Martha's Vineyard Megan Dooley

Chappy Native Pens Kids’ Book, Talks About Growing Up Different

Megan Dooley | Thursday, December 17 2009 - 1:04pm

As a student at the Edgartown School, a counselor once told Chappaquiddick native Stephanie Duckworth-Elliott that she wouldn’t go to college, and implied that Ms. Duckworth-Elliott would not achieve in life. The young girl had a background and home life that already separated her from other kids her age — she was a member of the only Wampanoag family living on Chappy at the time, and raised primarily by her grandfather — and the counselor’s prediction made her feel even more detached from her peers.

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Trash Violations Create a Stink

Megan Dooley

By MEGAN DOOLEY

Aquinnah selectmen are warning residents to keep their household trash out of town dumpsters, and backing it up with a new $500 fine for violators.

A large, open dumpster at the West Basin intended primarily for fishermen has been regularly filled to the brim with household and commercial trash, said selectman and board chairman Camille Rose at a selectmen’s meeting yesterday morning. “It was overflowing,” she said.

Jaws Returns to Show Lives Shaped by Film

Megan Dooley

The U.S. Coast Guard issued an unprecedented warning to swimmers and boaters a week ago: beware of the great white shark.

Miniskirts to Masterpieces: Music Society Toasts 40 Years With World Premiere

Megan Dooley

Don’t bother looking for Delores Stevens this weekend. Starting Friday, she’ll be in rehearsal from morning to night, breaking only for meals and sleep.

She’ll be working on her piano part for Four Soliloquies, a piece of music commissioned by the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society to celebrates its 40th anniversary on the Island, and to honor the pianist, cellist and clarinetist that made up the Montagnana Trio, the musicians that launched the society now four decades ago.

Relic of World War II Ready For Replacement; But How?

Megan Dooley

In the fall of 1944, a hurricane swept through the Vineyard, hitting Katama and damaging beyond repair the two hangars used to service Katama Airfield. Out of scraps collected from the two destroyed structures, a group of Islanders fashioned a new hangar in 1945 to help get the tiny airpark up and running again. Almost as soon as it went up, the new structure was outdated, requiring renovation and repair to meet the needs of the airfield aviation team.

Aquinnah Voters Meet to Safeguard Flood Insurance

Megan Dooley

By MEGAN DOOLEY

In a blink-and-you-might-miss-it special town meeting Wednesday night, Aquinnah voters flew through seven warrant articles in under 20 minutes.

Voters approved an update to the town zoning bylaw, without which residents would have lost access to federal flood insurance on July 8.

The meeting was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in the old town hall building. When moderator Michael Hebert announced that the meeting had reached its quorum of 40 voters at 7:31 p.m., voters responded with clapping and cheering.

Minutes Sealed in Student Pot Case

Megan Dooley

School officials have refused to comment on student disciplinary appeals held during an executive session of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School district committee Monday night over the six-month exclusion of four high school students for drug infractions.

Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss said any decisions would be kept confidential. “These are student matters with minors, and we wouldn’t release that information,” he said. “Those minutes would be sealed.”