Farewell, Shenandoah
The sun set as Islanders gathered for a potluck at the Black Dog Wharf docks in Vineyard Haven to honor Shenandoah, a one-of-a-kind, 108-foot wooden topsail schooner, where thousands of the Island’s youth have embarked on week-long adventures to be educated in hands-on maritime work. At the potluck on Saturday evening, with Shenandoah docked along…
Bringing the darkness to light
Between 150 and 200 Islanders gathered at Bend in the Road at 5 am with only head lamps and small candles as sources of light for the ninth annual and possibly final suicide prevention awareness walk put on by Darkness into Vineyard Light Saturday. The walk started just after 5:30 am in Edgartown and lasted…
Smiles, shrieks, and giggles at the Kid’s Derby
The biggest smiles, most joyful giggles, and enthusiastic shrieks abounded throughout the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby’s annual Kid’s Day on Sunday morning. The thirty-five days of the Derby are the best days in a year, and the Sunday of the Kid’s Derby is the best of the best. Why? How are kids…
Sherry Countryman lands a new state record false albacore
Sherry Countryman woke up on Thursday morning and headed to her boat, Surprise Catch, with her fiancé Steve Brink and friend Mel Ben David. The trio left with Derby dreams and returned home with the largest false albacore in Massachusetts history. Sherry, Mel, and Steve were casting into the waters off Nantucket. Steve was at…
VTA drivers vote to ratify contract
Updated 3:27 pm. After weeks of a potential strike by Vineyard Transit Authority (VTA) bus drivers, any protest has been called off, and the buses will keep rolling. Drivers who are members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1548 voted to ratify a labor contract reached with Transit Connection, the company contracted to train and staff…
Frustrations brew over delayed SSA reservation system replacement
The spectre of the Steamship Authority’s (SSA) website development, a failed project that wasted millions in taxpayer dollars with nothing to show for it, is haunting the development of the new reservation system. At the SSA board meeting on Sept. 15, ferry officials said that a repeat of the website project can’t happen with the…
Island steps up its processing capacity as hunting season nears
Updated Sept. 17. As an expanded hunting season approaches, an offensive aimed at managing the deer herd is bracing and hoping that the Island harvests and processes more venison. New plans for the bold initiative, which is led by Tick Free MV and the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society, were announced this week. It is aimed…
Vineyard Haven crash causes power outage
A car crash at the intersection of State Road and Edgartown Road, which approaches town by Edgartown Vineyard Haven Road, caused one vehicle to veer into a telephone pole, knocking out power to homes and businesses in multiple locations throughout the area. According to the Eversource’s outage map, the power was knocked out in the…
An emergent model of food and health
As more Islanders than ever seek food assistance, several local organizations have risen up to meet the demand in new ways. These emergent collaborative efforts have put the Vineyard on the map as a model for food systems that contribute to better health outcomes, according to experts in the field. The model is called “Food…
A warm welcome in Menemsha
Radiant, smiling faces ordered at the counter and perused the aisles of a new general store and cafe in the historic fishing village of Menemsha today as the owners and operators opened their doors. The market, called Menemsha Store, opened at 7 am, and will remain open through the off-season. It’s now the only year-round…
Car fire creates smoke cloud seen from Falmouth
A plume of smoke was spotted from Falmouth above the Island in the Vineyard Haven area last Saturday. Tisbury Fire Department Chief Patrick Rolston said the smoke cloud seen from the Cape was the result of a car fire in the area of State Road. The vehicle, which was stationary in a parking area, was…
Montessori locks up for mental health incident nearby
The Vineyard Montessori School performed a “lock up” procedure today around noon due to reports of a mental health incident occurring on nearby Daggett Ave, according to school officials. The incident, which occurred around 12:15 pm, caused the local school to perform the drill as a precautionary measure. At Vineyard Montessori, a lock-up is different…
More details emerge on SSA paperwork lapse
The Steamship Authority’s (SSA) issues that led to the Island Home being sidelined this week had a wider impact on the fleet than initially reported by The Times on Monday, and a staff member was terminated as a result. “The past few weeks have been very challenging,” Alex Kryska, SSA general manager, said during the…
Vineyard football loses home opener
The Martha’s Vineyard football team fell in its home opener to the Mashpee High School Falcons 38–12 on Friday. It was the Island team’s home opener, and the stands and surrounding field were packed with local fans dressed in cowboy hats and boots for the “Wild, Wild West”–themed game that started at 6 pm. It…
Shenandoah embarks on final voyage
Chilmark School fourth- and fifth-graders ran down the Owen Park docks with luggage in hand and excitement in their eyes as families trailed not far behind, Monday morning around 9:30. The students piled into Capt. Ian Ridgeway’s dinghy for a short ride to the Shenandoah, beginning what Martha’s Vineyard Ocean Academy (MVOA), which took over…
Calendar fundraiser donates $5,000 to Vineyard House
To honor National Recovery Month and his own sobriety journey, Vineyard photographer Michael Blanchard donated $5,000 to Vineyard House on Thursday from the proceeds of his annual calendar. Blanchard sold 2,500 copies of his 2027 “Inspirational Calendar” this year. It is the ninth year that he’s produced the calendar, which is a yearlong effort in…
ISland Life
VOICES bySharisse: Recognizing community
Dance Film Festival 2026
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Environment
The forensics of a shark bite
It’s now confirmed that a woman in her late 20s who was pulled from the water off Norton Point last Monday with wounds to her lower leg suffered the first unprovoked shark bite on the Island in recent memory. Greg Skomal, a marine biologist with the state Division of Marine Fisheries and a top shark…
Health
Training and serving locally
The shortage of healthcare professionals is a major concern on the Island. ACE MV offers several programs to address this pressing need, all of which underscore the organization’s central desire. Executive Director Alexandra Bullen Coutts says, “ACE’s role is to provide the entry-level approach to career pathways for anyone who has the interest and aptitude…
Housing
Katama Meadows talks trudge forward
Updated Sept. 12. In the brightly lit Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) meeting room for four Thursday nights so far this summer, deliberation on the 54-acre subdivision development proposal in Edgartown, Katama Meadows, has oscillated between the need for a few affordable homes and the potential impacts of a sprawling development. It also raised questions about…
Education
High School Committee prepares to borrow millions for building design
The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) Committee plans to borrow $20.06 million for the design and development phase of the high school building project. During a committee meeting Monday night, Lynne Welsh, financial advisor for the school district, said that the school is currently on track to secure the $22 million needed for this…
Politics
Primary favors Democratic incumbents
Updated September 3. About two hours after polls closed, Rob Galibois secured victory in the Democratic primary for the Cape and Islands District Attorney race Tuesday. Without a Republican candidate, this election all but assured Galibois another four years in office after the midterm elections. The state primaries heavily favored incumbents, including the closely watched…
Cops and Courts
A.G. Campbell speaks at Women’s Recovery Court Session
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell spoke at the 15th annual Massachusetts Women’s Recovery Court Session — a celebration for participants and alumni of a state-run program for women recovering from alcohol and drug addiction — this week on the Island. Roughly 60 women from throughout the Commonwealth gathered inside the Old Whaling Church in Edgartown…
Immigration
Father detained by ICE back in Brazil
Rogério da Silva Lima, 42, the Brazilian father who was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody alongside his teenage son Nycolas de Alvarenga Lima (now 16) while fishing in Menemsha in May, left the U.S. on Saturday and returned to Brazil Sunday evening under a removal order. Da Silva Lima, who was reached…
Ferry and transportation
Four Island students’ artwork selected in SSA contest
Four students from Vineyard schools will have their artwork showcased in the Steamship Authority’s (SSA) 2027 calendar. The SSA announced the winners of its 11th annual “Sail into Imagination” art contest Thursday. More than 100 art pieces were submitted, inspired by this year’s theme, “the sea and me,” in which the students were asked to…
Opinion
Tragedy transformed on the 9/11 Day of Service
BOSTON — As the country marked the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, more than 1,200 volunteers turned remembrance into action in a coordinated effort to pack 400,000 meals for…
‘Kindness still flourishes in Chilmark’
To the Editor: What could have been a nasty accident was avoided last Saturday evening in Menemsha thanks to Carl the parking officer. When guiding me out from my parking…
An eye on the SSA’s funds
Recent reporting underscored my great concern for the welfare of the Island and for those who live here. Our fragile supply chain and the financial condition of the Steamship Authority…
