Voting by mail should be an option
The decision by Tisbury not to allow voting by mail during the town election in the spring is puzzling.
Tisbury is the only town on Martha’s Vineyard that will be opting out of what has...
Honor sunshine week by requiring hybrid access to government meetings
During the early months of COVID-19, governors in New England states issued executive orders allowing municipalities to meet online so long as the public could attend remotely. The democratic benefits of this arrangement quickly...
Preserving the Island’s history
Is it historic, or just old?
The answer isn’t always so clear when it comes to houses and other buildings on the Vineyard. Some are indisputably past their useful lives, and should be demolished for...
Forgiving student loans and the court
Have you ever heard of a legal theory called the “major questions doctrine?”
Most people, including lawyers and law students, have not. It’s a made-up theory. It was crafted five or six years ago after...
A more modern democracy
Massachusetts lawmakers appear ready to allow cities and towns to hold remote meetings for another two years. The current rules expire at the end of the month if lawmakers don’t reach a deal, which...
Vineyard Steamship board updates
Reliable transport, clear communications, and economical passage remain the focus of my attention as one of the five Steamship Authority board members.
In terms of reliability, the SSA in 2022 ran 17,021 Vineyard one-way trips,...
Reap what we sow
We were stunned to read in an email from Island Grown Initiative that there are now approximately 4,000 registered clients at the Island Food Pantry — nearly 20 percent of the year-round population, IGI...
It’s not easy being green — or Black
If you think it’s not easy being green, try being Black.
When Will Smith won the NAACP award for his film “Emancipation,” all heads in the living room turned towards me. What did I do?
Being...
Comment option has returned
After much anticipation, we are bringing our online comment option back.
Providing maximum latitude to commenters, insulating readers who like the idea of comments but can be alienated by the harsh voice many commenters adopt,...
Book burning in the 21st century
Seventy years ago, Ray Bradbury published his dystopian novel, “Fahrenheit 451,” depicting the duty of firemen to burn books regarded by the government as dangerous or subversive. Written during the beginning of the Cold...
Make events free for students
The Martha's Vineyard Regional High School Committee has made sporting events — aside from playoffs — free for students for the rest of the year. We applaud them for that.
The committee is also considering...
We’re reviewing our ‘comments’ process
As some of you have already noticed, we have closed our online Comments feature for some redesign and renovation. We think that comments are very important, because they can give a voice to all...
A leaky Supreme Court
Should an institution like the U.S. Supreme Court objectively investigate itself after wrongdoing is discovered? And why should we care about this?
After the Politico website posted Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion in Dobbs v....
Anchors away
Last week, the Edgartown select board heard from staff at the Council on Aging's Anchors’ program. A five-year planning committee brought their early findings to the meeting, including the challenges of operating out of...
At stake: Native American sovereignty
With the nation’s attention focused on abortion, gun safety, and religious liberty, and more recently the lengthy struggle in the House of Representatives to choose a new speaker, one issue that may have escaped...
To beach or not to beach
The Trustees of Reservations manages 120 miles of coastline in the commonwealth, and has worked to protect the ecosystems of the properties on the Island for 60 years. TTOR’s current contract to protect Norton...
Just how bad are things for teachers?
My wife and I had dinner in a Vineyard restaurant last week. Our waitress, a very pleasant young woman, appeared to be in her mid-20s. In a short conversation as we were finishing up,...
Notes from a snowbird
Today is a typical Florida day. The sun is shining, the temperature warm and balmy, and lizards are scampering about. Warmth is pervasive, and ocean walks beckon. Here in mid-winter, residents go to the beach. Fancy shops...
Never let them forget
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is riding a red wave of his own, no doubt in part due to his political stunt involving the 50 migrants he manipulated into taking flights to Martha’s Vineyard on...