Housing threatens vital summer economy
The seasonal ebb and flow of Island life moves like the tides, a motion that is necessary to keep the local community afloat. But these days, the summer economy and the need for affordable housing feel more like an unpredictable crosscurrent that threatens the sustainability of the Island. Twenty thousand year-round Islanders live and work…
‘Love, loss and life’ at the Aquinnah Variety Show
At the Aquinnah Town Hall on Saturday, over a hundred attendees were scrambling for a view of the colorfully-lit stage, tapping the shoulders of the Islanders they recognized to catch up and running into neighbors they haven’t seen in awhile. But all conversation and activity came to a halt when Kate Taylor’s voice rang through…
Aquinnah to close out town meeting season
Aquinnah residents head to their Annual Town Meeting on Tuesday, and are the last of the six Island towns’ voters to do so. There are 31 articles on the warrant, including a request to move properties on the Cliffs from town hands to the jurisdiction of the Aquinnah Cultural Center. The meeting is on May…
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 over 100 people attend meetings, meals, and…
UPS deliveries on hold, employees at wit’s end
At the local branch of the United Parcel Service (UPS) in Vineyard Haven, cardboard boxes and plastic packages are stacked nearly to the ceiling of the already cramped building. It’s the only UPS storefront on the Island, and the three employees who work there say they’re completely overrun and overworked, though they’re still showing up…
ISland Life
‘A Season of Flowers’
Running a kitchen in alpha-gal times
This week’s print edition
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Environment
Experts: Deer sterilization won’t solve Island’s tick crisis
Updated May 6. A reduction of deer densities on the Island wouldn’t necessarily mean an immediate decrease in the amount of ticks, but any efforts could make other strategies, such as chemical treatments, managing other host populations, and other solutions currently in research much more efficient and effective. That’s what Martin Feehan, deer and moose…
Health
Martha’s Vineyard Medical to launch Tick Center
A new medical initiative plans to expand care, especially through holistic approaches, to serve Islanders who experience health issues caused by ticks. Martha’s Vineyard Medical announced Tuesday that the practice will open the Tick Center, a specialty center for patients who suffer from tick-borne illnesses and alpha-gal syndrome, in May. The aim of the center…
Housing
Chilmark takes a step in the Peaked Hills housing project
At her first meeting as a new Chilmark Select Board member on Tuesday, Rebecca Haag helped to push forward the stalled Peaked Hill Pastures, the first sign of movement for the affordable housing project in roughly a year. Haag, who was elected to the Chilmark Select Board last month, had requested that Peaked Hills be…
Education
Ten young Islanders earn education and workforce scholarships
MVYouth announced Tuesday that the community fund has awarded nearly $600,000 to 10 local high school students for college, healthcare and education, and workforce development scholarships this year. “With the generous support of our donors, MVYouth has selected an excellent group of students each spring for the past 12 years. In this time, we have…
Politics
Juli Vanderhoop resigns from Dukes County Commission
Julianne “Juli” Vanderhoop of Aquinnah resigned her seat on the Dukes County Commission, a press release from the commission announced Wednesday. Vanderhoop, who is a member of the Wampanoag Tribe as well as on the Aquinnah Select Board, cited personal priorities as a reason for her resignation, according to the release. She told The Times…
Cops and Courts
Vineyard Haven man arrested by ICE for homicide in Brazil
Updated 9:13 pm. Federal immigration officers arrested a Vineyard Haven man facing homicide charges last month as part of a regional operation that targeted five foreign nationals wanted for murder charges in their home countries. The detained individual is now held in Plymouth. Altieris Chaves Paiva, 38, a Brazilian national, was detained by the U.S.…
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
The first 100 days
Summer is fast approaching the Vineyard. The lead-up to the tourism season is well underway as summer residents return to open their homes and visitors are steadily increasing. The Island, which will see its population surge from 20,000 year-round to more than 100,000 during July and August, is bracing for the onslaught of summer. At…
