As Sophomores Turn to Juniors

Rescue This Old House

So the Chilmark historical district commission has given an eighteenth century home — one of just a couple of dozen structures existing on the Island from before the American Revolution ­— six months to live. Inspiring stories abound of patients who beat the odds in doctors’ death sentences, and so too perhaps can houses, provided they have strong advocates.

Pedal Politics

Summer Conversation

There are different ways to mark the beginning of summer. By the calendar it begins on the solstice Sunday. Then there are all the other small ways that signal the start of the season. At the Gazette office in Edgartown loyal subscribers to the newspaper have begun to drop in, to change their addresses so the paper can be delivered here, to say hello, perhaps comment on the latest news, ask about how our winter was on the Island.

Long and cold, deliciously quiet, sometimes a little too quiet, we reply.

Summer On the Horizon

It certainly has been slow to arrive by the weather, which has been stubbornly cool and rainy this year; nevertheless summer has its official start this coming weekend with the solstice. And so we turn to the late nature writer Hal Borland, who wrote this about summer:

“Summer is considerably more than a solstice and the slow diminishing of daylight’s span in the annual march from spring to fall.

Tragedy Strikes at Home

The statistics paint a stark picture. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among fifteen to twenty-two-year-olds. And the already high odds of a teenage driver having an accident are highest in the summer months, when teens spend many more hours driving each week than during the school year.