On a perfect morning, a time to remember
The intense clarity of the morning sky here on the Island yesterday reminded me of that moment in American history that changed everything on Sept. 11, 2001. On this 23rd anniversary, at 8 am,...
A message to students on the first day of school
It’s my hope that my grandchildren’s teachers, and lots of other teachers as well, will say something like this on the first day of school: “Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to school. I hope...
PETA remarks are cruel and callous
As a person who considers themselves empathic to the suffering of others, nonhuman included, I find PETA’s recent letter to The MV Times to be one of the most uninformed, ignorant, and honestly...
A message of gratitude from the Rappaport family
In the depths of sorrow, gratitude is one of the hardest things to cultivate. And yet, on the heels of losing our dad, husband, grandfather, brother, uncle, great-uncle, and father-in-law, Ron Rappaport, so unexpectedly...
1968 Redux: Islanders at the Chicago convention reflect on then and now, Part 2
Across the Island from Katama’s South Beach to the cliffs of Aquinnah, the flickering blue glow of television can be seen through the windows of homes late into the night recently as the whole...
1968 Redux: Islanders at the Chicago convention reflect on then and now
It is safe to say that many people here on the Island will be riveted next week, with the Democratic National Convention in Chicago where Vice President Kamala Harris is poised to accept the...
The Supreme Court term: winners and losers part two
In a major 2024 landmark decision, the Supreme Court undercut the authority of the federal administrative agencies in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. This decision will have a direct negative impact on Island residents...
The Supreme Court Term: winners and losers
With the closing of the 2023-2024 Supreme Court term, it is critically important for Vineyarders to know who came out on top and who did not. The biggest winner was the six-member conservative majority...
An open letter to the community regarding HarborWorks
Dear Island community,
A heartfelt thank you to so many of you who have offered your enthusiastic support for the Vineyard Lands for Our Community’s (VLC) ambitious proposal for HarborWorks. As a nonprofit organization, VLC...
Saying Goodbye
I am leaving, moving off-Island. For good. A new home, a new town, a new state. I have, in a sense, been voted off the Island by the myriad of issues and inconveniences so...
A study in contrasts: Two firearms cases
Island hunters and gun owners will be very interested in two cases the Supreme Court ruled on last month involving the possession of firearms. They had opposite outcomes.
One involved a 2018 Executive Order by...
HarborWorks and sailing into the future
The view from the publisher’s office of The Martha’s Vineyard Times looks out over the weathered, gray-shingled boatyard of the world-renowned Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway, and beyond that, the storied blue waters of...
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ‘is here to stay’
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is the brainchild of Elizabeth Warren. As a Harvard Law professor, she spearheaded the drive to protect consumers seeking credit to purchase a home or car, or anything...
Everyone should have access to treasured Chappy beaches
The natural splendor of the beaches on Chappaquiddick attracts swimmers, hikers, anglers, sunbathers, birdwatchers, and sunset — or sunrise — watchers. For generations, Martha’s Vineyard residents and visitors have come to these beaches seeking...
‘A Timely Issue’
The front page of the newspaper has yellowed into a sepia tone in the frame that hangs in my office overlooking Vineyard Haven Harbor, but the words feel like they are still unusually current....
The good, the bad, the sad: Newspapering for 40 years
Now, 40 years since its founding, The Martha’s Vineyard Times once again doubles down to its news-gathering overwatch on Islanders' behalf. And once again, although a new crowd is at the controls, the job...
Tortured Poets ‘Taylored’ for our needs?
And who’s going to hold you like me?
And who’s going to love you, if not me?
I laughed in your face and said,
"You’re not Dylan Thomas, I’m not Patti Smith"
This ain’t the Chelsea Hotel
We’re modern...
How to address a national crisis: Chronic absenteeism
American students are skipping school in record numbers, a crisis that is so acute that it became the lead story in The New York Times recently, as well as the subject of the Times’...
The migrants on the bridge: A follow-up
Anyone who casually follows the news knows that on March 26, a 984-foot container ship sailing under a Singaporean flag smashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, sending it into the Patapsco...
A moment of awe; a time for transformation
The moon moved slowly between the sun and earth, obscuring the light of the sun. The sky dimmed, and the temperature dropped. A strange dusk fell across Chilmark atop Peaked Hill, one of the...