All articles tagged with #marthas vineyard
Mass General Brigham’s Martha’s Vineyard Hospital will enroll up to 300 island residents who have been bitten by a lone-star tick in a two-year study to understand which people develop alpha-gal syndrome, what risk factors exist, and how the immune system changes over time, with hopes of informing diagnosis, prevention and potential treatments.
Carly Simon, 83, releases Comes in Waves, her first album of original songs in 18 years, a moving late-career triumph that blends intimate storytelling with defiant, melodic songwriting. Recorded mainly on Martha's Vineyard with close collaborators and her children, the collection spans grief, forgiveness, love and resilience, while acknowledging Simon's recent health battles (Parkinson's disease and basal cell carcinoma surgery).
Black celebrities and industry figures have converged on Martha’s Vineyard for the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, attending screenings, panels, and lavish events; notable attendees include Ruth E. Carter, Floyd A.B. Rance III, Courtney B. Vance, LeToya Luckett, Lonnie Ali, Joy Reid and DeSean Jackson, among many others as the festival runs this summer.
Long Point Wildlife Refuge beaches on Martha's Vineyard were closed Sunday after a swimmer was pulled from the water and transported to Martha's Vineyard Hospital with unknown condition; reservations will be refunded and officials expect the beaches to reopen Monday, following closures on Friday and Saturday.
Vineyard epidemiologist Lea Hamner and clinician Aubrey Stimola Ryan attended the nation’s first Alpha-gal Syndrome conference in Raleigh to discuss Martha’s Vineyard’s rising tick-borne allergy, highlight an islandwide prevention-and-treatment effort (including a future tick clinic and deer-management), and note that while reporting, labeling, and national coordination will improve, a medical cure remains distant and prevention hinges on avoiding bites and using permethrin-treated clothing.
Ticks and tick-borne illnesses are rising on Martha’s Vineyard, prompting healthcare workers to emphasize prevention and balanced public messaging to avoid scaring away visitors. The community, including the Chamber of Commerce and local restaurants, is adapting with tick-prevention practices, alpha-gal-safe menus, and education programs to keep tourism and daily life safe and sustainable.
Lone-star ticks carrying alpha-gal syndrome have surged on Martha’s Vineyard, turning red meat, dairy and some medicines into potential triggers for residents. The island is adapting with dietary changes, new local services like the Tick Center, debates over tick control methods, and ongoing research, as experts warn this tick-borne allergy could spread beyond the island and become more common mainland-wide.
After JFK Jr., Carolyn Bessette, and Lauren Bessette died in a 1999 plane crash, their families chose cremation and a sea burial off Martha’s Vineyard so the sisters could stay together. The ashes were scattered a day after recovery, a decision documented in the Hulu limited series Love Story and met with mixed reactions, including criticism from JFK Jr.’s nephew.
Aviation analyst Kyle Bailey, the last person to see JFK Jr. alive, says Kennedy’s doomed night flight off Martha’s Vineyard was hampered by hazy, hot, humid conditions and darkness, raising the risk of spatial disorientation and a so‑called ‘graveyard spiral.’ Bailey canceled his own flight earlier that day due to weather, but Kennedy proceeded in a Piper Saratoga with limited night experience and possibly without an instructor. The tragedy, later attributed by the NTSB to the pilot’s loss of control over water at night amid haze and darkness, ended with the plane crashing into the Atlantic and the passengers’ deaths.
A newly released DOJ document contains the first known photo showing Prince Andrew, Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein together, likely taken in Martha's Vineyard around 1999–2000; the image does not imply wrongdoing. Both Andrew and Mandelson have faced misconduct investigations over Epstein ties, and the broader Epstein saga—his 2019 death and Maxwell's sentence—frames the ongoing public record.
A Rolling Stone profile of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s time on Cape Cod shows Hyannis Port as their quiet home base, where Carolyn loved visiting the Kennedy Compound, hosted dinners with New York friends, and considered the Cape a calmer alternative to Palm Beach; John and Carolyn discussed future plans, including expanding the Hyannis Port home, with John proposing on Martha’s Vineyard. The piece also notes differences from the Love Story portrayal and ends with the couple’s tragic 1999 plane crash.
Gov. Maura Healey partially lifts the blizzard state of emergency for Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties, while the emergency remains in effect elsewhere. The travel ban is extended to Dukes County (Martha’s Vineyard) in addition to Bristol, Plymouth and Barnstable. An extra 150 Massachusetts National Guard members are activated for storm response, and non-emergency state employees are advised not to report to work on Feb. 24; numerous exemptions apply for essential personnel and critical operations.
Grammy-nominated musician John Forté, known for helping shape the Fugees’ hit The Score, has died at age 50 at his home in Chilmark, Massachusetts; there is no readily identified cause of death, and the medical examiner is investigating. Forté rose from Brooklyn poverty to musical prominence, later serving 14 years in federal prison for aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute cocaine before receiving clemency from President George W. Bush in 2008. After his release, he continued making music and scoring films, built a family on Martha’s Vineyard, and remained connected to the Fugees as tributes poured in from former collaborators like Wyclef Jean.
Belle Burden recounts in a Modern Love interview how her seemingly flawless 20‑year marriage collapsed in March 2020 when her husband abruptly left after an affair, during Covid lockdown in Martha’s Vineyard. She later published a candid essay and a forthcoming memoir, Strangers, detailing the upheaval, telling their three children, navigating a divided social circle, and pursuing 50-50 custody despite pushback. Burden describes the complex emotions of being discarded by both her husband and an insular elite community, choosing honesty over discreet silence, reclaiming her identity by reverting to her maiden name, and confronting the mystery of why the marriage ended as she encounters her ex at the end. The interview also highlights readers’ and strangers’ responses, and the ongoing challenge of understanding a spouse who won’t explain the “switch” that flipped.
Grammy-nominated recording artist John Forté died suddenly at his Chilmark home on Martha’s Vineyard at age 50; the cause is not yet known and authorities say there is no foul play. Forté was a beloved Island musician who contributed to The Fugees’ The Score, collaborated with Carly Simon and Ben Taylor, and recently scored HBO’s Eyes on the Prize, leaving behind two young children and a close-knit creative community.