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
January 2, 2026
Nikki De Cobray Weds Peter Luskin
Peter Luskin and Nikki De Cobray of Edgartown and Limassol, Cyprus, were married at midnight on Dec. 21.
Two Pillars of the Island Community Perish After Boat Capsizes
Patricia Bergeron, former longtime president of the Portuguese-American Club, and Roy Scheffer, a patriarch of the Island’s shellfishing industry, died on Thursday, the result of a boating accident.
Year Ending
Another couple of days of beautiful snow. Now, it’s going to warm up, rain and refreeze. How I wish I had finished some outdoor tasks.
Animal Omens
Let’s go down a rabbit hole.
Land Bank Revenues as of Dec. 26
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $38,362 for the business week ending on Friday, December 26, 2025.
Recent Real Estate Transactions for Week Ending Dec. 26
Jonathan Kelley and Tara-Jen Ambrosio-Kelly purchased 19 Katana Drive in Edgartown from Stephen J. Imbriglia and Nancy Robinson Imbriglia for $1,800,000 on Dec. 23.
Chappy Town Columns: Week Ending Jan. 02
The Chappaquiddick Island Association will host a webinar on wildfire and emergency preparedness called Firewise – Residents Reducing Wildfire Risks.
New Year
From the January 7, 1949 edition of the Vineyard Gazette: More than three hundred members and friends of the Martha’s Vineyard Improvement Association attended their New Year’s Eve ball.
Oak Bluffs Town Column: Week Ending Jan. 2
Karen Holmes Ward of Oak Bluffs was recently honored as a Living Legend by the Museum of African American History of Boston at their annual gala held this year at 10 World Trade Center.
Chilmark Town Column: Week Ending Jan. 2
I have heard the week between Christmas and New Year referred to as twilight week.
Big Full Moon
The moon reaches its full moon phase at precisely 5:03 a.m. tomorrow morning. But you won’t be able to notice any significant difference either tonight or tomorrow night. It is big and full.
A Year of Archival Sound
This week we share a 10-minute wrap-up of 2025 in Martha’s Vineyard news, we are listening back to some archival sound. In each episode we try to add Vineyard voices from the past. We do this with the help of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum and their extensive audio archive. In today’s episode we meet the…
West Tisbury Town Column: Week Ending Jan. 2
The second snowfall of the season wasn’t as wonderful as the first. The familiarity of it all explains why I would happily postpone the next one until 2027. New is good, old is old.
Bird Count
The 66th annual Christmas Bird Count was held on Sunday, Dec. 28. There are so many highlights that I do not know where to start!
Vineyard Haven Town Column: Week Ending Jan. 2
I refuse to make the usual unkempt New Year’s resolutions of losing weight and exercising more. I am running out of time.
Vineyard Man Dies in Wyoming Avalanche
Nathaniel (Natty) Schneider, 31, died on Friday, Dec. 26 at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls from injuries sustained in an avalanche.
Save the View
Preservation of the iconic harbor view from 81 South Water Street, the site of Governor Mayhew’s 17th-century homestead, is once again before the Edgartown Historic District Commission (HDC).
State Gives Forest Cutting Plan Green Light
A plan to cut down 175-acres of pine trees in the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest is set to proceed after a state environmental agency determined the project does not need to go through another layer of environmental review.
A Look Back at the Year That Was: 2025
The Island was buffeted by winds from the south in 2025, fueled not by high and low pressure airflows matching wits along the jet stream, but launched from Washington by a new President set on making his mark near and far.
Tatiana Schlossberg, Seasonal Resident of Aquinnah, Dies at 35
Tatiana Schlossberg, a journalist, author and lifelong seasonal resident of Aquinnah, died on Dec. 30. The cause, as reported in national news outlets, was leukemia.
The Gazette’s Top 10 Most Read Stories in 2025
Here are 10 of the stories that most engaged Gazette readers in print and online in 2025. 1. The Vineyard community mourned the death of Frank Rodenbaugh, a two-year old who died in March while in the care of his babysitter, Aimee Cotton. Ms. Cotton was indicted for manslaughter and reckless endangerment of a child,…
Cooking Up a Tasty Time in 2025
For those of us who love good food, 2025 on Martha’s Vineyard was kind to us.
A Christmas Story from Not Too Long Ago
A deep-freeze and four inches of snow settle over the Island on Christmas morning, 1977.
Homeward Bound, Eventually
Erica Price and her dog, Lucy, were waiting outside at the Woods Hole Steamship Authority terminal on Wednesday, Dec. 24, radiating patience and the spirit of Christmas joy amid a stressful afternoon.
Vaccine Clinic
The vaccine clinic held on Sunday, Nov. 9 at the regional high school transformed the cafeteria into a place of protection and hope.
School Expenses
I served as superintendent of schools on Martha’s Vineyard from 1970 to 1975, and spent 1978 until I retired in 2008 as a college president.
In Agreement
The recent Vineyard Gazette article covering the office of inspector general report on the Steamship Authority, says it all and we agree.
Please Adopt Us
We have a Christmas adoption to report! Grace, the six-year-old tortoiseshell who is as sweet as can be, found her wonderful, forever home on Christmas eve.
Celtic Harpist to Perform in West Tisbury
Irish harpist and singer Áine Minogue returns to the Island with a concert on Saturday, Jan. 3 at the First Congregational Church of West Tisbury.
Avian Adventures Abound at Christmas Bird Count
Thirteen groups fanned across the Island Sunday for the annual Christmas Bird Count to see how many species they could identify.
Harbor Homes Opens Warming Shelters
Harbor Homes will be opening warming centers this week in anticipation of freezing temperatures.
New Restaurant Picked for Plane View Location
Vineyard Take Out, which has a location along State Road next to the West Tisbury post office, was picked by the airport commission to run the 2,500-square foot restaurant in the airport terminal.
Vineyard Wind Allowed to Continue Producing Power
In a letter to the offshore wind farm last week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said Vineyard Wind “may continue any activities from those wind turbines that are necessary for the current level of power generation.”
Pine Beetle-Ravaged Trees Pose Risk in West Chop
The trails in the West Chop Woods have been temporarily closed due to concerns that an infestation of beetles has left the trees there too brittle to stand. The Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, which owns the 90-acre woods in Vineyard Haven, announced the closure on Dec. 24 after the trees there had been decimated by the…
MVC Says Goodbye to Long-Serving Member
Katherine Newman, who has served on the Martha’s Vineyard Commission since 2003, is stepping down along with Greg Martino, the Tisbury member who has been on the regional planning agency since 2022.
Honorary Tavern Continues Jamaican Food Legacy at the VFW
In early December, Island chef Shamel Abraham opened Honorary Tavern at the VFW, serving a breakfast, lunch and dinner menu that blends Jamaican culinary influences with New England tavern fare.
