Julia Rappaport

Community Supported Agriculture Runs Out of Money Before Fall Harvest Is In

Community Supported Agriculture, the popular organic Island vegetable cooperative at Whippoorwill Farm, is on the rocks again, this time because of a business plan that has failed.

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Joe the Plumber on the Island: Pressing Issues, No Press Corps

He has yet to hold a press conference in his front yard, hold forth on foreign policy regarding Israel, or hire a publicity management agent, as Ohio’s Joe Wurzelbacher has. But Joe Guerin, an Edgartown plumber with nearly 30 years experience, has seen his local fame skyrocket in the two weeks following the final presidential debate thanks to Mr. Wurzelbacher and the three little words he inspired: Joe the Plumber.

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Adult Education Gets a New Look

Adult education on Martha’s Vineyard dates back to the 1970s, but this month the old idea will be expanded and relaunched under the leadership of former high school Spanish teacher Lynn Ditchfield.

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Drizzle Dazzle: Festival Draws Soggy Patrons to Film Spectrum

Richard Paradise stood in the corner of the Katharine Cornell Theatre on Saturday afternoon, silent but smiling.

It was a rare moment. Mr. Paradise, co-director of the annual Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival, is a natural talker and schmoozer. From the time this year’s festival kicked off Thursday afternoon to the time it closed Sunday at sunset, Mr. Paradise gabbed nonstop. He introduced films, talked shop with reporters and greeted audiences and filmmakers alike.

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County Charter Question Seeks to Reduce Commission Terms

Amid the heap of state and national issues on Tuesday, Island voters will be asked one local question: whether to reduce the terms of the seven-member Dukes County commission. A yes vote on ballot question number four will reduce terms from four years to two. A no vote will leave commission members serving four-year staggered terms.

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Few Dry Eyes in Agricultural Hall Tuesday At Service for Cape Air Pilot Lost in Crash

An overflow crowd came to the Agricultural Hall on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate and remember David Willey, the Vineyard Haven man and Cape Air pilot who died last Friday evening when his plane crashed near Nip ’n’ Tuck Farm in West Tisbury. He was 61.

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Lazy Tomato Days of Summer

If I were a tomato, I would want to be a porch tomato. It is a lesson which took only 15 months, about $50 and a bowl of bruschetta on a warm summer evening to learn.

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Festival Films Offer Passport to the World

Getting a passport is no easy task. It takes two photo graphs, proof of United States citizenship, a valid form of photo identification, a $100 processing fee and then said passport will not arrive for up to four weeks.

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Pint-Sized Pioneers Begin New Program For Growing Special Needs Population

The first day of kindergarten comes but once in a lifetime and yesterday, Joanie Creato’s son was ready for it. “He just kept saying, I’m going to kindergarten! I’m going to kindergarten,” the mother of two said yesterday morning. “He was very excited. I bawled my eyes out.”

Many parents tear up — or heave a sigh of relief — when their students step into the kindergarten classroom for the first time. But for Mrs. Creato, the moment was a triumph.

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In Any Event, Friends Lay Out Laughter and Hide the Disasters

In their workaday world they help other people create memories, but along the way they have created enough memories of their own to fill a book. And the children! V. Jaime Hamlin has four boys, three of them triplets; Patrie Grace has three girls and two boys. Jaime is a caterer whose reputation as a cook is beyond the pale. Patrie is the stalwart wedding planner and events coordinator. Their businesses are separate but intertwined. Exactly like their lives.

Interviews by Julia Rappaport

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