Firearms: Prospects for change
In the aftermath of hundreds of thousands of marchers throughout the nation demanding new gun control measures after the horrifying February event in Parkland, Fla., what can we expect from Congress and state legislatures?
Congress...
Barbara Bush sets example for making end-of-life choices
Barbara Bush, who died on April 16, has made a great contribution to all Americans — and especially elders and their families — by publicly talking about and making clear her decision to choose...
West Tisbury selectmen justify override request
While there are no contested offices in this year’s annual town election, the town of West Tisbury will — for the first time in 14 years (2004) — need to turn to its voters...
A look at why $400,000 override is needed
This year’s West Tisbury warrant seeks your approval of $19.8 million in appropriations. The tax levy amount is $400,000 more than the maximum amount allowed by law. Therefore, you are also being asked to...
The court, the First Amendment, and Island life
Three current Supreme Court cases that the justices are just now considering could have an impact on Vineyarders and visitors to the Island. They all have to do with the First Amendment, which, among...
Solar is under attack
For years Massachusetts has proudly led our nation’s growing solar energy economy, harnessing local sunshine and local innovation to create jobs and lower energy bills in communities across the commonwealth. But today that leadership...
Massachusetts needs to pass gun control
Gun violence is an epidemic that plagues our communities, and takes the lives of so many of our citizens, including our children. At the time of the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School...
An update on surgery, and taking aim at gun violence
By Dylan Fernandes
Right before Christmas, I underwent a six-hour surgery to remove a foot-and-half-long and nearly three-pound benign tumor from my left thigh. I would be missing public events for several weeks, so although...
In polarized times, clean energy is what unites us
With today’s political climate in Washington, D.C., so polarized, it may seem like liberals and conservatives have hardly anything in common. But there’s at least one point on which the overwhelming majority of residents...
Offshore oil and gas drilling: The Vineyard fear
With the ongoing controversy over President Trump’s remarks about immigration concerning Haiti and Africa, let’s not ignore the Trump administration’s Jan. 4 decision to allow offshore oil and gas exploration along the American coastline,...
The little school that could
Morning meeting at the Martha’s Vineyard Charter School was particularly charged on Tuesday. Led by the students, the nearly 180 kids, faculty, and parents crowded in and hugged and cheered. The normal celebrations of...
Martin Luther King Jr.: Don’t let his sacrifice be for naught
Back in the 1960s when Martin Luther King Jr. was visiting the Island, my Aunt Dorothy came banging on my door. Dr. King was staying on New York Avenue. opposite DeBettencourt’s garage. She had...
Tax reform for whom?
The tax reform package making its way through Congress will have a mixed impact on Island residents. The House passed its version on Nov. 16, the Senate in the early hours of Dec. 2....
Fence is best way to protect Trade Wind
I have considered, and analyzed, the public input received at the most recent Town Advisory Board (TAB) meeting regarding the Trade Wind fence. I shared my analysis with the Land Bank Commission; commissioners have...
Why taxis need help in their competition with Uber and Lyft
It has been one week since the Times article discussing our all-Island selectmen’s meeting of Oct. 12, discussing the future of taxis on Martha’s Vineyard, and the response has been vibrant and polarized.
We hear...
Community wants to play role in hospital’s future
Dear fellow residents of Martha’s Vineyard:
How decisions are made about our hospital; how it responds to our health needs; and how it listens to and communicates with Island residents are current topics of conversation...
On immigrants, refugees, and other travelers
With the House of Representatives now in its August recess and the Senate soon to follow once it deals with some unfinished business, it is appropriate to review the status of the Trump administration’s...
The Trump rule rollback
Unless the Republican-led Congress can pass a repeal-and-replace healthcare law by its August break, President Trump will have had no legislative victories since he took office on Jan. 20. His sole Senate success was...
The Trump administration, climate, and Massachusetts
President Trump’s June 1 decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement on climate change overshadows several steps Washington has already taken concerning recent environmental reforms.
The Paris accord is a voluntary and nonbinding agreement. The...
Woodin firing was ‘difficult decision’
By Timothy Sweet
Following extensive consideration and discussion, the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital board of trustees voted this morning to terminate the employment of Joseph Woodin as president and CEO of the hospital. This difficult decision...