Once-elegant hotel now symbol of struggle
In the 1860s, ornate resort hotels were constructed in downtown Oak Bluffs to accommodate an influx of summer visitors. The Vineyard was a budding attraction: Early sightseers promenaded in billowing gowns and sharp suits while attending religious camp meetings, and took in the beauty of the Island as a vacation hot spot. One of the…
Housing bank would not overly impact real estate, study finds
A report by a state university research department found that a transfer fee on luxury real estate would make a minimal impact on the Martha’s Vineyard market, addressing the main concern from opponents of a proposed affordable housing funding mechanism for the Island. The study, conducted by the University of Massachusetts Amherst Donahue Institute (UMDI)…
Aquinnah voters approve all funding requests
Updated May 15. The unofficial results of the Aquinnah annual town election are in. Residents of Aquinnah voted 96-32 in favor of allowing the town to assess an additional $100,000 in real estate and personal property taxes to fund both the department budgets of the Up-Island and Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. They also voted…
Raising money and awareness for children of war
Editor’s note: An event took place last Saturday to support Middle Eastern children affected by war, especially in Gaza. We published this piece, May 15, one day after Yom Ha’atzmaut, a day that commemorates the Israeli Declaration of Independence of 1948. For Palestinians, this day is called Nakba Day, also known as the Palestinian Catastrophe,…
Teaching the trades
Twenty-three-year-old Jackson (“Jackie”) Pizzano spends most of his days up in a tree, a hundred feet above the ground, often secured to a Tabor Tree bucket truck as he uses a chainsaw to prune, remove dangerous branches from, and propagate the health of the Island’s woods. For the past couple of years, he’s worked as…
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Environment
Shark-bitten seal washes up at Lucy Vincent
A six-foot dead seal washed up on Lucy Vincent Beach this week with a fatal wound from what experts believe was a great white shark. Andrew Jacobs, laboratory manager and environmental technician for the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe’s Department of Natural Resources, received a call Sunday, May 10, about a stranded seal. Jacobs said he went…
Health
Red House moves into new home
One of the gray-shingled buildings on the Martha’s Vineyard Community Services (MVCS) campus is now decorated with red paint, a homage to the name of the peer-run recovery center that recently set up shop inside. Staff at the Red House, the Island’s substance-use peer recovery support center, where more than 100 people attend meetings, meals,…
Housing
Traffic concerns dominate debate on Edgartown housing development
Island planning regulators expressed concern that a proposed housing development will potentially increase traffic on Upper Main Street in Edgartown, a stretch of town sandwiched between Stop & Shop and Dairy Queen where traffic can slow to a crawl in the summer. The project proposed to be built on 238, 240, and 242 Upper Main…
Education
The end of another school year
The end of the school year is near, but before students can head into summer break, there are a couple of public events at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) this spring to celebrate student achievement and creativity. The performing arts department’s Spring Concert is Tuesday, May 19, from 6 to 8 pm at…
Politics
Process started to transfer ownership of properties near Cliffs
After contentious debate, Aquinnah took a step to transfer ownership of properties near the Cliffs from the town to someone who would create a space for cultural and educational uses. Aquinnah voters crowded inside the town hall Tuesday to review and approve 31 articles for this year’s annual town meeting. Though there was some heated…
Cops and Courts
Five people sent to hospital after crash in Edgartown
Five people, including two minors, were hospitalized after a three-vehicle crash on Edgartown–West Tisbury Road Tuesday afternoon. Edgartown Police responded to the crash at around 4:26 pm. While investigations are ongoing, preliminary findings by Edgartown Police indicate a possible mechanical issue that caused a gray Volkswagen Passat to veer into oncoming traffic, resulting in a…
Immigration
Island family stranded in Canada after visa renewal denial
Updated April 17. An Island family, stranded in Canada for the past six weeks due to a denied visa renewal following a family ski trip, has been forced to seek documentation in order to try to return home. The family’s status continues to remain uncertain after federal border officials rejected Michael Freeze’s work visa renewal…
Ferry and transportation
Oak Bluffs welcomes first ferry of the summer
In another sign of the upcoming summer season, the Steamship Authority (SSA) brought a little more fanfare to the annual opening of the Oak Bluffs terminal this year. The SSA hosted its inaugural “First Ferry” event on Thursday, with organizers celebrating as the crew of the ferry Martha’s Vineyard brought Oak Bluffs’ first batch of…
