Paddle-out honors Island surfing legend
Even though the water was almost completely flat, the parking lot at Squibnocket Beach in Chilmark was brimming with local surfers on Saturday, Oct. 3. The early October sun was strong at 70°F as the surfing community congregated at the up-Island beach known for its surf. But instead of riding the waves, the group was…
West Tisbury man arrested for downloading child porn
A West Tisbury resident was arrested at his home on Skiff Avenue by State Police last month for possessing child pornography and is now out with conditions after posting a $25,000 bail, according to court records. According to a police report submitted to the Edgartown District Court by State Trooper Ian Andrade, who’s part of…
A heavy October docket at the Edgartown Courthouse
Dukes County Superior Court in Edgartown always processes a full list of criminal cases in October. And this past Monday was no exception. There was a state prison sentence issued in a cocaine case, a rape case likely headed for jury trial, and a not-guilty plea entered on an attempted murder indictment. Travis J. Viera,…
Tourism experts turn to AI
Business leaders and tourism experts gathered for breakfast at the Harbor View Hotel Monday morning to digest the 2026 summer season and strategize for next year. The annual State of the Island Tourism Breakfast, hosted by the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, featured data-driven presentations and new models of doing business.
Former fire chief’s suit against town dismissed
Former Tisbury Fire Chief Gregory Leland’s lawsuit against the town of Tisbury, alleging he was fired without constitutionally required notice, opportunity to be heard, or just cause, was dismissed Monday with prejudice by Judge Peter B. Krupp after Leland failed to appear at a status review hearing. Neither Leland or his representation appeared at the…
Millions in federal funds pulled from Oak Bluffs restoration
A project to restore more than 2,000 feet of eroding bluff in Oak Bluffs is in funding flux after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) pulled $10 million that was awarded to the town years ago. The project to revitalize the coastline, called the East Chop Drive Coastal Restoration, was underway due to significant erosion…
New leadership at the housing authority
When it comes to affordable housing on the Vineyard, the Dukes County Regional Housing Authority is usually involved. Its office building is off the beaten path in Vineyard Haven, behind stores and shaded by tall oak trees, and its oversight is, similarly, not often obvious. But from lotteries for rental and homeownership properties to overseeing…
Week 3 of the Derby: Singing the blues
Bruce Dew landed a gator blue on Bluefish Super Sunday to win not only Super Sunday but also claim the Shore Bluefish Grand Leader title with less than two weeks to go. —Lisa Belcastro Lenny Bedford reeled in the new Shore Bonito Grand Leader on the first day of week 4. —Lisa Belcastro Calidore Robinson…
Vineyard golf beats Nauset in tiebreaker
The seventh score decided the fate of the nine-hole match Friday for the Martha’s Vineyard varsity boys’ golf match against Nauset High School. The Vineyarders and the Warriors faced off against each other at Vineyard Golf Club’s course, where sophomore Gusto Martone’s score of 46 was enough to give the Vineyarders a 252-253 win. In…
Ladyfest blares live music and activism against domestic violence
Music blared from the stage and vendor tents lined the usually sparse Waban Alley Park in Oak Bluffs for the ninth annual Ladyfest last Saturday. The music festival raises money for Connect to End Violence, a Martha’s Vineyard Community Services initiative that provides services for victims and survivors of domestic violence. Addressing the crowd, Susan…
Passengers identified in missing plane off Nantucket
Updated Oct. 6. The Bermuda Police Service (BPS) confirmed that two Bermudian nationals, a mother and son, were aboard the plane that went missing off the coast of Nantucket Saturday morning around 1:20 am.
Brazil’s fateful presidential election heads to a second round
Logo of the Consulate General of Brazil in Boston. The first round of Brazil’s presidential election took place Sunday, Oct. 4, and Brazilians voters on Martha’s Vineyard were able to cast their ballots in Framingham and Malden. No one candidate received more than half the votes in the entire election, so the two candidates who…
Archery season begins on-Island
Archery season on the Island and across the state began Monday and ends Nov. 28. Hunting hours begin 30 minutes before sunrise, and end 30 minutes after sunset. This is typically the start of the hunting season for Islanders; however, this year, there was an early deer season for Dukes County and Nantucket County that…
Katama Meadows discussion continues
The 54-acre subdivision before the Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) called Katama Meadows is in the final throes of the longest deliberation before a decision in commission history. Last Thursday, Oct. 1, significant progress was made in deliberation, but a final decision wasn’t made. Commissioners entered final deliberation Thursday on Katama Meadows, which includes weighing the…
Murdick’s closes Island stores
All three Murdick’s Fudge storefronts on the Island are officially closed, Kristi Graham, spokesperson for the Michigan-based company, told The Times Friday. Two of the three stores — in Edgartown and Oak Bluffs — have already been cleaned out. The V.H. storefront hasn’t been cleared out yet. Graham said she wasn’t sure whether or not…
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The High School View
New clubs debut at this year’s Club Fair
This year’s Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) club fair took place last Wednesday during super-flex in the gym, where students circulated among rows of club displays — tri-fold posters,…
High School View Spotlight
Last Wednesday, the girls’ soccer team hosted their only night game of the season against Sandwich High School. The game felt special playing under the lights, and also because it…
First cohort of Early College embarks on new pathway
Last spring, after years of planning and relentless pursuit on behalf of Sam Hart and former Principal Sara Dingledy, the Department of Early and Secondary Education (DESE) officially designated the…
Environment
Camp Jabberwocky receives Mass Save Impact Award
Camp Jabberwocky, a sleepaway camp for people with disabilities in Vineyard Haven, received a Mass Save Impact Award this year in recognition of the camp’s recent sustainability initiatives. This year, 17 groups received the award. Recipients also included Gordon College in Wenham, Lowell General Hospital, and the city of Fall River.
Health
West Nile detected in Tisbury mosquito
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) announced Friday that West Nile virus (WNV) was detected in a mosquito collected in Tisbury on August 4. The mosquito was collected from the Veteran’s Memorial Park area in Tisbury.
Housing
Major gifts made to Aquinnah Headwaters project
Aquinnah Headwaters, a building project by Kinship Heals to house and serve Native American survivors of domestic assault and sexual violence, received two “major gifts” to fund their efforts, according to a press release Tuesday. Aquinnah Headwaters was unanimously approved by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission in August; the projected project total is $17.67 million.
Education
School building project threatens summer programming
As plans for the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School’s (MVRHS) $333.5 million building project move forward, the feasibility of next summer’s 25th annual M.V. African American Film Festival (MVAAFF) remains unknown. The festival, which traditionally takes place in the school’s Performing Arts Center (PAC) during a nine-day period in August, attracts thousands of visitors and…
Politics
Brazilians on-Island head to polls this Sunday for presidential election
Logo of the Consulate General of Brazil in Boston. Brazil’s presidential election is this Sunday, Oct. 4, and Brazilian voters on Martha’s Vineyard can cast their ballots at polling locations in Framingham and Malden. Voters are asked to check their polling location through Brazil’s E-Título app before heading off-Island, and all voters who previously registered…
Cops and Courts
Debris field located in ongoing effort to find missing plane
Coast Guard officials located a debris field in the waters about 20 miles south of Nantucket a day after a plane went missing. It remains a search and rescue case to find the passengers of the plane. The Coast Guard started to respond at approximately 2 am Saturday when they were notified by the Federal…
Immigration
Father detained by ICE back in Brazil
Rogério da Silva Lima and Nycolas de Alvarenga Lima. —Robyn Twomey 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…
Ferry and transportation
Washout nor’easter
As a rainbow arched over Vineyard Haven Harbor Monday afternoon, an early-season nor’easter began to exit from the Cape and Islands. The storm, which brought wind gusts as high as 60 mph, finally ended, after between five and eight inches of rain had been dumped on the Island over the weekend and into Monday. And…
Opinion
A response to ‘An Island inundated’
To the Editor: After reading your story about issues dealing with flooding in Five Corners and elsewhere (“An Island inundated,” Oct. 1), I thought I would extend and sharpen my…
All aboard for Vineyard football!
To the Editor: The Martha’s Vineyard football program is rebuilding — and we’re asking our community to help.
A response to ‘The time is now to fix Five Corners’
I’ve owned a home on Hines Point for more than 20 years. During that time I’ve seen property taxes increase dramatically to support services that I rarely use, including the…
