News
The changing economy is wreaking minor havoc with school enrollment projections for the next five years.
Student enrollment on the Vineyard is now projected to remain roughly level through 2013, according to a recent report from the New England School Development Council (NESDEC).
The new report contradicts last year’s figures which pointed to a steady decade-long downward trend, and were used in mid-term budget planning by Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School principal Steven Nixon.
Shenandoah, the graceful 108-foot topsail schooner that has long been a landmark in the Vineyard Haven harbor, is laid up at a Fairhaven shipyard, her majestic hull stripped bare and her ribs exposed as she undergoes extensive work to reverse a botched restoration job performed by a shipyard in Maine last year.
Robert Douglas, who is both captain and owner of the Shenandoah, has sued the Boothbay Harbor Shipyard for the apparently shoddy work that left his schooner taking on seawater last summer while she was filled with school children.
Citizen Police Academy
The Oak Bluffs police department will host its second annual citizen’s police academy this year. The academy gives ordinary citizens the chance to observe the daily operations of the police department. It will include training sessions with officers, discussions and an optional ride in the cruiser, trip to the firearms range ad marine patrol operation.
Applicants must be at least 18 years of age. The academy runs for eight weeks and begins in March.
The hand-carved sign formerly at the entrance of the Lambert’s Cove Inn and Restaurant in West Tisbury was stolen Saturday night or early Sunday morning, and the owners of the inn are offering a reward for the return of the custom-made marker, valued at $2,000.
Sophia Arrives
Rachel and Joseph Pancotti 3rd of Oak Bluffs announce the birth of a daughter, Sophia Courtney Pancotti, on Jan. 27 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Sophia weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces at birth.
Bridge Tourney Winners
Gail Farrish of Edgartown and David Donald of Vineyard Haven recently finished first at the Eastern Massachusetts Bridge Association sectional tournament. They won the stratified pairs event at the holiday sectional in Watertown.