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…
Spinning for a century and a half
The painted and hand-carved wooden horses and chariots at the oldest operating platform carousel in the country galloped into the 150th year of operation on Saturday, July 25, which also celebrates National Carousel Day, to fanfare and crowds. Colorful balloons and paper lanterns hung from the ceiling, and vibrant carousel music filled the iconic red…
Island Autism 5K shatters participation record
Music blared and spectators cheered during Island Autism’s annual 5K race on Saturday morning. The race, which was a joint effort with the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism and was sponsored by Vineyard Wealth Group, saw record-breaking enrollment this year. Kicking off at the West Tisbury School, more than 250 runners sprinted, jogged, and…
Bus driver union threatens strike
As negotiations proceed for a contract for Vineyard Transit Authority (VTA) bus drivers, the union representing these workers is threatening to call a strike to get better pay. On Friday, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1548 announced that its members, which include local VTA drivers, voted to potentially hold a strike if a satisfactory contract…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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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
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…
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
Tisbury sued for workplace retaliation allegations
A former Tisbury employee is suing the town over allegations of workforce retaliation with a complaint that is resurfacing conflict of interest questions over properties connected to an offshore wind developer. The complaint, filed in Dukes County Superior Court on Friday, seeks compensation for Amy Upton, former administrator of Tisbury Planning Board, over alleged retaliation,…
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…
