Suspected shark bite at Norton
Updated Sept. 1, 6:30 pm. A woman in her late 20s was pulled from the water off Norton Point Monday afternoon with wounds to her lower leg that police said were “consistent with a potential shark bite.” No shark or other marine animal, however, was seen or confirmed in connection with the 1:40 pm incident,…
Rob Galibois recaptures Democratic D.A. nomination
Over two hours after polls closed, Rob Galibois secured victory in the Democratic primary for the Cape and Islands District Attorney race. Without a Republican candidate, this election all but assures Galibois another four years in office after the midterm elections. Vineyarders walked into polling stations across the Island during the primary elections on Tuesday,…
No Flock on-Island
Controversy over Flock cameras is rampant across the country; state officials in Florida blocked their usage on state roadways, and the Texas governor ordered a pause in funding for the surveillance tool. Across the water, the Nantucket Current investigated cameras that were installed back in 2021, and in New Bedford, residents have protested their use…
Little Lady nears restoration
Updated Sept. 1. Beside weathered wooden beams and jagged steel tools, dozens of supporters of Little Lady, the sole remaining wooden fishing dragger in New England, gathered to hear updates as she nears full restoration. Little Lady is set to be moved to the Gannon and Benjamin Marine Railway for repairs in about a month…
A return to the old SSA standby?
Islanders have repeatedly grumbled about Blue Line restrictions so much so that the Steamship Authority (SSA) decided to open up conversations about whether to return to the old standby system. During the Tuesday morning Port Council meeting, Joe Sollitto, the Oak Bluffs councillor, called for a return to the old standby system. “I don’t think…
Chilmark attempts regulation of tick sprays; state says no
As tick sprays become more commonplace on the Island and their ecological effects remain understudied, health officials in the town of Chilmark drafted regulations to put guardrails on all-natural blends of the product. But the state won’t let them make it official. Chilmark board of health agent Anna McCaffrey sent the draft regulation to the…
Dead minke whale found in Katama Bay
A 12-foot deceased minke whale was towed out to sea Friday from a private property on Katama Bay between Edgartown and Chappaquiddick. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which facilitates a network of stranding response organizations across the country, received reports of the deceased whale found under a private dock on Thursday, August 20.…
Indigo Girls rock on at the Tabernacle
The beloved folk-rock band Indigo Girls strummed acoustic guitars and harmonized at the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs on Saturday night to a packed audience. Made up of longtime friends and collaborators Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, the Indigo Girls are pillars of the late 1980s to early 2000s queer music scene. The duo won a…
The three sisters
Through vibrant green leaves and upright stems reaching for the sun, indigenous varieties of beans, corn, and squash are growing in the Island Grown Initiative (IGI) community garden in Vineyard Haven this summer. The plot and produce are an initiative by NaDaizja Bolling, in partnership with the Aquinnah Cultural Center (ACC), where Bolling works as…
A cloud of uncertainty
Updated August 28. Three operators of an all-natural tick spray company donned khaki insect-shield pants and tucked the bottom hems into their socks. They wore shirts with their company name, ohDEER, like they do five or more days a week, readied their equipment, and pulled into a winding driveway in Oak Bluffs to the home…
Ribbon cut at Chilmark Preschool just in time for school year
Chilmark Preschool officials commemorated the completion of the preschool’s new building with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday evening. As children played on the playground in the background, around 50 people listened to speeches by community leaders and officials from South Mountain Co., the West Tisbury-based construction firm behind the building. The building, for which construction was…
Nonprofit receives state funds for indigenous environmental education
Island nonprofit Sassafras Earth Education has received a $50,000 grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), which will be reinvested in the local community through the expansion of educational programs that promote sustainable living using indigenous practices and connection with the land. Sassafras has operated in Aquinnah for more than two decades as a…
Marty Nadler, screenwriter and stand-up comic, dies at 80
Updated August 28. Martin (“Marty”) Nadler, who brought laughter to audiences through screenwriting and stand-up comedy, died on Wednesday, August 26, at HCA Florida Northwest Hospital due to complications related to myasthenia gravis. He was 80 years old. Nadler was a longtime Oak Bluffs resident who spent years as a screenwriter, actor, and stand-up comic.…
New Derby boundaries help up-Island fishermen
Updated August 27. Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby officials have set new boat boundaries for the annual fishing Derby, which encompasses the waters around Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and now all of Buzzards Bay. This will mark the first time in history that anglers competing in the Derby will be allowed to fish the…
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Environment
Hospital enrolls first participant in pioneering alpha-gal study
A trailblazing study for both the Island hospital and the country just enrolled its first participant last Friday in an effort to better understand alpha-gal syndrome, the tick-borne condition that causes an allergy to mammalian products like meat and dairy. Martha’s Vineyard Hospital (MVH), a member of Mass General Brigham, plans to recruit and follow…
Health
Potential Head Start deregulation raises uncertainty for Island program
The Trump administration’s proposed elimination of federal regulations for the Head Start program leaves state and Island childcare officials unsure about the impact to a Vineyard nonprofit that offers childcare services. The program, which is operated by Martha’s Vineyard Community Services (MVCS), includes home-based care that serves roughly 36 children, the majority of whom speak…
Housing
Housing solutions: From an abandoned building to a home
Sweeping strokes of graffiti covered white plaster walls inside an abandoned parsonage in Aquinnah in 2023. Three years later, the property is a renovated, affordable duplex where a family from the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) and another tribal member live year-round. The project, completed by affordable housing developer Island Housing Trust (IHT), is…
Education
Survey seeks to identify health needs for Island children and mothers
Updated August 10. A survey is open for mothers and families on the Island that seeks to zero in on existing gaps in services, from childcare to postpartum needs, with the goal to improve year-round community services in the long run. The survey, called the “Maternal Child and Family Health Assessment,” is spearheaded by Martha…
Politics
D.A. candidates head to primary Tuesday
There’s still time to make a decision in what may be Islanders’ most consequential vote in the primary elections. The Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office is headed to a showdown in the Democratic primary between incumbent Rob Galibois, elected in 2022, and challenger Michael Giardino. Without any Republicans running for the seat, whoever wins…
Cops and Courts
West Tisbury resident sued over Island Theatre
Updated August 26. Owners of the controversial Island Theatre have called on the courts to make a local resident compensate them with millions of dollars for allegedly backing out of a deal to buy the Oak Bluffs property. Lucky 7 Realty Trust, represented by trustee Brian Hall, sued Jefrey DuBard, West Tisbury resident and founding…
Immigration
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…
Ferry and transportation
SSA launches discounts for veterans
In a salute to the men and women who served in the country’s armed forces, the Steamship Authority (SSA) is moving ahead with reduced fares for veterans. The decision, approved by the SSA board last Tuesday, will lower fares for veterans from port communities by nearly half. For the SSA, port communities include Martha’s Vineyard,…
Opinion
A son honors his father
To the Editor: This letter was submitted by Bert Combra, on behalf of Bill Faria Jr. Mr. Combra, It was great speaking to you, and glad all is well. Please…
New boundaries worsen the Derby
To the Editor: The latest change to the MV Derby has not been well received by many, and the voices of a few have changed the derby for the worse.…
Are you kidding me?
To the Editor: “A strain on public safety” (August 6)? What did you expect? Defunding the police, getting rid of ICE, judges letting criminals off. Every day I watch children…
