Dylan Thomas
The birds of the winged trees flying my name Above the farms and the white horses I rose in rainy autumn And walked abroad in a shower of all my days. – Dylan Thomas
May 2, 2025
Moon and Mars
The waxing crescent moon appears near the bright red planet Mars tomorrow (Saturday) night.
Little Lady Heads to Dry Dock for Restoration
Little Lady, a historic vessel that has fished out of Menemsha for decades, has left its harbor.
Community Services Names Wing for William and Rose Styron
Martha’s Vineyard Community Services will formally break ground Friday on construction of a new building that will include a wing named for author William Styron and his widow, poet Rose Styron, who still lives in the couple’s Vineyard Haven home.
Island Police Face Shortages
Island towns struggle to find enough police officers to fill shifts because of the high cost of housing. And the asparagus is up and the bees are back, ready to pollinate your garden.
Island Police Departments Face Staffing Shortages
Vineyard police chiefs said they are grappling with the Island’s dearth of affordable housing, a wave of retirements and the next generation’s waning interest in policing.
Primary Color
The visual music / of daffodil and forsythia / sends out vibrations of / early spring
Supporting the Red House
In response to the spokesperson demanding the ending of the Red House lease, please pause and wonder about this point of view. What good will those new “specialists” accomplish if their clients are not sober? My 73 years on this earth have taught me three things: 1) Must remain alcohol free. 2) Must share my…
Please Adopt Us: May 2
Our pets of the week are again Molly and Mia, two Guinea Pigs who are looking for their forever home.
A Seafaring Legacy Thanks to Captain Bob
Thirty-eight years ago on the beach in front of the Coastwise Packet Co., located next to The Black Dog Tavern, a man asked me a question that completely changed the direction of my life.
All in for Kid’s Trout Tournament
The 51st annual Kid’s Trout Tournament begins at the break of daylight Saturday, May 3 at 5:30 a.m.
Photography Exhibit Highlights Connection
Austin Bryant began researching the intersection of African American and Wampanoag communities on the Island. His work became the subject of Where They Still Remain, an exhibition currently on display at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum.
Voters Move Quickly Through Day Two of Tisbury Town Meeting
On Wednesday evening during part two of the annual town meeting, Tisbury voters unanimously approved the town’s $41.6 million budget for fiscal year 2026.
New Chilmark Select Board Member Brings Years of Government Experience
After years of working in other town government positions, Matt Poole was elected to the Chilmark select board Wednesday in an uncontested race.
Island Community Chorus Spotlights Latin American Classics
The Island Community Chorus returns to the Old Whaling Church in Edgartown this weekend, with a pair of concerts centered on the 1964 liturgical work Misa Criolla by Argentinian composer Ariel Ramírez.
Chilmark Approves School Overrides
The Proposition 2 1/2 overrides total approximately $750,000 and support rising costs throughout the school district, school officials have said.
Buzzards Bay Man Sentenced in Stabbing Case
Joseph Feliciano, who was accused of stabbing a man in the face last year, pleaded guilty in Dukes County Superior Court Tuesday to a charge of assault to murder.
Tisbury Man Sentenced in Break-In Spree
Eric. J. Johnson pleaded guilty to 16 various larceny and breaking and entering charges in Dukes County Superior Court. He was facing more than 91 charges in all in connection with the break-ins in the down-Island towns.
OSHA Fines Construction Company After Worker’s Death
Empire Builders, whose worker fell and died at an Edgartown construction site in February, is being fined nearly $20,000 for failing to give the proper safety training to its employees.
Land Bank Revenues: Week Ending April 25
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $204,000 for the business week ending on Friday, April 25, 2025.
Shine a Light
From the May 4 1951 edition of the Vineyard Gazette: The Gay Head Light, oldest beacon on the Vineyard, has burned on for 152 years.
Exciting Times
Brightly colored birds have arrived in various shades of blue, green, yellow, rufous, gray, brown, orange, black, red and white.
Cydalima Perspectalis
Check all of the boxes. A new Massachusetts pest that targets boxwoods has been found on Cape Cod.
Chappy Town Column: May 2
The Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society hosts a monthly beekeepers club to share adventures about the ancient practice of cultivating a hive of bees.
Winds Up
I feel like it’s been windy for weeks on end. The warm days at the beginning of the week, coupled with the aforementioned wind, are drying out the baby plants and seedlings at an alarming rate.
Edgartown Town Column: May 2
The temperature is rising — now if we could just coordinate the rain so that it rains at night and the sun shines during the day we would be delighted.
Chilmark Town Column: May 2
Change: both good and bad, positive and negative. Either way, I’ve never been good with it.
West Tisbury Town Column: May 2
We are sleeping with the window open an inch or two. I cannot swear it makes a difference, but my psyche thinks it does and that is enough.
Recent Real Estate Transactions: Week Ending April 25
Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission purchased Moshup Trail in Aquinnah from Helen Wanzer Mays for $2700 on April 22.
Luke Arrives
Tilly Alexander and Kyle Mercer, of Vineyard Haven, announce the birth of a son, Luke Alexander Mercer, born on April 26 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
Tisbury Passes Gas-Only Leaf Blower Ban; Continues Town Meeting to Wednesday
In the first night of a double-barreled Tisbury town meeting Tuesday, voters passed an amended leaf blower bylaw, scaled back plans for new moorings, and shot down a $450,000 warrant article for renovations to the house at Tashmoo Spring.
Vision Fellowship Honors Fifteen Islanders
The Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellowship has awarded six academic scholarships and nine fellowships to support for Vineyarders working to improve the social and environmental sustainability of the Island.
Former Sharky’s Space to Become an Indian Restaurant
A new year-round Indian and Mediterranean restaurant could soon be opening in Edgartown.
Tisbury Hires New Harbor Master
Tisbury’s new harbor master is Islander Michael Gately, who is expected to start his job next week following a unanimous select board vote on Monday afternoon.
New Undersea Electric Cables Expected to be Completed in 2026
As energy use on the Island continues to rise, Eversource has made strides in installing two 5-plus mile long electric transmission cables in the seabed between the Vineyard and Falmouth.
Former Fire Chief Sues Tisbury Over His Termination
Greg Leland sued the town last week, arguing the town did not give him a proper hearing to defend himself over charges of favoritism and creating an uncomfortable work environment connected to his relationship with the lead paramedic supervisor.
Chilmark Passes Leaf Blower Rules, But Only for Commercial Crews
Chilmark voters approved restrictions on leaf blowers and gave initial approval for overrides totaling nearly $750,000 during the annual town meeting Monday evening.
Donors Step Up for Veterans Counseling Program
Vital counseling for Island veterans will continue at Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, funded by donors who have contributed enough to keep the program going after its federal contract ends on June 30.
Recalling a Storied Time in Vineyard Haven
The recent news that the Nobel Prize-winning writer Mario Vargas Llosa had died immediately transported me back through space and time to Vineyard Haven.
Friends and Family Mourn Construction Worker’s Death
Family and friends of Jorge Marcelo Yanza Riera, who died after falling at an Edgartown construction site last week, remembered him as a hard worker who had recently moved to the U.S.
Sharks Players in Need of Housing as Season Approaches
With about a month to go before the season starts, the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks are about 20 beds short for its 40-man roster.
St. Andrew’s ‘Father Chip’ Retires
The Rev. Vincent G. (Father Chip) Seadale, pastor of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Edgartown, is retiring to Florida next week after more than a decade and a half of Island ministry.
$10 Million East Chop Bluff Grant in Danger of Being Rescinded
Town officials said the Federal Emergency Management Agency grant, awarded to the town in 2022, may be rescinded, similar to the $90 million in federal grants the Trump Administration cancelled in Massachusetts communities earlier this month.
Next Level Chef Cooks for the Home Crowd
Next Level Chef contestant Ryan Scanlon made his homecoming on Thursday at Alchemy in Edgartown, where he first discovered his passion for cooking as a teenager.
