Tagging one of the ocean’s most elusive animals
The water looked like glass as the center-console fishing boat, refitted for sharking, left Ryder’s Cove at 9 am, drove past Chatham Bar through a natural inlet that moves and shifts to the will of Mother Nature, and entered what Capt. Josh Higgins calls “shark country.” It only took about 15 minutes from the dock…
Incident in O.B. paralyzes man
Updated July 22. Oak Bluffs Police were dispatched to the Ritz Cafe for a physical assault incident in the early hours of Friday morning that resulted in a man being paralyzed from the waist down, according to a police incident report and the man’s family. Kevin Agatep was arraigned on Wednesday at the Edgartown District…
Federal wildlife officials investigate death of piping plover chick
Updated July 23. Federal wildlife officials are investigating an incident at Edgartown Great Pond after local conservationists found a flightless piping plover chick with two fractured legs that later had to be euthanized. Officials from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a federal agency that oversees the management of conservation areas, are now searching for witnesses…
Steamship general manager gets high marks, pay raise
Following a closed-door session in Oak Bluffs Town Hall, new Steamship Authority General Manager Alex Kryska was given high marks for his first six months on the job, and the ferry line’s board rewarded him with a more than $26,000 pay bump. The decision followed a public evaluation of Kryska’s performance on Tuesday during the…
Hospital to launch Island’s first alpha-gal research center
As cases of alpha-gal syndrome continue to rise on the Island, the first local center to study the condition is set to be opened by the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, in partnership with Boston’s Mass General Hospital (MGH). The multi-million dollar research center, the cost of which the hospital didn’t specify, is scheduled to open Oct.…
New hire makes a dent in primary care shortage
After more than four decades in the medical field in Canada, longtime Vineyard summer resident Dr. Howie Rudner joined the Martha’s Vineyard Medical team this June as their newest primary care provider. The Vineyard community, which has a documented shortage of primary care physicians and long waitlists of patients, is federally recognized as a health…
Truck hits pole, rolls over in Oak Bluffs
A truck rolled over on Sea View Avenue in Oak Bluffs this weekend near Nomans Restaurant. The driver was summoned to court for allegedly driving in a negligent manner with an open container of alcohol. The driver, named by an Oak Bluffs official as Sean Hegarty, was issued a court summons after the Friday incident…
Charity swim raises more than $300,000 for Vineyard cancer center
As the sun rose on Meneshama beach on Saturday, hundreds of Islanders and visitors made their way into the cold Island water, riding the tide against cancer at the inaugural Martha’s Vineyard Swim Across America open-water swim. The event, led by two 17-year-old Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) students, Leah Thomson and Zoe Treitman,…
A view of the White House from the Vineyard
Updated July 22. Attendees filled nearly all of the red auditorium chairs in the Performing Arts Center at the Martha’s Vineyard High School (MVRHS) on Thursday night to hear Dr. Jill Biden, former first lady, discuss her new book, “View From the East Wing: A Memoir.” The talk was a part of the Martha’s Vineyard…
‘Where does that leave our local business?’
Edgartown’s Winter Street was divided into two sides Friday morning. On one side, a long line of mostly visitors awaited their chance to peek inside the pop-up store of the Amazon-affiliated business Shopbop. Right across the road, a group of local business owners and eager activists stood holding signs in protest against the event. The…
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Environment
Eversource shores up Island’s electrical demand
Eversource announced Monday that they officially completed an energy project to deliver more power to the Island. The Martha’s Vineyard Reliability Project and 91 Replacement Cable Project, a near-decade-long initiative that promised to deliver cleaner energy and substitute on-Island diesel generators, included a two-part cable submarine installation that finished in January. Now, those cables, which…
Health
Tisbury Board of Health bans kratom
The Tisbury Board of Health unanimously voted to adopt a regulation banning the local manufacturing, sale, and distribution of kratom during a public hearing on Tuesday. Tisbury follows in the footsteps of Edgartown, which banned kratom sales on June 9. Previously available for sale in Tisbury, kratom products are made with ingredients from a tropical…
Housing
Proposed shelter to heal residents through indigenous traditions
Aquinnah, the ancestral home of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, may become the host of the first native-run shelter in the state for indigenous women who are victims of domestic and sexual violence. The Martha’s Vineyard Commission opened the hearing for Aquinnah Headwaters, a campus on 7.76 acres that would house a program to…
Education
Mako shark mascot to make waves next year
Regional high school students will officially begin the upcoming school year with a mascot meant to blow the competition out of the water — or into it. A decisive vote at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) committee meeting on Monday night sealed the deal for students to purchase a mako shark mascot costume,…
Politics
West Tisbury town administrator’s retirement plans raise budgetary concerns
After serving West Tisbury for more than two decades, town administrator Jennifer Rand announced she will be retiring. But with it came concerns about added expenses to the up-Island town. According to a letter from Rand, read by West Tisbury Select Board Chair Skipper Manter during a Wednesday meeting, she plans to retire by July…
Cops and Courts
Engine fire engulfs box truck in Edgartown
Nobody was hurt after an engine fire engulfed a delivery truck in Edgartown. Edgartown first responders responded to a box-style delivery truck that was on fire on Barnes Road near the Martha’s Vineyard Airport Business Park entrance. Edgartown Police Sgt. Ryan Ruley said this occurred around 5:30 pm on Thursday. Edgartown Police directed traffic while…
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 restarts renewable fuel test run
Updated July 24. After almost a yearlong hiatus, the Steamship Authority (SSA) restarted its pilot program to fuel its largest ferry with a renewable diesel fuel. The SSA Board unanimously approved for the ferry line to purchase RD99 at an unbudgeted cost of $165,000 to fuel the Island Home, its largest vessel, on Tuesday, July…
Opinion
Publisher’s Note: Investing in local journalism
The price of great local coverage? Just $1 a week. We believe strongly in public access to reliable information, and we are equally committed to building a sustainable future for…
Making the Island safer for cyclists and drivers
As a diehard bicyclist of long standing, I have an aversion to electric bicycles, or e-bikes. Don’t like ’em. They’re too heavy, too fast, and too quiet. Many of the…
Nightlife, alcohol, and policing
This was a summer highlighted by the World Cup. Bars and eateries across the Island that showcased the games saw crowds of fans who stared at the screens with bated…
