Housing threatens vital summer economy
The seasonal ebb and flow of Island life moves like the tides, a motion that is necessary to keep the local community afloat. But these days, the summer economy and the need for affordable housing feel more like an unpredictable crosscurrent that threatens the sustainability of the Island. Twenty thousand year-round Islanders live and work…
Empty Tisbury storefronts raise eminent domain question for voters
Vacant stores and darkened windows on Main Street in Vineyard Haven have become not only an eyesore for all and a lost business opportunity for the Island, they have also raised a persistent question that voters put to the candidates in a forum last week as Tisbury goes to the polls on Tuesday, May 12.…
UPS deliveries on hold, employees at wit’s end
At the local branch of the United Parcel Service (UPS) in Vineyard Haven, cardboard boxes and plastic packages are stacked nearly to the ceiling of the already cramped building. It’s the only UPS storefront on the Island, and the three employees who work there say they’re completely overrun and overworked, though they’re still showing up…
Chilmark takes a step in the Peaked Hills housing project
At her first meeting as a new Chilmark Select Board member on Tuesday, Rebecca Haag helped to push forward the stalled Peaked Hill Pastures, the first sign of movement for the affordable housing project in roughly a year. Haag, who was elected to the Chilmark Select Board last month, had requested that Peaked Hills be…
Experts: Deer sterilization won’t solve Island’s tick crisis
Updated May 6. A reduction of deer densities on the Island wouldn’t necessarily mean an immediate decrease in the amount of ticks, but any efforts could make other strategies, such as chemical treatments, managing other host populations, and other solutions currently in research much more efficient and effective. That’s what Martin Feehan, deer and moose…
ISland Life
‘A Season of Flowers’
Running a kitchen in alpha-gal times
This week’s print edition
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Environment
Charter School to hold Tick Bite Prevention Week
In response to a surge of deer ticks, dog ticks, and the increasingly aggressive lone star tick, the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School (MVPCS) will be hosting Tick Bite Prevention Week from May 4 to 8. Throughout the week, students will participate in hands-on, project-based learning designed to turn prevention strategies into everyday habits. Activities…
Health
Martha’s Vineyard Medical to launch Tick Center
A new medical initiative plans to expand care, especially through holistic approaches, to serve Islanders who experience health issues caused by ticks. Martha’s Vineyard Medical announced Tuesday that the practice will open the Tick Center, a specialty center for patients who suffer from tick-borne illnesses and alpha-gal syndrome, in May. The aim of the center…
Housing
MVC approves massive Green Villa project in split decision
The two-year saga of a controversial project has come to an end through the Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) after a narrowly split approval greenlit the largest housing development in the Island’s history. After around three and a half hours of deliberation on Thursday, April 30, the MVC voted 6-5-1 to approve Green Villa, a 116-unit…
Education
Ten young Islanders earn education and workforce scholarships
MVYouth announced Tuesday that the community fund has awarded nearly $600,000 to 10 local high school students for college, healthcare and education, and workforce development scholarships this year. “With the generous support of our donors, MVYouth has selected an excellent group of students each spring for the past 12 years. In this time, we have…
Politics
Juli Vanderhoop resigns from Dukes County Commission
Julianne “Juli” Vanderhoop of Aquinnah resigned her seat on the Dukes County Commission, a press release from the commission announced Wednesday. Vanderhoop, who is a member of the Wampanoag Tribe as well as on the Aquinnah Select Board, cited personal priorities as a reason for her resignation, according to the release. She told The Times…
Cops and Courts
Island resident sentenced in rape case; one detained by ICE
Two Brazilian nationals accused of child rape were convicted on Tuesday, April 7 at a Dukes County Superior Court hearing at the Edgartown Courthouse. One defendant, whose child rape charge was dismissed but was convicted on a lesser charge, was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as she left the…
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
The first 100 days
Summer is fast approaching the Vineyard. The lead-up to the tourism season is well underway as summer residents return to open their homes and visitors are steadily increasing. The Island, which will see its population surge from 20,000 year-round to more than 100,000 during July and August, is bracing for the onslaught of summer. At…
