Fighting for the frontline
More than 300,000 healthcare workers and first responders in Massachusetts have stepped up to the frontlines in the battle against COVID-19. They suit up in scrubs or uniforms, leave the comfort of their homes,...
A half-century of Earth Days: The world is ours for the changing
Fifty years ago today, 20 million Americans — 10 percent of the population — gathered in the streets of cities and towns large and small to mark the planet’s first Earth Day. The event —...
Patriot’s Day 2020
Today, as I write this, is Patriot’s Day in Massachusetts. It is a holiday in a few states, but Massachusetts is key because it is commemorated with school closings (not unique this year), the...
School lunch during a pandemic
Furnishing lunch for kids stuck at home during the pandemic may sound simple, but for remotely working parents it isn’t always. Time to prepare meals for kids, let alone providing activities for them, can...
Working toward a future resilient MV
I would like to take a moment to share some of my reflections over the past few weeks as I have watched COVID-19 rip through the world and begin to descend on our beloved...
Meeting the challenge of COVID-19 as a community
In frightening times, it is perhaps a universal feeling to prioritize the safety of our family over all else. To that end, we draw close to our immediate community and too frequently turn our...
Tracking the worldwide pandemic
To date, Switzerland has the most Coronavirus cases per million of population closely followed by Italy and Spain. This is likely due to the small size of Switzerland at 8.5 million people so easier...
The Electoral College is here to stay
Politics and primaries have rightly taken second place to concerns about COVID-19. But recently, as we move toward the presidential election, renewed criticism has arisen about the Electoral College, the way Americans choose their...
We’re in this together
A letter to the Martha’s Vineyard Times family of readers: Community newspapers like The Martha’s Vineyard Times have an unusual bond with readers. We take our charge — to provide essential information about events, people,...
Rising to the challenge
To the Editor: I have taken minutes for different organizations for most of my adult life, for the county commissioners, the health council, affordable housing committee, and for over the past 16 years for many...
Let the sunshine in
This week is National Sunshine Week, which was created by the American Society of News Editors “to educate the public about the importance of open government and the dangers of excessive and unnecessary secrecy.” Today...
Just who gained the power of the vote?
One hundred years ago this August, women in the United States gained the vote, or as some of us would say, gained the power of the vote. On Aug. 18, 1920, Tennessee became the...
The worst of times bring out our best
These are strange and somewhat haunting times we’re in. Schools closed. Gyms locked tight. Movie theater screens gone blank. You can’t check out a book at the library (though they have some great online...
Girl on the Run
“Girl on the Run,” is inspired by and commemorates the 100 years of suffrage and International Women's Day, March 8. The 100 years since suffrage have spawned amazing changes in America for women. As with...
Power to the little people
They’re still years away from voting themselves, but the kids from Plastic Free MV are making a difference, and demonstrated over the past week that they wield powerful clout. After the Tisbury board of selectmen...
Going to New York
Coronavirus, COVID-19, is causing travel to come to a halt across the world. Schools around the globe are canceling trips domestically and internationally in fear of students contracting the virus. After Martha’s Vineyard Regional...
Electric cars, the EPA, and us
The Island has become a major leader in combating climate change, especially regarding carbon emissions. Massachusetts has designated several towns as green communities, which, as The Times has reported, allows them to apply for...
Issues in passing
A few things to think about while we wait for the decision on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Will he stay or will he go? Coronavirus is a very real threat, and it’s...
The case for more diversity in town leadership
Soon we will be going to town elections and town meetings to choose leaders for the next few years, and to weigh in on warrants to address town needs. This is a tradition that...
Turf field will benefit MVRHS athletes
As an alumnus of MVRHS, and having played four years of soccer on the current grass fields at the high school, I am ecstatic to hear about the continued progress of the phase one...