MARGARET KNIGHT
508-627-8894
The longer you live in a place, the more its finer points come into focus. First, you might just know there’s an island named Chappaquiddick, but very soon you know the names of its most mentioned features, like Wasque, the ferry, and the dyke bridge. After you’ve lived in a place for longer, the shared history and common names for things start to reveal themselves, maybe by being overheard or referred to in conversation.
KATHIE CASE
508-627-5349
The competition is on. I officially counted five blooming crocuses in my garden. I have three purple, one white and one yellow. The daffodils are showing their green heads.
TOM DRESSER
508-693-1050
Thirty months ago today, on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans. Anyone who has seen photos of the area knows the destruction the storm caused. Anyone who has visited the scene knows how much work still has to be done.
JOHN S. ALLEY
508-693-2950
February has been the snowiest and coldest month of the winter. It sure has been like a ghost town all week largely because it is the school’s winter vacation and many families are on the move. People have left Dodge for a warmer climate while others have gone up north to ski. Even the usually busy Reliable Market down in Oak Bluffs has suffered a slowdown from its normally brisk pace.
JANE N. SLATER
508-645-3378
An extra day in this February might provide some sunshine . . . it has been a gray week with lots of rain. However, it was the perfect school vacation . . . if you went off Island.
The best show in town is in the early morning, in the week ahead. The moon, Jupiter, Venus and Mercury are low in the southeastern sky before sunrise. There is a change from day to day.
Island Plan Discussion
On Tuesday, March 4, at the Federated Church in Edgartown, the Neighborhood Convention will host Mark London, executive director of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, presenting The Island Plan — Choosing the Future We Want for Our Community.
The meeting begins at 10:45 a.m., followed by lunch in the parish house. Participants are asked to bring a bag lunch; beverages and dessert will be provided. For information, call Mary-Jean Miner at 508-696-8589.
JUNE D. MANNING
508-645-2574
Aquinnah Nurse Juleanne VanBelle will be at the town hall on March 7 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. for all of your health questions. Residents are invited to stop by and see Juleanne for a health assessment.
Get-well wishes to Edward Fantasia Jr., who was admitted to Children’s Hospital this week. It is anticipated that he will be home over the weekend. Not a way to spend your school vacation week.
The Aquinnah Community Preservation Committee will hold hearings on March 11 on proposals for projects to be funded by CPC funds in the coming year. Open land preservation, recreation, historicpreservation and affordable housing are the maincategories for whichproposals willbe considered. Applicants mu st submit their proposals no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, March 3. Proposals can be dropped off at the town hall directly or faxed to the town hall at 508-645-2310. Guidelines can be picked up at the town hall or maybe faxed to you.
County Charter: Good Lessons From Past
Sadly, the public has shown little interest so far in the work of the Dukes County Charter Study Commission. Part of the reason may be the commission itself, which has spent a good deal of time in the past year tangled in its own process, although perhaps not hopelessly so.
The study group still has the chance to deliver what voters wanted in the first place when they elected the commission fifteen months ago: a thoughtful, cogent report on the state of county government and any recommendations for change.
