Island steps up its processing capacity as hunting season nears
As an expanded hunting season approaches, an offensive aimed at managing the deer herd is bracing and hoping that the Island harvests and processes more venison. New plans for the bold initiative, which is led by Tick Free MV and the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society, were announced this week. It is aimed at confronting the…
A warm welcome in Menemsha
Radiant, smiling faces ordered at the counter and perused the aisles of a new general store and cafe in the historic fishing village of Menemsha today as the owners and operators opened their doors. The market, called Menemsha Store, opened at 7 am, and will remain open through the off-season. It’s now the only year-round…
Car fire creates smoke cloud seen from Falmouth
A plume of smoke was spotted from Falmouth above the Island in the Vineyard Haven area last Saturday. Tisbury Fire Department Chief Patrick Rolston said the smoke cloud seen from the Cape was the result of a car fire in the area of State Road. The vehicle, which was stationary in a parking area, was…
Montessori locks up for mental health incident nearby
The Vineyard Montessori School performed a “lock up” procedure today around noon due to reports of a mental health incident occurring on nearby Daggett Ave, according to school officials. The incident, which occurred around 12:15 pm, caused the local school to perform the drill as a precautionary measure. At Vineyard Montessori, a lock-up is different…
More details emerge on SSA paperwork lapse
The Steamship Authority’s (SSA) issues that led to the Island Home being sidelined this week had a wider impact on the fleet than initially reported by The Times on Monday, and a staff member was terminated as a result. “The past few weeks have been very challenging,” Alex Kryska, SSA general manager, said during the…
Vineyard football loses home opener
The Martha’s Vineyard football team fell in its home opener to the Mashpee High School Falcons 38–12 on Friday. It was the Island team’s home opener, and the stands and surrounding field were packed with local fans dressed in cowboy hats and boots for the “Wild, Wild West”–themed game that started at 6 pm. It…
Shenandoah embarks on final voyage
Chilmark School fourth- and fifth-graders ran down the Owen Park docks with luggage in hand and excitement in their eyes as families trailed not far behind, Monday morning around 9:30. The students piled into Capt. Ian Ridgeway’s dinghy for a short ride to the Shenandoah, beginning what Martha’s Vineyard Ocean Academy (MVOA), which took over…
Veteran duo wins Creative Living Award
Friends Tom Bennett and Dr. Robert Tankard, veterans and advocates for veterans’ rights, were selected as the recipients of Martha’s Vineyard Community Foundation’s (MVCF) 43rd Creative Living Award. The award, created by Islander Ruth Bedding to honor Oak Bluffs resident Ruth Bogan in 1983, recognizes people “whose leadership, artistic vision, innovation, generosity, or community service…
Opening Derby weigh-in attracts record crowds
With a huge smile, John Custer, president of the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, opened the headquarters doors Sunday to a crowd that he said was the largest he’s ever seen. Alongside him was a beloved guest and legend in the fishing community, Cooper Gilkes. Custer attributed the large turnout for the 81st…
Investigation into student with gun launched during football game
A photo of a gun, sent by one Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) student to another, launched an investigation during a football game against Mashpee High School on Friday. According to the Oak Bluffs Police Department, officials began the investigation in coordination with the school’s administration after learning that a photograph depicting a handgun…
Island Home sidelined by lapsed paperwork
The Island Home, the largest vessel in the Steamship Authority (SSA) fleet, has been sidelined in Woods Hole after the ferry line lapsed in completion of federal paperwork. That makes two vessels, including the freight vessel Monomoy, that had to be taken out of service for administrative lapses this month. “I’ll be frank: it’s unacceptable…
Katama Meadows talks trudge forward
Updated Sept. 12. In the brightly lit Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) meeting room for four Thursday nights so far this summer, deliberation on the 54-acre subdivision development proposal in Edgartown, Katama Meadows, has oscillated between the need for a few affordable homes and the potential impacts of a sprawling development. It also raised questions about…
Proposed apartments behind Dairy Queen eyed as respite from 40B developments
In what may be a first for the Vineyard, Edgartown is in talks to utilize privately owned apartments for affordable housing — a move that would bolster its subsidized housing inventory and give it reprieve from Chapter 40B developments. The desired units are a part of a development proposed to be built on 238, 240,…
Airport’s Turo frustration continues
Even after receiving a cease and desist order, Turo is still showing vehicles available for rent at Martha’s Vineyard Airport. Geoff Freeman, the airport director, told the Martha’s Vineyard Airport Commission at a meeting Thursday afternoon that roughly 40 vehicles were appearing as available for rent at the transportation hub on the car-sharing platform. That…
State Police cooperating in sexual assault case tied to Island barracks
Updated Sept. 10, 4:55 pm. Massachusetts State Police said they are cooperating with a local investigation into a reported sexual assault by suspects who allegedly stayed a night at the state agency’s Oak Bluffs barracks when the incident occurred late last month. The two individuals involved in the incident remain unnamed, and State Police said…
ISland Life
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Environment
The forensics of a shark bite
It’s now confirmed that a woman in her late 20s who was pulled from the water off Norton Point last Monday with wounds to her lower leg suffered the first unprovoked shark bite on the Island in recent memory. Greg Skomal, a marine biologist with the state Division of Marine Fisheries and a top shark…
Health
Training and serving locally
The shortage of healthcare professionals is a major concern on the Island. ACE MV offers several programs to address this pressing need, all of which underscore the organization’s central desire. Executive Director Alexandra Bullen Coutts says, “ACE’s role is to provide the entry-level approach to career pathways for anyone who has the interest and aptitude…
Housing
Edgartown property sale breaks state record at $43 million
With $43 million, a person can buy a coastal compound in Edgartown with sweeping views facing the Atlantic and also set a real estate record for the state and Island. This scenario isn’t hypothetical, though; it happened. The property is called Great Point, and is located off 15 Forever Wild Way, facing the south coast…
Education
Four Island students’ artwork selected in SSA contest
Four students from Vineyard schools will have their artwork showcased in the Steamship Authority’s (SSA) 2027 calendar. The SSA announced the winners of its 11th annual “Sail into Imagination” art contest Thursday. More than 100 art pieces were submitted, inspired by this year’s theme, “the sea and me,” in which the students were asked to…
Politics
Primary favors Democratic incumbents
Updated September 3. About two hours after polls closed, Rob Galibois secured victory in the Democratic primary for the Cape and Islands District Attorney race Tuesday. Without a Republican candidate, this election all but assured Galibois another four years in office after the midterm elections. The state primaries heavily favored incumbents, including the closely watched…
Cops and Courts
Twenty-five years later, Islanders commemorate 9/11
An American flag hung suspended in the air from a fire engine ladder as local first responders and community members gathered outside the Oak Bluffs Fire Station Friday morning to commemorate and remember the 25th anniversary of 9/11. The ceremony started with a moment of silence, followed by the tolling of the bell, which honored…
Immigration
Father detained by ICE back in Brazil
Rogério da Silva Lima, 42, the Brazilian father who was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody alongside his teenage son Nycolas de Alvarenga Lima (now 16) while fishing in Menemsha in May, left the U.S. on Saturday and returned to Brazil Sunday evening under a removal order. Da Silva Lima, who was reached…
Ferry and transportation
Tisbury eyes embarkation fee hike
Tisbury officials may soon be joining Oak Bluffs in calling for an increase to fees imposed on ferry lines. The Tisbury Select Board on Tuesday expressed interest in sending a letter to state legislators in a call to raise the embarkation fee, which is paid by ferry services that depart with passengers from the town.…
Opinion
An eye on the SSA’s funds
Recent reporting underscored my great concern for the welfare of the Island and for those who live here. Our fragile supply chain and the financial condition of the Steamship Authority…
Memories of a veteran’s story
To the Editor: I want to thank Bert Combra for sharing Bill Faria Jr.’s letter with us (“A son honors his father,” August 31). What a trip down memory lane…
If memory serves
Twenty-five years ago, on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, I was unpacking a moving truck in London. I had just finished a five-year posting as the Middle East bureau…
