On fishing and freedom
The father and his son had always been knotted together through a shared love of fishing, a narrative throughline from their homeland in Brazil and throughout their journey as immigrants to America. When his son was just a little boy, the father provided him with a bamboo pole to go for tilapia in the pond…
Vineyard youth head to Gillette for World Cup
A large crowd of approximately 64,146 people gathered at Gillette Stadium for the FIFA World Cup, in Foxborough last Friday to watch the match between France and Norway. Among them was a group of 16 eager Island soccer fans from the Martha’s Vineyard Boys & Girls Club and four chaperones, who stood out in the…
M.V. Diversity Coalition honors legacy of Richie Smith
The Martha’s Vineyard Diversity Coalition (MVDC) awarded retiring Martha’s Vineyard Public Schools (MVYPS) Superintendent Dr. Richard (“Richie”) Smith with its inaugural Friend and Leader Award and premiered its oral history film project at its annual Truth & Joy Festival on Saturday evening. The festival celebrated the Island’s cultural diversity through storytelling, music, and art. About…
Gov. Healey gives her support to Island leaders for tick mitigation
This summer, ticks are the talk of the town on Martha’s Vineyard. On Wednesday, they were also the subject of a roundtable discussion at the Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury where Gov. Maura Healey gave her support to Island organizations and town efforts, urging locals to push on with tick mitigation and preparedness. The event…
Housing close to the land
Martha’s Vineyard has culturally shifted since the 17th and 18th century when agriculture was the primary economic driver of the year-round community, but the Island continues to be a hub for farms and the workers who tend them. The still-prosperous industry results in an influx of seasonal workers when the weather turns warm, which means…
New SSA terminal opens in Woods Hole
As the Island enters the heart of summer and visitors sail in from the mainland, passengers will be welcomed at the Steamship Authority’s (SSA) newly completed terminal. The new Woods Hole terminal building was opened to the public for the first time on Thursday, June 25, closing nearly two years of construction for the multi-phase…
Aggressive plan to harvest the herd
Updated June 30 While expanding the hunting season remains an important if methodical part of culling the Island’s overabundance of deer, who serve as a vector for a growing Island infestation of ticks, the wider usage of a relatively new state-run program has become a pivotal part of a Vineyard group’s efforts to be more…
Cottagers honored by Gov. Healey
Updated June 26 Gov. Maura Healey honored The Cottagers, a nonprofit in Oak Bluffs composed of African-American women homeowners on the Island, for their philanthropic efforts. At the nonprofit’s grand re-opening of its headquarters on Wednesday, June 24, commemorating its 70th anniversary, Healey awarded The Cottagers with a Governor’s Citation. This is an official recognition…
Chilmark speeds through budget-balance vote
At a special town meeting lasting about five minutes, Chilmark voters unanimously approved the town allocating $200,000 of unused funds to balance its budget. About 50 Chilmarkers gathered at the Chilmark Community Center for the meeting Monday night. Prior to the vote, Chilmark Select Board member Rebecca Haag read a statement by fellow board member…
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Environment
First Annual Farm Day
This past Friday, the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society hosted its first annual Farm Day, inviting guests of all ages to go behind the scenes and see how the Island’s local food is grown. The day-long celebration of Island agriculture was held onsite at seven Island farms — Beetlebung Farm, Island Grown Initiative Regenerative Farm, Native…
Health
Navigator Homes celebrates the completion of nursing home complex
Navigator Homes, a 26-acre nursing home complex, celebrated the completion of its facility on Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday afternoon. About 150 people, including many of the home’s elderly tenants, gathered beneath the heat without shade to take in speeches by officials involved in the facility’s construction project. The facility replaces…
Housing
What $49 million can buy you
Updated June 15 A coastal compound in Edgartown with sweeping views and a cluster of parcels for possible multigenerational living is making waves in the real estate industry this week, and if it goes for asking price, another real estate record for the state would be set by the Vineyard. The property is named Great…
Education
Vineyard Montessori opens new infant care center
Updated June 24. Amid an ongoing need for infant care on the Vineyard, a small dent has been made with a programmatic expansion at the Vineyard Montessori School. Early Monday morning, the early education center swung open the small wooden gate to its new infant care classroom and added another seven spots that provide parents…
Politics
A ‘momentous’ gathering of town and tribe
There wasn’t a cloud in the sky when the Wampanoag Tribal Council of Gay Head (Aquinnah) and the Aquinnah Select Board met around a table in the main tribal offices on Black Brook Road in what was called a momentous and historic moment by officials. It was the first time that the governing bodies of…
Cops and Courts
Habeas petition filed for attempted murder case
The man charged with attempted murder for an alleged knife attack in Tisbury last weekend will be prevented from being transported out of the state by federal immigration agents while his case continues in court. At a detention hearing in Edgartown District Court on Friday, Judge Benjamin Barnes ordered Brandao Geraldo Alves Caldeira, 38, to…
Immigration
UPDATED: Father detained by ICE released
Updated May 27. The father and teenage son who were out fishing together before they were taken into ICE custody were ordered by federal judges to be released from the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the past week. The son, 15-year-old Nycolas de Al Varenga Lima, has already returned to the…
Ferry and transportation
State begins audit on Steamship Authority
An audit is underway for the Steamship Authority (SSA), prompted by a state Office of Inspector General (OIG) report that highlighted the failures of the ferry line’s website project. It will take at least a year before the results are released, and it remains uncertain what information is under review. State Auditor Diana DiZoglio told…
