news A9
December 24, 2025
The year in review Offshore wind makes waves
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ne of the biggest stories for the Island this year — and many years to come — is offshore wind. From the very beginning of this year, it has felt like the industry itself is twisting in the wind. On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump issued an executive memorandum that directed federal agencies to suspend all new leases for wind projects before a large assessment of the approval process. That same day, the then–acting secretary of the interior issued a written order that suspended for 60 days (a period that’s long passed) the authority for federal agencies to issue wind approvals. An eddy of stop-work orders and lawsuits from the federal administration, stemming from Trump’s initial memorandum, have marred the industry that promises alternative energy in an age of increasing electricity demand. But a few weeks ago, a federal judge overturned that action by the acting secretary, and ruled in favor of a lawsuit by Massachusetts and several other states that challenged the current administration. The ruling doesn’t guarantee the authorization of new projects but says federal agencies have to go through the approval process, affirming the rights of states and developers and
potentially creating a path for new wind projects to move forward. Though the nine wind farms currently planned for off the coast of the Vineyard — all of which are in different stages, from finished to under construction to not fully permitted, and some even wrapped up in legal turmoil from the federal government — are in federal waters, impacts on the viewshed, fisheries, and electricity bills are points of contention for some Islanders. The Island’s only commu-
JENNETTE BARNES CAI
The Vineyard Wind 1 turbine that suffered a blade break in July 2024 and has since been replaced.
nity benefits agreement with any offshore wind farm was made public this summer, a decade after it was signed. The publication of the agreement, which exchanges on-Island benefits for support of the Vineyard Wind 1 project, was called into question for having a conflict of interest as well as not affording the Island many protections. And so on the Island, there’s also been some activity in the offshore wind realm — albeit not as much as on Nantucket, where the town settled with manufacturer GE Vernova and received a $10.5 million payout after a blade broke at Vineyard Wind 1, as well as created a new agreement with the developers of that wind farm in demand of better accountability and communication. In light of Nantucket’s firm hand and publication of the agreement, town officials on the Vineyard are now contemplating whether or not they want their own agreements, which could include a framework for more accountability from Vineyard Wind developers. They have plans to sit down with Vineyard Wind officials in the new year, but another curveball was thrown Dec. 22 when federal officals announced a pause of all offshore wind leases. See A1.
Island’s benefits agreement with Vineyard Wind made public: mvtimes.com/2025/08/14/islands-benefits-agreementvineyard-wind-made-public/
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his year wasn’t an easy one on the Island, from federal cuts felt by local nonprofits and public health officials, to an ICE operation that detained at least 20 people, to the football team’s beloved Island Cup’s being canceled. Even still, there was good news, like when Islanders stepped up, as they always do, and donated food to neighbors facing food insecurity, girls soccer won their league championship, and the 50th anniversary of “Jaws” manifested itself across the Island. We picked 12 coverage areas that we felt encapsulated the biggest stories of this year to round out 2025.
The year of the tick
t was the New York Times that said this summer on Martha’s Vineyard was the summer of the tick, not of the shark (i.e., “Jaws”) as most people predicted. But Islanders know that ticks didn’t take over only between June and August, and they didn’t take over only this year. No, Islanders have lived with and through the fear of ticks for what feels like forever. The big news these days is the recent surge of alpha-gal syndrome, a relatively new but severe allergy to meat and dairy that can be developed from a lone star tick bite. Experts say the lone star ticks and the spectre of alpha-gal have exacerbated the crisis beyond the more familiar but equally dreaded tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease. And it wasn’t just a problem on the Island. The country learned about alphagal when a national alarm sounded, after the death of a man in New Jersey became the first well-documented fatality in the U.S. following an alpha-gal-related allergic reaction to food. There is a small but mighty team of experts that work on the issue of ticks and tick-borne conditions, from public health officials Betsy VanLandingham and Lea Hamner to wildlife biologist Patrick RodenReyonds — but due to federal cuts, funding for some of their work was up in the air this year. Recently, a local community member started a fundraiser for Hamner, who is contracted to work
ELLA MUNNELLY
Brian Athearn, who has alpha-gal but continues to hunt deer, demonstrates saddle hunting in West Tisbury.
only eight hours a week for the Island, and as of midDecember, the GoFundMe has raised almost $25,000. Not only did the hospital report an increase in tick-related visits to the emergency room this summer as well as a rise in the number of both alpha-gal tests and positives, but new data collected from Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and public health officials indicated just how severe the tick crisis is on the Island, as well as how Dukes County stacks up against the rest of the state in terms of confirmed and probable cases of multiple tick-borne infections. To no one’s surprise, infections occur here at a much higher rate than in the rest of the state. But a new nonprofit was launched in December called Tick Free MV, bringing together tick experts, medical
professionals, public health officials, and concerned Islanders to try to help the problem. The main goal is to target the abundant deer population, a frequent host for ticks, and reduce the prevalence of tick-borne conditions on the Island. We also wrote about hunters on the Island, some of whom suffer from alpha-gal and can’t eat the venison they glean but are still part of an offensive to reduce the tick-carrying deer population. About a week after the launch of Tick Free MV, the first organization convening on the issue, state officials came to the Island for an information and coordination meeting regarding ticks and deer. The same day, the state announced the decision to expand the hunting season into February, as well as in September.
Stepping up an offensive on ticks mvtimes.com/2025/12/11/stepping-offensive-ticks/
Fifty years of ‘Jaws’: The Vineyard celebrates a half-century in the spotlight
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ove it or hate it, a 27-year-old director’s shark-themed thriller shifted the Island’s economy and status in the world. Steven Spielberg was a rookie when the “Jaws” production team descended on the Island in 1974, and we have arguably never been the same. From locals’ experience as part of the shooting, to the reflected glory we’ve been given by the movie’s perennial adoration, to the economy-boosting exaltation of All Things “Jaws,” Whenever Possible, it’s nearly impossible for locals to contemplate the movie
without contemplating our relationship to it. Over the course of the summer, and most especially during one overstuffed week in June, Martha’s Vineyard embraced the 50th anniversary of the movie’s release. There were guided and self-guided tours, behindthe-scenes looks at the film with Islanders who appeared as extras, a scientific talk about the impact the film had on sharks, the premiere
of National Geographic’s documentary “Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story,” a series of author talks at Edgartown Books, a comprehensive exhibit at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, and a screening of the film accompanied by a live orchestra at the Winnetu. Hotels and restaurants were overbooked, and “Jaws”-themed tchotchkes of all sorts flew off local shelves.
Island gears up for ‘Jaws’ 50th: mvtimes.com/ 2025/06/18/island-gears-jaws-50th/
DENA PORTER
“Jaws” fanatics attended a screening of the film with orchestra accompaniment at the Winnetu Oceanside Resort in June.