Vineyard Haven

A Martha's Vineyard man already facing child rape charges has been indicted for allegedly trying to hire someone to kill a prosecutor and his alleged victim. David L. Thrift Jr. of Vineyard Haven is charged with two counts of solicitation to commit a felony for allegedly asking a fellow inmate to kill a prosecutor from the Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office and the girl he allegedly raped. The Essex District Attorney's office is handling the case because his alleged attempt to have a prosecutor killed could present a conflict of interest.

A Martha's Vineyard man already facing child rape charges has been indicted for allegedly trying to hire someone to kill a prosecutor and his alleged victim. David L. Thrift Jr. of Vineyard Haven is charged with two counts of solicitation to commit a felony for allegedly asking a fellow inmate to kill a prosecutor from the Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office and the girl he allegedly raped. The Essex District Attorney's office is handling the case because his alleged attempt to have a prosecutor killed could present a conflict of interest.

"SNL" anchorman Seth Meyers and his girlfriend Alexi Ashe stopped by Irie Bites, the new Jamaican-themed food truck co-owned by Peter Tosh 's widow Melody Cunningham and Willie Simon , son of photographer Peter Simon . The truck is parked in Vineyard Haven.

WEST TISBURY - The lull of March on Martha's Vineyard, an oasis of calm before the frenzy of summer, has been shattered by three sudden and disturbing deaths within the last week. For islanders unaccustomed to such a spasm of tragedy, the deaths have been a jarring reminder that the Vineyard is not immune to mainland worries. "Certainly, we feel somewhat protected, and we're not," said Jennifer Rand, the West Tisbury town administrator. "It's a big deal. " On Friday, a West Tisbury woman was shot in the leg by her estranged husband; he then died from a gunshot, authorities said.

Cape and Islands Whale Trail 508-744-6780 More than 60 painted whales are distributed throughout Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. There are "pods" in Buzzards Bay, Sandwich, Falmouth, Barnstable, Hyannis, Yarmouth, Chatham, Orleans, Provincetown, and Vineyard Haven, and several other single whales. Free. To bid online for a whale, print locator maps, or get information on artists, go to www.capeandislandswhaletrail.com. The whales will be auctioned Sept.

VINEYARD HAVEN - When President Obama took his first trip to Martha's Vineyard after taking office, the excitement among locals here was palpable, from the signs of support strung across shop windows and front porches to a full-page newspaper ad taken out by 125 Vineyard grandmothers in support of his health care plan. This week, with the jobless rate stuck above 9 percent and the president's nationwide approval rating at its lowest level, the Vineyard's broad allegiance shows cracks, leaving some islanders with a more textured, even tormented feeling about...

WEST TISBURY - The lull of March on Martha's Vineyard, an oasis of calm before the frenzy of summer, has been shattered by three sudden and disturbing deaths within the last week. For islanders unaccustomed to such a spasm of tragedy, the deaths have been a jarring reminder that the Vineyard is not immune to mainland worries. "Certainly, we feel somewhat protected, and we're not," said Jennifer Rand, the West Tisbury town administrator. "It's a big deal. " On Friday, a West Tisbury woman was shot in the leg by her estranged husband; he then died from a...

Money was no object at the fund-raiser for the Vineyard Playhouse either. Efforts to renovate the historic little building in Vineyard Haven got a boost when the well-heeled crowd at the playhouse's annual summer gala raised over $350,000. "It was a magical night," said artistic director M.J. Bruder Munafo . "Never in our wildest imagination did we think this would happen. " Car king Ernie Boch Jr. certainly did his part, pledging to match donations up to $100,000, and Jim and Susan Swartz of Edgartown pledged an additional $100,000.

VINEYARD HAVEN - A framed photograph on the third-floor landing of Mansion House shows a proud fisherman holding a huge striped bass, next to a curly-haired little girl obviously basking in her father's reflected glory. Today that little girl is the inn's assistant general manager. Nili Beth Goldstein told us she tried to leave, but the call of the island was too strong. After earning a degree at Brandeis University in Waltham, she came back to Martha's Vineyard to help her parents, Sherman and Susan Goldstein, run the inn. That sense of family and...

WEST TISBURY -- One of life's pleasures is sitting on the porch at Alley's General Store in this bucolic town on Martha's Vineyard, sipping coffee and reading the Sunday papers as island life goes by. With its horse -crossing signs and stone-walled rural landscapes, West Tisbury is a world apart from the populous " down- island" centers of Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs, and Edgartown. No chintzy souvenir and charm bracelet shops here. No overflowing bars (it's a dry town) or crowded ferry docks.

Because President Obama has been vacationing on Martha's Vineyard this week, designer Lorraine Parish decided to have a little fun with the window display at her Vineyard Haven shop. Parish put the faces of several first ladies on mannequins, and then dressed them consistent with each woman's personal style. "I played with Barbies when I was a kid, and I guess I still am," said Parish, who has been on the island for 31 years. "These women are becoming real to me. They're my girls, and I'm dressing them.

VINEYARD HAVEN - When President Obama took his first trip to Martha's Vineyard after taking office, the excitement among locals here was palpable, from the signs of support strung across shop windows and front porches to a full-page newspaper ad taken out by 125 Vineyard grandmothers in support of his health care plan. This week, with the jobless rate stuck above 9 percent and the president's nationwide approval rating at its lowest level, the Vineyard's broad allegiance shows cracks, leaving some islanders with a more textured, even...

"SNL" anchorman Seth Meyers and his girlfriend Alexi Ashe stopped by Irie Bites, the new Jamaican-themed food truck co-owned by Peter Tosh 's widow Melody Cunningham and Willie Simon , son of photographer Peter Simon . The truck is parked in Vineyard Haven.

Money was no object at the fund-raiser for the Vineyard Playhouse either. Efforts to renovate the historic little building in Vineyard Haven got a boost when the well-heeled crowd at the playhouse's annual summer gala raised over $350,000. "It was a magical night," said artistic director M.J. Bruder Munafo . "Never in our wildest imagination did we think this would happen. " Car king Ernie Boch Jr. certainly did his part, pledging to match donations up to $100,000, and Jim and Susan Swartz of Edgartown pledged an additional...

VINEYARD HAVEN - The man at the wheel of the idling sedan was delivering a play-by-play of the traffic tie-up to a friend standing nearby. “They’re trying to back out for the third time now,’’ he said of the driver of a car with New Jersey plates grappling with the logistics of Main Street, a one-way, angled-parking affair. It was a Saturday in late June, and the invasion of the ferry people was in full swing. The guy in the sedan was now riffing on his capacity for patience, which is tested when Martha’s Vineyard’s...

VINEYARD HAVEN - A framed photograph on the third-floor landing of Mansion House shows a proud fisherman holding a huge striped bass, next to a curly-haired little girl obviously basking in her father's reflected glory. Today that little girl is the inn's assistant general manager. Nili Beth Goldstein told us she tried to leave, but the call of the island was too strong. After earning a degree at Brandeis University in Waltham, she came back to Martha's Vineyard to help her parents, Sherman and Susan Goldstein, run the inn. That sense of family and tradition is strong at...

VINEYARD HAVEN - The man at the wheel of the idling sedan was delivering a play-by-play of the traffic tie-up to a friend standing nearby. “They’re trying to back out for the third time now,’’ he said of the driver of a car with New Jersey plates grappling with the logistics of Main Street, a one-way, angled-parking affair. It was a Saturday in late June, and the invasion of the ferry people was in full swing. The guy in the sedan was now riffing on his capacity for patience, which is tested when Martha’s Vineyard’s population of roughly 15,000 for most of the year balloons...

Because President Obama has been vacationing on Martha's Vineyard this week, designer Lorraine Parish decided to have a little fun with the window display at her Vineyard Haven shop. Parish put the faces of several first ladies on mannequins, and then dressed them consistent with each woman's personal style. "I played with Barbies when I was a kid, and I guess I still am," said Parish, who has been on the island for 31 years. "These women are becoming real to me. They're my girls, and I'm dressing them.

Cape and Islands Whale Trail 508-744-6780 More than 60 painted whales are distributed throughout Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. There are "pods" in Buzzards Bay, Sandwich, Falmouth, Barnstable, Hyannis, Yarmouth, Chatham, Orleans, Provincetown, and Vineyard Haven, and several other single whales. Free. To bid online for a whale, print locator maps, or get information on artists, go to www.capeandislandswhaletrail.com. The whales will be auctioned Sept.

WEST TISBURY -- One of life's pleasures is sitting on the porch at Alley's General Store in this bucolic town on Martha's Vineyard, sipping coffee and reading the Sunday papers as island life goes by. With its horse -crossing signs and stone-walled rural landscapes, West Tisbury is a world apart from the populous " down- island" centers of Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs, and Edgartown. No chintzy souvenir and charm bracelet shops here. No overflowing bars (it's a dry town) or crowded ferry docks.