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
April 12, 2024
Crescent Moon in Gemini
The crescent moon appears in the southwestern sky this weekend. Tonight the moon is in the zodiacal constellation Taurus. It moves through the zodiacal constellation Gemini over the weekend. These are the last you'll see of these two winter constellations. The two now hug the western sky and set not too long after the sun.…
Green-Beach, Leonard Win Oak Bluffs Select Board Race
Voters in Oak Bluffs returned Emma Green-Beach to the select board at Thursday’s annual town election and ushered in K. Mark Leonard to the second open seat.
Vineyard Haven Town Column: April 12
While many down-Island libraries and our Martha’s Vineyard Museum hosted eclipse viewing parties.
Tree Planting Time in Oak Bluffs
The Oak Bluffs tree stewards will host a community spring tree planting on April 20.
Chappy Town Column: April 12
The eclipse last Monday brought lots of folks outdoors on a beautiful sunny day.
Chilmark Town Column: April 12
A lot of Vineyarders made the run to immerse themselves in the 2024 eclipse’s path of totality.
Recent Real Estate Transactions: Week Ending April 5
26 Harding Hill LLC purchased o Cynet Way, 0 Beack Lot/Cynnet and 26 Hardin Hill from Oak Hill Property LLC for $4,400,000 on April 2.
Welcome Oliver
Maria and Jan Hulka, of Oak Bluffs, announce the birth of a son, Oliver Milan Hulka, born on April 8 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
Please Adopt Us: April 12
We have an adoption to report this week. Bad Larry and his brother Jr. came to the shelter from a feral cat colony.
Hollo Niko
Marisa Estrella and Jozinei Cardoso, of Edgartown, announce the birth of a son, Niko Jozinei Estrella, born on March 21.
Murphy Faces Challenger in Aquinnah Select Board Race
Jannette Vanderhoop is running against sitting select board chair Tom Murphy at the May 16 town election.
Animal Hospital Renews Lease at Airport
Martha’s Vineyard Airport officials voted Thursday to approve a new lease for Animal Health Care Associates, one of the few remaining pet care facilities on the Island.
Leaf Relief
It was disappointing that the ban on commercial gas-powered leaf blowers did not pass but encouraging that so many people voted in favor of it.
Gazette Chronicle: The Legend of Manuel Silvia
From the April 11, 1930 edition of the Vineyard Gazette: The name Manuel Silvia being a common one, the subject of this sketch is specifically designated to avoid confusion.
The End Is Not Near
After the solar eclipse on Monday, my social media feed was full of friends posting snark about how they had, once again, survived the rapture.
The Plot Thickens in Retirement
For nearly four years now, Mathew Tombers has been a steady presence behind the counter — and out on the porch — at Edgartown Books. With wispy white hair and erudite speech, he has also become a fixture of the Island literary scene.
A Punk Rock Explosion at Pathways
The L.A.B. is comprised of the dynamic duo Elliot Berz and Oliver Larkosh, with influences stretching from 80s punk and 90s hop hop.
Land Bank Revenues: Week ending April 5
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $294,300 for the business week ending on Friday, April 5, 2024.
Tea Lane Associates Goes Global
Island real estate brokerage firm Tea Lane Associates is aiming to expand its reach in the global luxury market by partnering with Forbes’s Global Properties, a network of international brokers.
Woods Hole Scientists Explore New Deep-Sea Phenomenon
Ocean scientists with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) discovered a group of previously unknown hydrothermal vents last month, providing researchers with new opportunities to deepen their understanding of this deep-sea phenomenon.
Species Tally
In March 83 species were reported in this column, and in the first quarter of the year 121 species were reported.
Skunk Cabbage
Some like it hot. Marilyn Monroe did, feeling the heat in her 1959 classic comedic film. She is in good company with other heat seekers.
Spring Abounds
It’s completely understandable why the ancients feared a solar eclipse. Even though we only experienced a partial here on the Vineyard, it was a bit unnerving.
Vineyard Bookshelf: Becoming Gandhi
In Becoming Gandhi, author Perry Garfinkel seeks to emulate the famous Indian leader who for most of his life adopted a stark personal simplicity.
Election Day Arrives for Three Island Towns
Voters in Oak Bluffs, Edgartown and West Tisbury will head to the polls today for their annual elections.
Edgartown Puts Off Party Bylaw
Voters pushed back on the proposed bylaw, which would have limited people to having no more than two parties a month with more than 50 people.
Oak Bluffs Votes Down Industrial Zoning Change
Voters at Oak Bluffs town meeting Tuesday passed spending articles for several large infrastructure projects but rejected a controversial zoning change that would have allowed some industrial uses in new parts of town.
West Tisbury Passes New Limits on Short-Term Rentals
West Tisbury is now the first town on the Island to enact regulations around short-term rentals, though other towns have also started to consider the best way to handle the controversial properties.
Voters Have Their Say at Three Town Meetings Tuesday
Oak Bluffs voters rejected the controversial light industrial mixed use proposal, Edgartown residents decided to postpone a proposed party bylaw indefinitely, and after a long discussion West Tisbury passed regulations on short-term rentals.
New Steamship Website Expected in June
Only a small list of outstanding items, including load testing and making sure reservations can be canceled and changed, are left to straighten out before the Steamship Authority launches its new website.
Vineyard Haven Slip Work Scheduled to End in May
The Steamship Authority’s port council Tuesday heard reports on the slip work, as well as the progress on the ferry line’s new freight boats.
Edgartown to Hold Island’s First Porchfest
A musical festival concept that has caught on in places across New England is coming to Martha’s Vineyard for the first time next month.
Seeking Poet Laureate Nominations
The Martha’s Vineyard Poet Laureate Society is looking for the Island’s next poet laureate. The position is a two-year term, and aimed at fostering connections through poetry.
Town Meeting Issues Illuminate Island’s Growing Pains
A few years ago, the Vineyard Conservation Society (VCS) tasked itself with adding to its traditional mission statement (roughly, “What does VCS do?”) a new vision statement (“Why do we do it?”).
Town Meeting Season Begins Today
Democracy at the ground level — in a grammar school gym, a town hall and a performing arts center — arrives today when a trio of town meetings opens the political season on the Vineyard.
Feds Sign Off on New England Wind
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on April 2 greenlighted New England Wind’s plans for 129 turbines in an area about 20 nautical miles south of the Island.
Vineyarders Look to the Skies, Embracing the Eclipse
They gathered at libraries, schools, on the Main streets of towns and in backyards. They huddled on beach chairs, stood at the Aquinnah Cliffs, the Big Bridge and anywhere else that offered prime viewing spots. And in Edgartown, a couple were married at town hall.
Nothing But Net as Community Honors Waylon Sauer
Hundreds of people crowded into the regional high school gym Sunday afternoon, filling the bleachers and sidelines for the memorial scholarship basketball tournament in honor of Waylon Madison Sauer.
Here Comes the Sun, and the Moon
The Vineyard will have mostly clear skies for much of today but some clouds are predicted to roll in later in the day during the historic solar eclipse.
Great Rock Heritage Trail Plaque Reported Stolen
A plaque commemorating Rebecca Amos has gone missing from its home at the Great Rock Bight Preserve in Chilmark.
MVC: Oak Bluffs Housing Proposal Lacks Details
Robert Sawyer came to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission Thursday seeking permission to knock down a historic home to make way for a new 8-unit housing complex. The MVC said it needed more information before it could decide.
Oak Bluffs School Principal to Retire This Summer
Megan Farrell told parents this week that she will retire at the end of the school year, joining three other Island principals who are planning to step down before next fall.
Chilmark Candidates Make Their Case
Chilmark select board candidates Jeffrey Maida and William Meegan weighed on the community center’s tennis program, housing and other issues at a candidates forum.
Vineyard Feels Effects of New Jersey Earthquake
A 4.8 magnitude earthquake centered in New Jersey caused minor tremors on Martha’s Vineyard Friday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earthquake Hazards program.
Select Board Hopefuls State Positions on Zoning, Jetties
Kris Chvatal, Bill Cleary, Emma Green-Beach, and K. Mark Leonard were all queried about issues on the warrant for annual town meeting on Tuesday.
