Meals-on-Wheels

Got wheels? The Meals-on-Wheels program really needs you. Regular and substitute drivers are needed to deliver Meals-on-Wheels on Martha’s Vineyard. Drivers are needed Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Individuals, teams of two or more, or groups and businesses may adopt a route. Delivery routes include up-Island, in and around Oak Bluffs, including Woodside, Edgartown and Vineyard Haven. Mileage reimbursement is available.

In the summer of 1963, America was on the brink of being split apart by the tumult of the Viet Nam War, the Civil Rights movement and Bob Dylan going electric.

The folk music revival was in full swing and was making a big impact in the popular culture. Martha’s Vineyard got caught up in the folk music movement that summer when David Lyman, the manager of a coffeehouse in Boston, and Philip Metcalf, a college student with a car and knowledge of the Vineyard, opened a coffeehouse called the Moon-Cusser.

A Vineyard Haven man is being held without bail on charges including rape of a child under 16 with force, following a series of incidents at his home on Saturday.

Winning Swimmers

Three swimmers from the Martha’s Vineyard YMCA’s Makos Swim Team, 11 and 12-year-old category, recently competed in the Bay State Games, held July 9 and 10 at Harvard University and featuring swimmers from around the state.

Patrick Best took a bronze medal for third place in the 200-meter breaststroke, and Lia Potter was a member of the third-place-winning 200-meter medley relay team. Renee Goodale competed in the 100-meter breaststroke and finished 10th out of a large and competitive field.

Oak Bluffs finally closed the books on fiscal year 2010 on Tuesday after selectmen conducted an exit interview with town auditors from Powers and Sullivan.

It wasn’t an altogether damning report from the accounting firm given the town’s recent fiscal woes but accountant Jim Powers did single out some areas that may still need to be remedied.

By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL

An 18-year-old conch crewman was revived after being pulled overboard from his boat, submerged and brought back onboard on Wednesday morning, a few miles from Lambert’s Cove Beach.

The youth was pulled underwater from the 34-foot fishing boat Helen Irene, when his leg became entangled in the warp line. He was brought back onboard “unresponsive” and was given CPR, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The call for help on the marine radio happened at 11:35 a.m.

Drawbridge Delay

Traffic on the Lagoon Pond drawbridge will be limited to one lane, alternating traffic each way, from about 11 a.m. on Tuesday, August 2, as MassHighway workers install an auxiliary motor on the drawbridge lift. Police will be on hand to direct motorists until the installation is complete.

The auxiliary motor will be tested around 9 p.m. on the following Monday, August 11, requiring a detour for motorists. Drawbridge traffic will flow as normal after the motor is tested.

Edgartown selectmen expanded the duties of the library building committee this week to include the issue of the dilapidated Capt. Warren House and future use of the Carnegie Library.

Selectman and building committee chairman Michael Donaroma suggested at Monday’s meeting that now that the state library grant decision was done, the committee should turn its attention to the more urgent matter of determining what should become of the North Water street buildings.

The town of Tisbury is pushing to have the Island stop using the grant-writing company whose mistake cost the Vineyard $2 million in state community development block grants for next year.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, the town selectmen expressed anger and frustration at the failure by the company which made the grant applications on behalf of five of the six Island towns, and instructed Tisbury town administrator John Bugbee to work with his counterparts in other towns to find someone else to prepare future grant applications.

To solve the problem of childhood obesity here on the Vineyard and throughout the nation we must start with ourselves. Everyone should make a healthier lifestyle a priority. Parents should be educated on the right food choices they should be feeding their families and exercise should be a must. As the young people of Martha’s Vineyard we can help promote a healthier lifestyle by doing a few things like putting together a “day of play” or going to the elementary schools and encouraging kids to play sports after school instead of Xbox.