Be open to change
We’re in the midst of a housing crisis that’s exacerbated a worker shortage on the Island. So inevitably needed off-Island workers need to commute and thus match up work and ferry schedules. A crisis...
Let students make the rules
We’re well into August now, and Island teachers are feeling the familiar dread and excitement of a new school year. I suggest that educators spend the first few days easing into the school routine...
Back to zen
Islanders love yoga. Hot yoga. Vinyasa yoga. Restorative yoga. Goat yoga. Llama yoga. We have it all. Yoga is known to increase flexibility, improve muscle strength, help maintain a balanced metabolism, good for cardio...
Abortion and the right of locomotion
The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly guarantee the freedom of movement. Law enforcement authorities may detain a person from leaving a state if they suspect that person of committing a crime. Alternatively, prosecutors can...
Cancel the threat
We really wanted to sit this one out. About two weeks ago, a reader tweeted at us about Alan Dershowitz’s appearance on Newsmax, where he claimed he was being “canceled” on the Vineyard.
It felt...
Guy walks into a bar
Guy walks into a bar. It’s clear he’s been there before. He pours himself into what appears to be his usual stoop at the tail end of a slab of burnt mahogany. Barkeep saunters...
We need traffic solutions
At a recent meeting of some Island business leaders, discussion turned to one of the Island’s nagging problems and its impact on business — traffic flow and the lack thereof.
When one of the individuals suggested...
A further reckoning: The Supreme Court’s next term
If last year’s Supreme Court term was full of blockbuster landmark rulings, next year promises more to come. To date, the justices have accepted 30 cases for full argument. They will add more over...
Keep meetings hybrid
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state legislature allowed an exemption to the Open Meeting Law to allow public meetings to be held remotely via Zoom. There were some challenges in...
The ringing of the bells
As soon as I heard of the Fourth of July massacre in Highland Park, Ill., I called my 94-year-old cousin, Gene, who had grown up there. We have been especially close, as I spent...
Emergency departments pushed to the brink again
Emergency Department (ED) visits for mental health conditions have spiked by double digits across the U.S., especially for children. From Boston to Los Angeles, and here on Martha’s Vineyard, clinical teams are overwhelmed trying...
In the presence of extraordinary women
We fully understand why some women and men weren’t feeling in the spirit to celebrate America’s birthday over the weekend. The overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court has eroded any...
Supreme Court review: Winners, losers, and those in between
The Supreme Court’s term, which ended on June 30, demonstrated the power of the conservative majority that was emboldened after the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett eight days before the 2020 presidential election.
The court...
Something to smile about
When you think of dental health and oral care, you may not be thinking of a heart attack at the same time. But you should.
According to the Mayo Clinic, oral health provides a window...
After Roe: A grim future for many of our rights
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health infuriated some but delighted others.
The opinion by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. overruling Roe v. Wade on June 24 is substantially the one...
Time to mend fences
Oak Buffs town administrator Deborah Potter appears to have overreacted to questions raised by the town’s finance committee about her dual role as town administrator and town accountant during her first year as town...
American expectations of the Jan. 6 committee
The foundational principle of the American democratic republic is the rule of law. The framers of the Constitution were certain that their new government was based on this principle; they divided power so that...
Juneteenth: Long overdue
The skillful lawyers and advocates building our case for American independence enumerated the ways in which our rights as citizens in a true democracy, and in fact our fundamental humanity, were denied by British...
Size and use don’t matter
Last week we shared our efforts in attempting to get public records from Dukes County Sheriff Robert Ogden’s office.
At issue are visitor logs from 2011, when David Thrift was being held at the Dukes...
Listen and learn
We interrupt the adult bickering over the field project at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School to remind you that a school’s priority is to educate children, and to create an environment where the Island’s...