Is the Island Prepared for the Next Big Storm?

One year after Hurricane Sandy dealt a knock-out punch to the mid-Atlantic and cast a glancing blow to the Vineyard, the question as to how New England will fare in the next great storm has been the subject of much discussion up and down the coast. The Vineyard has been lucky, said Dr. Jeffrey Donnelly, an associate scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. But eventually the Island’s number will come up.
Go back, for example, to the Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635.

Massive Effort to Move Schifter House Draws to Close

After about seven months of work and one highly visible house move that attracted national attention, construction work on the Schifter property on Chappaquiddick is coming to a close. A barge is expected to come into the Edgartown harbor this week to remove equipment and Richard Schifter said his family expects to spend Thanksgiving back in their relocated home.

About a year ago the Edgartown conservation commission approved emergency measures to stem erosion at the Schifter’s Wasque property.

Bridge Programs Can Be Costly, But Positive Results Are Tangible

Midweek at the Edgartown School an elementary student was squealing in delight. He had just communicated to his teacher, Serena Santinello, that he’d like her to draw him a tiger. But he hadn’t used his voice to make the request. Instead he scanned the library of zoo animals on a speech output app, Proloquo, with a pointer finger, and had pressed on a small picture that was labeled “tiger.”

Ms. Santinello obliged, sketching a friendly tiger face next to a pretty young lady he’d requested minutes before.

Land Bank Revenues: Oct. 25

The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank reported revenues of $417,189 for the business week ending on Friday, Oct. 25, 2013.

Rural Scholars Raise Issue of Aging Vineyard Population

By the year 2020 one-quarter of the Vineyard will be over the age of 65.

By the year 2025 that number is expected to jump to 30 per cent, according to findings by the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute.

Embracing Flip Side of Teaching Math

A typical math lesson taught by Sue Miller, a fifth grade teacher at the West Tisbury School, begins with a joke.

“What do you call a crushed angle?”

But the jokes aren’t delivered in school. Instead, they precede a video lesson that students watch online for homework.

Selectmen Okay New Oyster Farm Location

Edgartown’s aquaculture community could soon expand as town boards take a look at a proposal for an oyster farm north of Eel Pond.

Although Short-Lived, Postwar Vessel Bridged Gap Between Eras

They doubted her before she arrived, scorned her while she served and forgot about her after she left.

But the ancient Hudson River ferry Hackensack — which adopted the name Islander and sailed bravely if not always reliably between Woods Hole and Vineyard Haven for three years right after World War II — turns out to have been one of the most consequential vessels ever to steam between Martha’s Vineyard and the mainland.

Town Clerks Seek Appointment Change

Like other towns in the state, Edgartown may look at changing the town clerk from an elected to an appointed position.

Edgartown town clerk Wanda Williams told the selectmen Monday that she would like the town to look into making the change.

Dog Rescue Group Eyes Vacant Pound

The owner of an animal rescue program wants to rent the vacant Oak Bluffs dog pound and use it to keep rescued dogs who are waiting for new homes.

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