Taken from Menemsha
After a father and son were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) early this week, a network of Islanders are scrambling to keep them from being sent out of the state to Texas. Rogerio da Silva Lima and his son, Nycolas de Al Varenga Lima, 15, were taken into ICE custody in Woods…
Why does the high school building project cost so much?
The Island is less than two weeks away from voting on its most expensive building project ever. And on the eve of the consequential vote, with only a few more public discussions left on the docket, the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) building committee posed a question to themselves, one that many Islanders have…
Once-elegant hotel now symbol of struggle
In the 1860s, ornate resort hotels were constructed in downtown Oak Bluffs to accommodate an influx of summer visitors. The Vineyard was a budding attraction: Early sightseers promenaded in billowing gowns and sharp suits while attending religious camp meetings, and took in the beauty of the Island as a vacation hot spot. One of the…
Groove of Porchfest draws Edgartown crowds
Storefronts across Edgartown became live performance stages under a dazzlingly bright blue sky where talented Island musicians showcased their lyrical and instrumental craft. Downtown Edgartown spotlighted musicians who call the Island home at the third annual Porchfest on Saturday, who drew attention from many visitors in town from the passerby in front of Rosewater Market…
Ribbon cut on major affordable housing project
The ribbon was officially cut last week on the largest affordable housing project the Island community’s seen in two decades. It took more than ten years to complete. Around 50 attendees gathered on a rainy Thursday afternoon this month for the ceremony at the Edgartown site, as housing advocates praised the effort to provide affordable…
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Environment
Shark-bitten seal washes up at Lucy Vincent
A six-foot dead seal washed up on Lucy Vincent Beach this week with a fatal wound from what experts believe was a great white shark. Andrew Jacobs, laboratory manager and environmental technician for the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe’s Department of Natural Resources, received a call Sunday, May 10, about a stranded seal. Jacobs said he went…
Health
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 more than 100 people attend meetings, meals,…
Housing
Harbor Homes secures permanent executive director
The interim executive director of the organization with the only shelter for unhoused people on Martha’s Vineyard was appointed to the permanent position Tuesday. Jeannette de Jesús has served in the interim role at Harbor Homes since October, a month shy of the winter shelter opening. A press release from the organization said that de…
Education
MVRHS athletics honored at inaugural Cape and Islands Scholar Athlete Awards
Martha’s Vineyard athletics received high recognition this past weekend at the Cape and Islands League’s first annual Scholar Athlete Awards ceremony. Students from Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS), Eleanor Mone and Syius Rivera Rigali, both received a 2025–26 Cape and Islands League Scholar Athlete of the Year award at the Sunday event, held at…
Politics
Aquinnah voters approve all funding requests
The unofficial results of the Aquinnah annual town election are in. Residents of Aquinnah voted 96–32 in favor of allowing the town to assess an additional $100,000 in real estate and personal property taxes to fund both the department budgets of the Up-Island and Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. They also voted 104–23 to allow…
Cops and Courts
Fiber-optic cable downed by Bruno’s truck
A Bruno’s roll-off truck struck overhead utility lines on Edgartown–West Tisbury Road, near Waldrons Bottom Road, on Monday afternoon, pulling down the lines, including a key Comcast fiber-optic cable, which caused temporary internet and cellphone disruptions for some Island residents and emergency services. Comcast’s fiber-optic line, which uses a technology that transmits high-speed data over…
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
Oak Bluffs welcomes first ferry of the summer
In another sign of the upcoming summer season, the Steamship Authority (SSA) brought a little more fanfare to the annual opening of the Oak Bluffs terminal this year. The SSA hosted its inaugural “First Ferry” event on Thursday, with organizers celebrating as the crew of the ferry Martha’s Vineyard brought Oak Bluffs’ first batch of…
