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...
Through the rancor, Chilmark finds compromise
It’s been quite a week in the news.
The U.S. House of Representatives finally put aside its deep divisions to sign an aid package that will save untold thousands of lives in the grinding war...
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’...
Town meetings shouldn’t be a snoozer
Updated, April 18
Town meeting is one of New England’s proudest traditions, and the most hands-on form of democracy in which Islanders can participate. Unlike voting in presidential elections, which can feel like a fait...
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...
Questions to consider before town meeting
Do you value living in a neighborhood where you enjoy the peace of mind that your home, your backyard, and your neighborhood will be free of noise, lights, dust, heavy trucks, and fumes?
When you...
The case for overlay districts in Oak Bluffs
For all intents and purposes, Oak Bluffs has made it impossible for professional service providers to open a business practice outside of our downtown. Furthermore, commercial businesses have no option to stage their operations...
Sounding the alarm: losing volunteer firefighters is an unsettling trend
Last week’s news that fire departments are having difficulty recruiting volunteer firefighters should not be taken lightly. While maybe not a five-alarm fire, it underscores a troubling trend on the Island.
Vineyard fire departments have...
The more immigrants we have, the better off we will be
As the Island population grew during the Covid-19 pandemic, an accompanying increase occurred in its demographic makeup as the recent Martha’s Vineyard Commission’s statistical report shows. It reveals a marked increase in ethnic and...
Amid growling and whining, the veterinarian shortage is still a business story
There’s been a lot of growling and some whining around one of the few remaining animal health care providers on the Island, which could be losing its space at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport.
Owners at...
Toward a more perfect union
I’ve always loved the elegant, aspirational phrase “toward a more perfect union,” found in the opening sentence of our Constitution. It was our Founding Fathers’ first priority, ahead of establishing justice, ensuring domestic tranquility,...
The ‘first rough draft’ covering Island schools
In the bright, unforgiving light of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School cafeteria, a cluster of a dozen parents — all immigrants from Brazil — and a handful of teachers who work in the...
Keeping an eye on the offshore wind industry
The offshore wind industry moving into waters close to our shores is no longer something in the distant future. It is here, and with it comes a need to keep a watchful eye: Are...
Assessing the 2017 Trump tax cuts
In 2017, President Trump signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. It was his signature achievement. Now that several years have passed since the law was enacted, what has been its impact?...
A step across a cultural divide
From the street, you could hear the muffled beat of Brazilian house music up in The Loft on Oak Bluffs Avenue.
It was my first time going to “Brazilian night,” a Sunday tradition for many...
Oak Bluffs zoning proposal considers solutions for real problems
The Oak Bluffs planning board is proposing a solution to a problem that’s been brewing on the Island for some time, and causing consternation among some Island tradespeople and residents who live near their...
Congress’s disgrace: the failure to reform immigration
Congress once again failed to resolve the critical immigration problem plaguing the southern border of the United States. Thousands of undocumented migrants are crossing into the country. Just a year and a half ago,...
Words won’t save us from the next storm surge
State and local officials have been treading water for too long on how to handle increasingly frequent and destructive flooding at Five Corners in Vineyard Haven.
And it’s hard not to feel like time is...