The stage is now set for the development of a massive swath of ocean south of the Vineyard, as the federal government pushes forward with plans to open a 1,300-square-mile plot to wind farm developers beginning 14 miles offshore.

The Oak Bluffs wastewater commission Tuesday rescinded a recent decision to eliminate plant manager Joseph Alosso’s position, instead forwarding a recommendation to the town selectmen that they take the same action.

Before there were chocolate, roses, and sentimental cards, there were animal sacrifices, whippings, and nakedness. It must have been quite a party!

Early celebrations of the holiday that would eventually be known as Valentine’s Day were a bit more raucous than our modern-day traditions. As with most Christian-based holidays, there was a pagan festival that preceded it.

At its annual meeting last week, the Edey Foundation awarded $72,160 to the following organizations:

My first memories of making valentines are from my days going to school in Chilmark.

The baby chicks arrived. They came on Sunday which is very unusual. By a fortunate twist of fate I received the phone message from the Vineyard Haven Post Office in the nick of time. They would have had to spend the night. They already were two days in shipment. The good news about baby chicks is that they can go for a couple of days without food or water when they first hatch. This is nature’s grand scheme. When a mother hen is setting on a clutch of eggs — it takes twenty-one days — she won’t leave the nest until all have hatched. The process could take two or three days. The first ones have to wait for their siblings before mom takes them off in search of food and water. When receiving an order from a big hatchery those days are spent en route. At any rate, all was well with the little ones.

Adam deBettencourt sent us this e-mail while we were attending the festival in Florida: “I have observed what appears to be a conjunctivitis infection in both a male house finch and male American goldfinch that have been visiting my feeder in Chilmark. Has this been noted elsewhere on the Island? I have done some reading and research on the subject and am wondering if there is anything else I should do besides cleaning my feeders and feeding stations? Is there a risk of this infection being passed to other species that visit my feeder?”

The Mites had an exciting two days of play last week, defeating Gateway 3-1 on Sunday in an away match and traveling to the Garden in Boston itself on Saturday to play a scrimmage between periods of the Bruins/Penguins game. Congratulations to the Mites for their “three minutes of fame!”

It may not yet qualify as a dynasty, but the boys’ basketball team has clinched their third Eastern Athletic Conference title in as many years. The Vineyarders defeated Bishop Stang 61-47 Wednesday in the last league game of the season, finishing with a 7-1 record in the conference.

Poets on Television

On Valentine’s Day why settle for just one suitor when you can fall in love with a host of Island poets, without ever leaving your home, no less?

On Feb. 14 from 1 to 4 p.m. MVTV will host a live reading hosted by the Martha’s Vineyard Poetry Society. Tune into channel 13 to catch the scene or to get close-up and personal with your favorite poets, some of whom will be singing their odes, contact williamwaterway@aol.com to be part of the studio audience.

For more information, call 508-627-4929.