Warren’s Island visit focuses on housing initiatives
Sen. Elizabeth Warren tackled housing on Martha’s Vineyard on Friday as local officials grow increasingly concerned about the sustainability of life on the Island for year-round residents and the median home price breaches $2.5 million. Warren was on the Island to learn more about the reality of housing for locals and present a substantial housing…
Judge rules Trustees overburdened Cape Poge
The Trustees of Reservations, which manages various conservation lands on Martha’s Vineyard, was deemed by a Massachusetts Land Court judge to have overstepped its bounds on Cape Poge, bringing to question where oversand vehicles will be allowed on Chappaquiddick Island’s northern point. Land Court Judge Sarah Turano-Flores ruled on Tuesday, Aug. 11 that the Trustees…
‘Why am I still here?’
Three years to the day after the event that changed her life, Robin Bonnist sat on a bench outside the Martha’s Vineyard Airport’s General Aviation building facing the tarmac. Engraved on the black bench are the words, “In loving memory, Randolph Martin Bonnist, gone flying into the Mystic. 7/15/2023.” The site, which honors Bonnist’s late…
Restored Chappy trail: A boon for fishermen and beachgoers
An oversand vehicle (OSV) trail on Chappaquiddick Island that was inaccessible for years due to erosion has been restored, just over a month before the Vineyard’s premier fishing tournament begins. The Edgartown conservation commission unanimously voted on Wednesday, August 12 to reauthorize the Trustees of Reservation’s operation of a 450-foot trail that connects its Wasque…
Three local soccer players selected for Olympic program
Three local soccer players, who play on the nonprofit Martha’s Vineyard United (MVU) travel team, were selected for the Olympic Development Program (ODP), a youth soccer pipeline that identifies and develops talent across the country. Rafael Assis, Mateus Deassis, and Thales Fernandes, earned the spots through weekly ferry trips for extra practice and exposure and…
SSA head: Freight through New Bedford is a ‘long-term plan’
Updated Aug. 12. As the Steamship Authority (SSA) considers its ferry schedule for next year, an annual complaint has resurfaced: the 5:30 am boat. This has been the earliest departure from Woods Hole via the Steamship for more than a decade, and carries a variety of shipments to the Island on trucks. It’s a critical…
Housing bank fails to pass in state legislature
Updated August 12. An ambitious piece of state legislation that would have created a funding source for affordable housing initiatives quietly failed to pass last month in the State House, even as housing prices soar and Islanders find it more difficult than ever to secure stable accommodation. Facing strong opposition from the state’s powerful real…
Proposals made for Oak Bluffs’ new security camera policy
As Oak Bluffs explores a new security camera policy, calls were made to protect residents’ data. At the Oak Bluffs Select Board meeting on Tuesday, Sean DeBettencourt, a board member, proposed a series of protective measures, saying a draft policy should keep data local, restrict access to town officials and Oak Bluffs Police when needed,…
New album from Carly Simon comes out Friday
Carly Simon’s first album in more than 18 years, “Comes in Waves,” is set to be released this Friday, August 14, six decades after her solo debut. Written and recorded primarily at her Martha’s Vineyard home, the 12-track album combines a body of work that is said to feel “both personal and expansive,” according to…
Metacom Day: A moment of reflection for indigenous community
One day before Wampanoag tribes observed the 350th anniversary of Metacom Day, Aquinnah Wampanoag citizen and educator Brad Lopes brought the history of King Phillip’s War through a Wampanoag lens to the newly renovated Vineyard Haven Public Library. Lopes presented about the war to community members and discussed the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah),…
A strain on public safety
Updated August 7. A series of serious emergencies have strained the Martha’s Vineyard community this summer, and understaffed departments of first responders across the Island are raising concerns about public safety. Many local chiefs are saying the severity and complexity of the calls have increased, even though the total volume of calls, according to data…
State issues temporary kratom ban
Gov. Maura Healey announced Thursday a ban on kratom products, a substance that is largely unregulated at the federal level, in an effort to protect residents, particularly young people. According to a press release from the governor’s office, state Department of Public Health (DPH) Commissioner Robbie Goldstein issued an emergency order that temporarily designated “all…
Islanders make emotional testimonies about organ donation
About 15 people gathered inside of the Community Room in the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital (MVH) on Tuesday afternoon to take in words from state healthcare officials and listen to a moderated discussion with organ donation recipients from the Island. MVH organized the event Legacy of Life alongside New England Donor Services, a nonprofit that facilitates…
Click below to browse the print edition of the paper:
GOMV’s Vineyard Haven Harbor Live Webcam:
Have a tip?
Contact the editor
Click below to browse the Ag Fair print insert:
Sign up for our newsletters
Stay informed all week about Island news.
Environment
Celebrating local industry in Menemsha
Local fishermen came together in Menemsha on Thursday afternoon for the ninth annual Meet the Fleet, hosted by the Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust (MVFPT). For many Islanders, the event that took place on the Menemsha docks, from 3 to 7 pm as the sun began to set, is more akin to a holiday. “In…
Health
Trauma counseling for first responders
First responders across Martha’s Vineyard — police, firefighters, and emergency medical services — regularly confront traumatic scenarios. Think about this summer alone: Lifeguards, police, and first responders rushed to a remote stretch of beach at Long Point trying to rescue a father who ultimately died saving his sons from a rip current. And police and…
Housing
Katama Meadows decision pushed to September
The deliberation on the 54-acre subdivision proposed in Edgartown called Katama Meadows went over time again Thursday, and further discussion was pushed until September 10. Islanders who are anxiously awaiting some certainty regarding Katama Meadows will have to wait a bit longer. It remains unclear whether the meeting in September will include a decision on…
Education
Survey seeks to identify health needs for Island children and mothers
Updated August 10. A survey is open for mothers and families on the Island that seeks to zero in on existing gaps in services, from childcare to postpartum needs, with the goal to improve year-round community services in the long run. The survey, called the “Maternal Child and Family Health Assessment,” is spearheaded by Martha…
Politics
Bus union pauses strike plan, calls for administrator’s resignation
As Vineyard Transit Authority (VTA) buses continue to traverse Island roads even after the contract for unionized drivers expired, the looming threat of a strike has been put on pause as the two sides make their cases to Island officials. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1548, the union that represents local VTA drivers, announced on July…
Cops and Courts
Father dies trying to save two sons in Long Point’s rip current
Updated August 5, 12:49 pm. A 55-year-old Cambridge man died after getting caught in a strong rip current 100 yards off the beach at Long Point Wildlife Refuge Friday, the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office told The Times Monday. A sunny day on the beach with his wife and two teenage sons turned to…
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 announces schedule changes for fireworks, road race
The Steamship Authority (SSA) announced Monday afternoon that there will be upcoming service changes due to events in Falmouth and Oak Bluffs starting Sunday. Falmouth Road Race The first of these events is the Falmouth Road Race, scheduled to be held on Sunday, Aug. 16 that “severely affects operations on the Vineyard route,” according to…
Opinion
Housing bank will negatively impact Martha’s Vineyard
To the Editor: I just read the article on the Housing Bank bill that failed to pass in the State legislature. Sen. Julian Cyr has it wrong in creating a…
Useless stop signs at Woods Hole SSA exit lead to daily dangerous encounters
To the Editor: In Woods Hole on the morning of July 31, I drove down Luscomb Road and turned onto Railroad Avenue just as vehicles were offloading the ferry from…
Public safety without permanent surveillance
To the Editor: I am writing regarding the proposal to install a police camera on Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs. I understand Chief Jonathan Searle’s desire to improve public safety,…
