Sam Bungey
On a raid of Vineyard thrift shops Mariaclara Zazzaro, 24, carries a toolkit with gaffer’s tape, an X-Acto knife, fishing line, a paint kit, glue, and Streaks And Tips hair dye. She already owns two banker’s lamps, the production designer’s favorite prop.
Proposed fare raises from the new owner of the Chappaquiddick ferry have drawn complaints from dozens of residents.
Peter Wells has asked permission from selectmen to raise cash prices for round-trip journeys from $3 to $4 for foot passengers and from $10 to $12 for cars.
To date 35 letters against the proposed hikes have come into the Edgartown selectmen’s office from the sparsely populated island.
The 527-foot trip, which generally takes between one and two minutes, is the only way on and off the island for most residents.
High housing costs and new federal certification requirements have led to teacher shortages at Island schools. Staffing problems are currently limited to the subject areas of math, computers, special education and foreign languages, but school leaders are nevertheless worried and taking steps to address the problem.
At a meeting of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School District Committee last week, Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss announced a concerted effort to address the lack of interest for prospective teachers at the high school.
Margaret Serpa held on her seat as Edgartown selectman yesterday evening, beating out challenger Bob Fynbo 504-397 votes in the closest contest for selectman in more than 25 years.
A total of 915 voters turned out, 31 per cent of the 2977 registered voters, on one of the first full days of sunshine this year.
There was a palpable pre-meeting giddiness to Edgartown voters as they filed into the Old Whaling Church to pass a $25 million budget in under three hours Tuesday evening. In this town’s recent past, the thrill of participating in the democratic process at annual town meetings has not been marred by drawn-out floor debates or consecutive nights of warrant reading.
F rom behind a closed door, and to the untrained ear of a reporter, it sounds like The Omen soundtrack. In fact, the Island Community Chorus is rehearsing an aria from Felix Mendelssohn’s Elijah, the most ambitious piece director Peter Boak’s choir has attempted in its 11-year history.
“The fire descends from heaven!” calls the director. The assembled hundred-or-so altos, basses and sopranos, blast the line around the back room of the Performing Arts Centre.