Allen Whiting through the years B9
Thursday, June 11, 2026
Celebrating Island graduates C1
THE MARTHA’S VINEYARD TIMES
Volume 43, Issue No. 23
3 Sections
Feds cut global oceanobserving network
Price $1.00
Amid future data loss, two Menemsha fishermen join national effort to collect bottom-water temperature. HAYLEY DUFFY
T
HARRIS ALLEN
Price tag: $49,000,000!
he federal government’s new plans to dismantle a deep-sea system worth hundreds of millions of dollars means weather forecasts, which any New Englander knows are already unpredictable, may become even more so. As the scientific world reels from the loss of years of future data on the goings-ons of the ocean, two Menemsha fishermen joined an effort last week that could provide an alternative for at least some of the data that have evaporated as a result of deep cuts to the federal program and the literal disassembling of the infrastructure that supported it. The disbanded network of more than 900 instruments at five arrays from around the world collected data for scientists to monitor and catalog the world’s oceans — from temperature to acidity to oxygen content to currents. It also allowed scientists for the past decade to freely study the public data to understand how the ocean absorbs greenhouse gases, acknowledge larger climate shifts, and make weather forecasts. Jim Edson, principal investigator of the system called the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) and a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), made the announcement in a letter on May 22. He said that as the infrastructure is recovered over the next 15 months from each array — the Pioneer Array in the Mid-Atlantic Bight, two arrays off the West Coast, one in the Irminger Sea, and another in the Gulf of Alaska Continued on A9
Edgartown property hits global market for a record asking price. BY EUNKI SEONWOO
A
coastal compound in Edgartown with sweeping views and a cluster of parcels for possible multigenerational living is making waves in the real estate industry this week, and if it goes for asking price, another real estate record for
the state would be set by the Vineyard. The property is named Great Point and located off 15 Forever Wild Way, facing the south coast of the Island in Edgartown. The 8,994-square-foot property has 12 bedrooms on a 31.59-acre lot near Edgartown
Great Pond, and is for sale at $49 million. Properties at the highest end of the market on Martha’s Vineyard are continuing to draw global interest, according to real estate experts, a reality that defies the Continued on A8
Lots to celebrate Unstoppable girls’ tennis is headed to the finals With the World Cup and the nation’s 250th birthday, a new state law could extend drinking hours. BY SARAH SHAW DAWSON
B
ars and restaurants across the Island are gearing up for big summer crowds that may be made even bigger by the World Cup and America’s 250th birthday party. This Friday, Team USA will play its opener in the World Cup against Paraguay at Boston’s Gillette Stadium, and Brazil will face off against Morocco on Saturday, a game that is expected to have heavy viewership at bars and outdoor grills among the Brazilian community. With the national celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, larger crowds than usual are expected to land here on the Island. All of these events will bring out patrons to bars, and a new opt-in legislation that was signed into law Monday by Gov. Maura Healey could allow down-Island towns to enact a later last call. The legislative move Continued on A8
The Vineyarders have a chance to avenge last year’s championship loss against Dover-Sherborn. BY NICHOLAS VUKOTA
H
eavy winds and a hot sun were the backdrop of the semifinals match between the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School girls’ varsity tennis team and Weston High School on Tuesday. The game gathered a large assemblage of Vineyard families and fans, on the boat, across the Vineyard Sound, and to Falmouth High School, where the first serve started at 3:30 pm — and it didn’t take long for that 45-minute ferry to be worth it, as two Vineyard athletes secured quick wins and put third singles player Josie Smith only a few points away from advancing the Vineyarders to the state finals. Smith secured the win 7–5, 6–1, and the Island’s girls’ tennis program defeated Weston High School 5–0 in the semifinals of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Division 3 state tournament. The team got there by defeating Wilmington High School, 4–1, in the Continued on A1
Charlotte Marshard looks back at a desperate return.
NICHOLAS VUKOTA © 2026
8
08805 93096
2