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
February 9, 2024
Crescent Moon
A thin crescent moon appears low in the southwestern sky tomorrow night, You'll need a clear view of the southwestern sky to see it. It will be worth the look. The crescent is but a sliver, and right above the moon you'll see the planet Saturn. The two are a close pair and it will…
High School Heats Up Shakespeare With Twelfth Night Production
On the short list of things to love about February, the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School musical stands out each year like aurora borealis across a dark winter sky: colorful, breathtaking and always too brief.
Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe Holds Whale Burial Ceremony
Tribal leadership maintains it has aboriginal rights to any dead whales that beach along the shores of Noepe — the Wampanoag name for Martha’s Vineyard. Retaining that right has remained a priority for members, who have traditionally made use of whale meat, fat, bones and baleen.
Football, Mardi Gras Meet Cupid’s Arrow
What do Super Bowl Sunday, Fat Tuesday and Valentine’s Day have in common?
Jumping Into the National Spotlight
With a personal record high jump of 5 feet, 4 inches, Camille Brand is training for the New Balance Nationals Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Gazette Chronicle: Hello Oak Bluffs
From the Feb. 7, 1907 edition of the Vineyard Gazette: Cottage City is no more.
Equal Representation
The expansion of the Harbor View Hotel is affecting the entire east-end residential neighborhood of Edgartown.
Say No to Zoning Reform
I am writing as representative for a group of Oak Bluffs voters, property owners and neighbors who are extremely concerned about proposed zoning reform changes.
Following the Thread of Memory, a Quack at a Time
These cold and sunless days of rain and intermittent drizzle have brought to mind the day I tried to rescue a white domestic duck on the Connecticut River near the Canadian border.
Housing Support
Healthy Aging Martha’s Vineyard supports the West Tisbury older adult housing proposal located at 401 State Road.
Please Adopt Us
Cabot, the long-haired orange and white cat, has been adopted and his housemate, Baby Cakes, has an adoption pending as well.
Island Bakery Sued Over Wage Dispute
Orange Peel Bakery owner Juli Vanderhoop says she intends to resolve the employees’ complaints.
Recent Real Estate Transactions: Week Ending Feb. 2
Robert D. Morrison purchased 14 Crocker Drive, lot 59 in Edgartown from Jared N. Grant Trs., Sue Carroll Trs. and Hillman Drive 13 Realty Trust for $750,000 on Feb. 1.
Land Bank Revenues
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $96,721.02 for the business week ending on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024.
Raven Activity
Last week I wrote about great horned owls starting to nest even though it is mid-winter.
Edgartown Town Column: Feb. 9
We had wonderful, glorious sun. It is amazing how much of a mood swing that sun can bring about.
Chilmark Town Column: Feb. 9
The windmill at Bliss Pond Farm is getting a face lift.
Chappaquiddick Town Column: Feb. 9
The next Chappy Community Center potluck supper is on Wednesday, Feb. 21 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Mouths of Babes
Sometime during the more than two weeks of cloudy, dreary weather, Zappa — my five-year-old great-grandson — said, “Mame, didn’t the sky used to be blue?”
Emergency Striper Size Limits Made Permanent
Federal regulators took steps to bring the striped bass population back from the brink last month when the Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission voted to approve restrictions on the size of fish recreational fishermen are allowed to keep. The new regulation makes permanent the emergency actions to protect the striper stock taken by the ASMFC…
Nearing Extinction
We all want to be on the right side of history.
Greetings to Tolli
Abigail Schuster and Justin Painter, of Edgartown, announce the birth of a son, Tolli William Painter, born on Feb. 2 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
Hello Llewellyn
Carla Walkis and Christian Walkis, of Edgartown, announce the birth of a son, Llewellyn Birch Walkis, born on Feb. 3 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
Welcome Malcolm
Melissa McManamy and Michael McManamy, of Chilmark, announce the birth of a son, Malcolm Scott McManamy, born on Feb. 2 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
Fair Poster Contest Launches
The Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society is accepting submissions for its annual Fair Poster Contest.
SSA Audit Prompts Cybersecurity Training Changes
The Steamship Authority is tightening its cybersecurity training program and policies around free ferry rides for employees and their families after a recent audit of the ferry line.
Parents Question Edgartown School Leadership
Nearly 200 parents attended an Edgartown school committee meeting last week, criticizing the district for a lack of transparency and a pattern of ignoring parental concerns.
Land Bank Opens James Pond Preserve
James Pond Preserve, a 13-acre parcel next to Lambert’s Cove beach in West Tisbury, opened last weekend after a long delay due to a state review process.
School Committee Scraps Turf Field Plan as MSBA Project Looms
The regional high school committee Monday voted to withdraw its applications for the project with the Martha’s Vineyard Commission and give its building committee a blank slate as officials consider a overhaul for the entire campus.
Community Scholarship Applications Open
Martha’s Vineyard Bank Charitable Foundation has announced that its annual application for scholarships is now open.
MVYRADIO Awards Business Diversity Initiative Grants
MVYRADIO has awarded its tenth round of Business Diversity Initiative grants to local businesses.
Falmouth Bank Robber Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison
Petar Petyoshin, who was arrested in May for stealing more than $21,000 from the Davis Straits Rockland Trust, was also given five years of supervised release by U.S. District Court judge Angel Kelly at his sentencing Monday.
Rez Williams, Island Artist and Conservationist, Dies at 81
Rez Williams, an acclaimed Island artist known for his large-scale paintings of boats and his devotion to Island conservation, died in Boston on Sunday, Feb. 4. He was 81.
Learn Fly Tying from the Experts
The Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club fly-tying get-togethers resume this winter beginning Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m.
The Life-Saving Nature of a Tennis Community
As I am sure readers know, the Island is a special place when adversity and difficult news hits home, the people on the Island show up.
Steamship Sets New Reservation Opening Date
The general public will be able to book summer vehicle reservations to the Vineyard on Feb. 14, starting at 8 a.m. – two weeks after the reservations were previously scheduled to open.
Dead Right Whale Was Previously Entangled Off Canada
The 3-year-old female whale was seen entangled in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in August 2022, and attempts to free it off Cape Cod last year were unsuccessful, according to the New England Aquarium.
Montessori School Neighbors Decry Proposed Expansion
Neighbors of the school spoke at length during Thursday’s Martha’s Vineyard Commission meeting, saying the proposed building is too large and would add to already-vexing noise and traffic from the school.
West Tisbury to Put Non-Binding Turf Referendum on the Ballot
The West Tisbury select board voted to put a non-binding referendum question about the playing field surface at the regional high school on the ballot for the town’s spring election.
West Tisbury Stays Put on Town Quorum
West Tisbury officials this week declined to take action on lowering the town meeting quorum and instead vowed to renew efforts to get voters out to the annual legislative gathering.
