In recent years, the faces of foreign workers on H2B visas have become a familiar part of the Vineyard’s seasonal employment mix. Indeed, their names are known and remembered by people who frequent particular restaurants or come back to certain inns.

That is no coincidence. Vineyard employers who have tapped into the program for a source of reliable seasonal workers often bring back the same individuals year after year.

First Snowfall

It was and it wasn’t. The first snow, that is.

There was some in December, of course, and a little more in January. But it came in dustings and icy, crusty, sleety blasts.

On Sunday the Island had its first real snowfall of the winter. The day dawned slate gray, as if nature had drained all color from the landscape. The air was still and flat.

In late morning a few tiny flakes began to fall.

The Island has lost another wonderful treasure.

Peter Williamson, the former chief of police in Oak Bluffs who died Jan. 23 left a legacy that goes way beyond his contributions and service to people on the Island.

Forty years ago I became a part-time police officer on the Oak Bluffs police force, working for Peter. I was the first of a line of summer police officers who either graduated from the same school, St. Michael’s College in Vermont, or were friends of ours who went on to become members of the force for varying periods of time.

FOR THE CHIEF

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

I write to thank the residents of the Vineyard for the kindness extended toward the Williamson family suffering the loss of Peter Williamson, known on the Vineyard as The Chief.

I drove down from Boston on Jan. 27, the most wretched snowy day of winter with winds blustering around 50 miles per hour, with my sister, her daughter, and my cousin to attend the wake and funeral for Peter Williamson, our cousin.

25 Years Ago

From the Vineyard Gazette editions of February, 1983:

As a teacher of history I studied many presidencies.

I have recently been the recipient of one of those fantastical e-mail chain letters being broadly circulated these days titled Who Is Barack Obama? Full of untruths, it anonymously warns us about Obama’s secret allegiance to radical Muslims’ beliefs, and while attacking Barack’s Christian faith and deep patriotism, the e-mail assures us that its assertions are all supposedly verified by the rumor site snopes.com. This is untrue: a check on that Web site refutes the e-mail.

An open letter to Sens. John Kerry and Edward M. Kennedy:

As a journalist, voter, part-time Vineyarder and full-time Democrat, I’m writing to urge you to produce the removed 120 pages of The Barrett Report before they foment a ruinous political scandal.

Hello to all our readers. We have just finished an exhausting week of midterm exams and this week we share with you some of our issues and interests. We hope you enjoy our writing, and we’ll be back in two weeks.

— Dr. W’s Sophomore Classes

Sweet Peace — Ethical Chocolate

By Solvig Sayre>

The fight to keep funding intact for the Vineyard Health Care Access Program continued without letup last week during a meeting of the county advisory board on the county operating budget for the coming year.

Members of the Dukes County Health Council, the charter study commission, concerned residents and county commissioners packed the county administration building on their lunch breaks last Thursday to watch as the advisory board voted to approve a draft $1.9 million operating budget for the coming fiscal year.