks like the moon is a bowl and it can hold water. An artist, an illustrator, can draw a picture of the moon holding water. This only happens in the evening at spring…
Islanders Take Housing Bank Case at State House
Vineyarders mobilized by the Coalition to Create the Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank had one mission on Thursday in Boston: to encourage legislators to pass the Island housing bank bill.
Common Good
The principle that citizens have the right to know what their leaders are doing is the idea behind Sunshine Week, which each year at this time celebrates laws that promote openness in government.
A Path to the Edgartown Links
Forty years ago — that went fast! — I was well into my first year as a reporter on the Gazette.
Save Tashmoo
Lake Tashmoo is not dead, but it is on life support.
Community Thank You
The Vineyard is the most caring and supportive community.
Proposed PFAS Limit Could Bring Change to Island Water Districts
A new proposal to crack down on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water has some Island water departments preparing for extensive testing and treatment of public water systems.
After a Storm
Down in the lower woodlot, the woodcutter / whirls his chainsaw through the wreckage of of fallen logs scattered like pick-up sticks.
Hospital Seeks to Shore Up Job Vacancies
The hospital and its nursing home had 219 job openings unfilled in February, an issue hospital staff say is part of a nationwide trend that has been exacerbated by the Island’s isolation and lack of affordable housing.
Alley’s
The West Tisbury general store, which has been operated for many years under the name of Albion Alley and Company, has been taken over by new management.
Island Traffic Peaks Near Airport, Data Says
According to the data from the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, Edgartown-West Tisbury Road near the Martha’s Vineyard Airport saw the most cars in any single hour last year.
Artist Meet and Greet
The Louisa Gould Gallery is hosting a meet and greet with artist Christie Scheele, who is introducing a new body of work for the season.
Finest Versus Bravest Hockey Game
The annual First Responders: Finest Versus the Bravest event arrives on Saturday to warm up the ice arena.
West Tisbury ADU Program Could Make Fall Town Meeting
The West Tisbury select board and the town’s affordable housing committee will continue to develop a grant program incentivizing town residents to construct affordable housing on their properties.
Three Vie for Tisbury Select Board Seat
Abbe Burt and Christina Colarusso will once more compete in the Tisbury select board race, with political newcomer MacAleer Schilcher also filing papers for the seat formerly held by Larry Gomez.
Anchoring Moratorium Begins in Lake Tashmoo
The Tisbury select board voted unanimously Wednesday to impose an immediate moratorium on anchoring in Lake Tashmoo until the town has developed a policy to reduce the number of visiting boats.
Graduation Ceremony Celebrates Eighteen Island Firefighters
Eighteen graduates of the All-Island Firefighter I/II course received their certificates Tuesday night, having completed 145 hours of training since last October.
West Tisbury School Bus Hits Car
No one was seriously injured and the two vehicles were unscathed, other than minor damage to the Mini Cooper’s bumper.
Please Adopt Us
Stanley the rabbit has been adopted!
Land Bank Revenues
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $674,960 for the business week ending on Friday, March 17, 2023.
Recent Real Estate Transactions: Week Ending March 17
44 Green Hollow Rd LLC purchased 44 Green Hollow Road in Edgartown from Ronald L. Sargent Trs., Jill L. Sargent Trs. and Ronald L. Sargent Revocable Trust for $10,100,000 on March 15.
Vineyard Haven Town Column: March 24
The weather looks hopeful. I hope we are done with winter and monsoon season.
Edgartown Town Column: March 24
The sun has been out and it makes you feel so revived.
Chilmark Town Column: March 24
It’s springtime in Chilmark and with that comes a reminder from cemetery superintendent Susan Murphy.
Mystery Fingers
While I am not pointing fingers, the comments started to get a little bit out of hand.
Chappaquiddick Town Column: March 24
The next meeting of the Chappy Ferry Steering Committee is scheduled for Wednesday, April 5 at 5 p.m.
Bald Birds
One never knows where ideas for the next week’s Bird News column will come from.
Downright Balmy
Here we are in the first week of spring.
Howes House Renovation Talks Rekindled
Chilmark and West Tisbury renewed joint funding talks over for the Howes House renovation at a joint select board meeting this week.
Aquinnah Ponders Stricter Building Codes to Help the Environment
As Aquinnah’s annual town meeting in May approaches, the select board continued to hear requests for warrant articles at its meeting Tuesday.
Island Employers Pack High School Job Fair in Search of Workers
About 100 local businesses applied for tables at the 40-minute event, a number so high that about half of them didn’t make the cut due to the cafeteria’s capacity.
Eighth Grade Boys Basketball Team Wins State Championship
At a hotel in Foxborough last weekend the Martha’s Vineyard eighth grade boys basketball team decided to make a statement, bringing out the buzz cutters and giving each other mullets.
Edgartown Extends Cape Pogue Scallop Season
Following a banner year for Island bay scallops, the town of Edgartown has opted to extend commercial bay scallop season in Cape Pogue an extra two weeks until April 14.
Camp Jabberwocky Names New Executive Director
Camp Jabberwocky, the Vineyard residential camp for people with disabilities, announced Monday that it has hired a new executive director — the second in its 70-year history.
Farmers Hear Growing Concerns at Annual Meeting
State legislators and farm advocates gathered at the second annual meeting of the Martha’s Vineyard Farm Bureau Monday to voice their agricultural concerns and hear about current farm-focused initiatives at the statehouse.
When Winter Means Star-Spangled Banner Season
The winter sports season at the regional high school recently ended its run, which means Star-Spangled Banner season has also finished for Mary MacDonald.
Tango Ensemble Puts Islanders Onstage and in the Front Row
The allure of tango music drew an eager audience to the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center Friday night for a concert by QuinTango, the Virginia-based tango ensemble that has been visiting Island schools over the past week.
Oak Bluffs ZBA Reviews Southern Tier Development
Southern Tier, a 60-unit housing development proposed to be built next to the Martha’s Vineyard Ice Arena, went before the town’s zoning board of appeals this week, one of the only remaining regulatory hurdles left for the project.
Revised Educomp Plan Wins Tisbury’s Support
Xerxes Agassi, who owns the former Educomp building on State Road in downtown Vineyard Haven, won the Tisbury select board’s support this week for his latest plan to convert the landmark structure into a 14-unit apartment complex with ground-floor office space. After reviewing Mr. Agassi’s revised proposal, which designates certain units for workforce and affordable…
Bank Robbery Suspects Indicted
Three men who had been arrested in connection with the armed robbery of the Rockland Trust in November were indicted by a federal grand jury this week.
