Jane Kenyon
I am the stone step, the latch, and the working hinge. I am the heart contracted by joy, the longest hair, white before the rest.-Jane Kenyon
February 13, 2026
Oak Bluffs Town Column: Week Ending Feb. 13
Eleanor Holmes Norton has been serving in the U.S. House of Representatives in Congress since 1991. She has served as the delegate representing the District of Columbia.
Recent Real Estate Transactions for Week Ending Feb. 6
Philip C. Smallwood and Teresa A. Oakley purchased 0 Red Buoy Lane in Vineyard Haven from Idalyn L. Macchia-Gilstad and Charles R. Gilstad for $585,000 on Feb 5.
Land Bank Revenues as of Feb. 6
The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $68,770 for the business week ending on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026.
Forecasters
If you don’t like the weather in New England now, just wait a minute.
Turkey Trot
I do not mind the cold and I’m usually a fan of a nice snow. I’m fond of being housebound to catch up on long-neglected puttering.
Bird Song
It is heartening to hear birds singing!
Chappy Town Columns: Week Ending Feb. 13
Back when John Willoughby and Dick Hewitt were the primary ferry drivers, the harbor used to freeze over in a solid sheet.
Winter Wrappings
From the February 11, 1972 edition of the Vineyard Gazette:
Vineyard Haven Town Column: Week Ending Feb. 13
This is not a theory. This is a stone cold fact. The day after the Super Bowl should be a national day off from school, work or whatever you are supposed to be doing.
Edgartown Town Column: Week Ending Feb. 13
Here we are two weeks after the first big storm. We escaped the last one and the snow piles are still like mountains. And we are still trying to make paths wider.
Crescent Moon, Venus and Mercury
Wednesday night offers us an early evening spectacle.
Chilmark Town Column: Week Ending Feb. 13
There is a particular kind of silence that only arrives with deep winter, a hush that falls over the landscape when the snow and ice have taken over.
SSA Reaches Out
As many of you know, the Steamship Authority is implementing a new reservation system as part of its True North Initiative and in partnership with E-Dea, a leading global ferry reservation provider. We appreciate the thoughtful feedback shared through town halls, emails, and conversations, all of which continues to inform this work. In response to…
Finding Delight in the Snowy Landscape
I know I am in the minority except, of course, for skiers, but I love snow.
A Fire Chief’s Work Is a Community Effort
Dear members of the community, as I prepare to retire after 29 years in the fire services, I do so with a full heart and deep gratitude for the privilege of serving this community.
Cookie Ambassador Is a Tasty Idea
For years, since Covid isolation, he had fallen into a trap. News on the radio, politics on YouTube. He realized he wasn’t getting answers, he was getting more questions.
Articulations
I need to winter I don’t love winter But I love wintering I can store it for later I can be more of an artist in my journal with my dog and coffee I can hibernate I can have a relationship with the unknown My value is the freedom to be my own me I…
Hoping for a Lone Star Tick Freeze Out? Not So Fast
With the temperatures on Martha’s Vineyard dipping into the single digits and struggling to get above freezing, a question has been on the mind of Islanders: what does this mean for the pesky tick?
After Pushback, Steamship Revises Reservation Proposal
The Steamship Authority unveiled an updated set of policies for automobile reservations at a virtual public forum Wednesday, after drivers from both Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket challenged the previous plan.
Think it Through
Referring to the Vineyard Gazette articles of Jan. 23 and Jan. 30, I sense an overwhelming desire to accommodate new deer hunters to help reduce the deer population on the Vineyard.
When Navigating Icy Conditions Is Part of the Job
Peter Wells has skippered the Chappy Ferry since 1974 and purchased the business in 2008. During that time he has had to navigate all types of storms, but this winter has thrown some extra force at him.
Lure of Ice Fishing Captures the Wild at Heart
What’s a fisherman to do in winter? Go ice fishing of course.
Livingston Taylor Helps Celebrate Stillpoint Anniversary
Spend Valentine’s Day with Livingston Taylor as he helps celebrate both love and the first-year anniversary of Stillpoint.
Celebrating Creativity at Tuesdays in the Newsroom
Tthe Vineyard Gazette’s second Tuesdays in the Newsroom event of the year featured five local artists discussing their work, inspiration and community building.
Harbor Homes Looks to the Future Amidst Changing Landscape
Leadership changes and a new winter shelter are on deck for Harbor Homes, the Island nonprofit dedicated to helping unhoused Islanders.
Tisbury Opts Against Special Election for Select Board Vacancy
The Tisbury select board will continue to be a two-man board until May 12, when the seat formerly held by Christina Colarusso will be up for reelection.
Oak Bluffs Considers Taking Island Theatre by Eminent Domain
Since 2012, the Island Theatre in Oak Bluffs has sat vacant at the top of Circuit avenue. Now, town officials are considering plans to take the building by eminent domain.
Fast Action and Group Effort Save Dog After Icy Plunge
It was by chance that Ken Rhoads glanced out his window Thursday morning and noticed a ripple in the water near the end of his dock on Lagoon Pond. Mr. Rhoads’s quick glance — and quick action — would save a dog’s life.
Edgartown Asks for Right to Set Restrictions on Katama Meadows Lots
The Edgartown select board this week requested the Martha’s Vineyard Commission not impose income-based restrictions for part of a controversial housing development plan.
Boys Swim Team Beats Two School Records at Sectionals
After a fresh league title to cap off their undefeated regular season, the Vineyard boys swim team broke two school records at the South Sectional Championships in Boston on Sunday.
Deer Drone Survey Set to Start
Tick Free MV will launch a thermal drone survey across the Island this weekend to get a better handle on the Island’s deer population.
West Tisbury Cop Sues Over Chief Hiring Process
A West Tisbury police lieutenant who was passed over for a promotion is claiming he was retaliated against for his union activities and wasn’t offered the chief’s position because he wouldn’t accept a quid pro quo agreement.
Passion and Creativity Shine at High School Science Fair
Junior Ethan Knight went in-depth on his weightlifting hobby for this year’s high school science fair. For research, he and his friends tested the ways music impacted their performance at the gym.
For Pats Fans, There’s Always Next Year
Sunday’s Super Bowl LX, which saw the New England Patriots face off against the Seattle Seahawks, was a high-stakes affair for Vineyarders, many of whom have rooted for the New England team for their entire lives.
MVC Examines Oakwood Proposal for Phillips Hardware Building
The Pacheco family is seeking to demolish the vacant, brick-fronted building and replace it with a modular structure holding two retail establishments at street level and 10 walk-up apartments, totaling 12 bedrooms, on two upper floors.
County Commission Considers Its Future
County commissioners this week decided to embark on a mission to study if there are better alternatives to the county government, which officials believe is under utilized.
Going for Olympic Gold, Behind the Camera
Tim Persinko moved with his family to the Vineyard five years ago and on the Island works as a video producer at Circuit Arts. But this week, he traveled to Italy to help broadcast the Winter Olympics for NBC.
School Superintendent Hopefuls to Visit Island Thursday
The All-Island school committee has picked three finalists for the job of public schools superintendent on Martha’s Vineyard and expects to name their final choice next week, according to an announcement Friday afternoon from search committee chair Alex Salop.
County Picks Three Steamship Board Finalists
A subcommittee of the Dukes County Commission unanimously voted to put forth Gail Barmakian, Ted Gavin and Cameron Naron as finalists for the Vineyard board seat at the Steamship Authority.
Summer Steamship Bookings Stay Steady
Drivers made a little more than 23,000 bookings on the Steamship Authority’s Vineyard-Woods Hole route, reserving nearly all of the prime summer weekends, the ferry line reported Wednesday.
Residents Move Into Navigator Homes
This week marked a beginning and an end as the last residents of Windemere Nursing and Rehabilitation Center made the move to the new Navigator Homes facility on Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road.
