Go Vineyarders?
What is a Vineyarder? What else comes to mind, aside from rows upon rows of grapevines ready to be made into wine across the landscape? What does the Vineyard represent, and what represents the...
Primary care available at Martha’s Vineyard Medical
To the Editor:
Sarah Shaw Dawson’s article on rising health insurance costs captured an important challenge facing many Islanders. However, I want to address a statement in the piece that deserves clarification.
The article states that...
A message from the SSA general manager
To the Editor:
As many of you know, the Steamship Authority is implementing a new reservation system as part of its True North Initiative and in partnership with E-Dea, a leading global ferry reservation provider....
To the unsung heroes of the storm
During the day and into the night, trucks barreled through Vineyard roads to plow slippery roads after heavy amounts of snow fell on the Island, the most it’s seen in years. From town employees...
Bunch of greatness
To the Editor:
It’s Dec. 12, 2025. A cold and blustery day. My sister Jenifer Stockdale was having a book signing for her book, “Trigger,” at the Bunch of Grapes. They moved from the old...
Fight the waitlist changes
To the Editor:
To the powers that be at the Steamship Authority: Please listen to the public outcry from Islanders regarding the proposed changes to the reservation and waitlist system. If you are, as you...
Counting blessings
To the Editor:
I have a really strong memory of Dorothy Poole, my grammar school teacher at Menemsha School, making a strong statement that our country is a "melting pot" of people from all over...
A heartfelt thanks to local police and hospital staff
To the Editor:
As last weekend’s winter storm swept across Martha’s Vineyard, our hospital — like so many essential services on the Island — depended on people showing up for one another so patients could...
Ferry availability for Islanders needs improvement
To the Editor:
Vineyarders cannot plan a necessary off-Island event such as essential meetings, family needs, or work obligations months in advance. Yet by the time we know we must travel, ferry reservations are already...
New SSA chief must beware the tides
Everyone who lives on the Island knows that the tidal shifts, particularly during a storm, can often be treacherous. The new Steamship Authority general manager should be studying this phenomenon as he steps into...
Now is the time to share your story — our democracy depends on it
At kitchen tables and classrooms, in research institutions and doctors’ offices, our residents are feeling the consequences of decisions being made far beyond our state lines. On the other side of every cruel or...
Denaturalization in wake of cruelty
Last May, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained and removed several undocumented immigrants from the Island. It is inevitable that they will do so again, this time to possibly even seek naturalized...
Don’t take away ferry waitlist
To the Editor:
I read that the current waitlist program is set to be dismantled due to potential new software constraints. As a 30-year resident on the Island, I beg the Steamship to please find...
State forest plan is premature
To the Editor:
This letter was also sent to Tori Kim, director of the MEPA (Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act) Office.
To willfully destroy the white pine forest without producing the science-based data describing in detail the...
Thank you from Red Stocking Fund
To the Editor:
To our Martha’s Vineyard community — near, far, and everywhere in between — the Red Stocking Fund is overflowing with gratitude for your incredible generosity. Thanks to your kindness, holiday spirit, and...
Steamship Authority’s newest freight ferries need review
To the Editor:
On the heels of the Office of Inspector General’s report, we need to turn our focus to the mismanagement of the spend on the three offshore supply vessels (the Aquinnah, the Barnstable,...
Thank you and see you soon
Well, I broke my own rule … If you’ve ever worked at Mocha Mott’s, you know the first rule of Mott’s is there’s no crying at Mocha Mott’s. I expected the closing of our...
A new year’s resolution we can share
How are your new year’s resolutions holding up? This is right about the time when we might need to be reminded of the grand promises we made to ourselves and loved ones. So are...
‘If a tree falls in the forest, there are other trees listening’
In a canopy of trees, the branches often make space for one another, letting in sunlight and allowing new growth. Leaves and limbs make way for slight gaps in the blue skylines of spring...
Manuel F. Correllus State Forest advisory opinion: How well advised?
In her advisory opinion of Dec. 26, Tori Kim, director of the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Office, determined that there is no need for an environmental impact report (EIR) prior to execution of...