The Martha’s Vineyard Donors Collaborative has decided to discontinue the special Martha’s Vineyard license plate program for lack of interest.

The plate campaign started in the summer of 2006 and 500 applications were received in the first six months, the collaborative stated in a release.

M enemsha was all hunkered down

’Twas quiet like all Chilmark town

In winter when it’s cold — and snow

Is falling as all folk do know

And Dutcher Dock is still — except

For Scott McDowell who’s so deft

At making copper fish to sell

For he must pound and tap as well

To make his fish come out just right.

His cod and sole are quite a sight.

Few boats are tied up at the dock

And so it came as quite a shock

To Santa Claus to see bright lights

Vineyard home cook Charlie Cameron enjoys a laissez-faire approach to cooking. He grew up with parents who went to France on their honeymoon in the 1950s, and stayed for two years. They were “serious foodies,” he explained, who passed their love for cooking on to him. While at Vassar College in the 80s, Mr. Cameron dropped out for a year and a half, because he just wanted to cook for a while.

“I’d heard about this place on Martha’s Vineyard called The Black Dog, where they’d train you to cook,” he said.

Gentlemen may prefer blondes, but Americans overwhelmingly (69 per cent) prefer red.

Pink comes in a distant second with 14 per cent, and white last with only 7 per cent. Don’t call up your hairdresser to make an appointment: these color choices have little to do with locks and everything to do with holiday custom.

Welcome Kauâ

Celia and Jacson Cardoso of Vineyard Haven announce the birth of a daughter, Kauâ Cardoso, on Dec. 17 at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Kauâ weighed 7 pounds, 7.4 ounces at birth.

The family and friends of Rose B. Anthony gathered this week to reflect on her life and to say a final farewell to a wonderful woman who has touched the lives of so many people over the more than half a century she was in our midst. Sincerest condolences to her family and friends. Rose found her home in Aquinnah to be a very special place where she would find tranquility, lifelong friends and a great place to raise her children and grandchildren during the summer. She was very generous of her time over the years. We were fortunate to share so much over the years, especially her wit and wisdom.

Announcing Isabella

Kara Zajicek and Shawn Webster of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a daughter, Isabella Rose Webster, born on Dec. 17 at the Martha’s Vineyard Community Hospital. Isabella weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces at birth.

In a story last week on Cheryl Andrews-Maltais, incoming tribal chairman of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), the first name of Dan Maltais, Ms. Andrews-Maltais’s husband, was written incorrectly. The Gazette regrets the error.

The Martha's Vineyard Commission on Monday voted without dissent to designate an energy district critical of planning concern in the town of Aquinnah, the first such district of its kind on the Island.

The town and the commission will now begin the process of drafting special townwide regulations for Aquinnah to promote alternative energy in new construction and establish guidelines for the placement of wind turbines, solar panels and geothermal systems.

An Island gas company drew some darts this week for asking a number of its customers who have had credit problems to pay a deposit this winter or face being shut off from future deliveries of gas and propane.

A letter sent by Vineyard Propane & Oil in recent weeks to certain customers states that the company had performed a credit check which revealed their credit history was insufficient for billing, and that the customer would need to pay a deposit of $300 to insure future deliveries.