It’s time to ban mopeds once and for all
An all-too-familiar tragedy unfolded in Oak Bluffs last week, one that should have been avoided.
The life of a middle-aged woman from Florida — described by friends and family as a beautiful and kind soul...
Seeing the forest for the trees
The clearing of the homeless from the State Forest last week was startling and callous. But one thing remains quite clear, we don’t have a homeless problem, we have a housing problem.
Last week, a...
The Supreme Court term: winners and losers part two
In a major 2024 landmark decision, the Supreme Court undercut the authority of the federal administrative agencies in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. This decision will have a direct negative impact on Island residents...
Turbine fracture a troubling precedent
News this past week of a Vineyard Wind turbine blade fracturing and scattering debris all the way to Nantucket’s shores is more than just minor turbulence in the burgeoning and nascent offshore wind industry....
An open letter to the community regarding HarborWorks
Dear Island community,
A heartfelt thank you to so many of you who have offered your enthusiastic support for the Vineyard Lands for Our Community’s (VLC) ambitious proposal for HarborWorks. As a nonprofit organization, VLC...
Keep M.V. franchise-free?
It is one of those points of pride for our Island. We have always kept big franchises out. There was the famous standoff in the 1980s when a group of Islanders stood strong against...
Saying Goodbye
I am leaving, moving off-Island. For good. A new home, a new town, a new state. I have, in a sense, been voted off the Island by the myriad of issues and inconveniences so...
Measuring our Island by how we treat the least fortunate
There is a hidden trend on the Vineyard that the public and advocates worry is growing more troubling.
We reported last week on an increasing population of people experiencing homelessness on the Island, with some...
A study in contrasts: Two firearms cases
Island hunters and gun owners will be very interested in two cases the Supreme Court ruled on last month involving the possession of firearms. They had opposite outcomes.
One involved a 2018 Executive Order by...
HarborWorks and sailing into the future
The view from the publisher’s office of The Martha’s Vineyard Times looks out over the weathered, gray-shingled boatyard of the world-renowned Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway, and beyond that, the storied blue waters of...
District attorney and sheriff need to stop squabbling
Back in 1958, John Leo Brady was convicted of first-degree murder in Maryland. During his trial, Brady admitted that he had taken part in a botched carjacking, but insisted that his co-defendant, Charles Boblit,...
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ‘is here to stay’
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is the brainchild of Elizabeth Warren. As a Harvard Law professor, she spearheaded the drive to protect consumers seeking credit to purchase a home or car, or anything...
Piecing together a broken life
The Island is left trying to piece together the broken shards of the life of Jared Ravizza.
Every corner of the community seems to be struggling to understand how the 26-year-old who washed ashore on...
On this frenetic holiday, pause for Memorial Day’s true meaning
Here comes the sun. Or at least, that is the hope for this Memorial Day weekend, as the unofficial start to the summer season gets underway.
College graduations are mostly over, and students are beginning...
Steamship shows its arrogance … again
In the news last week, the Steamship Authority administration recommended providing a permit to a New Bedford company to deliver freight trucks from the South Coast city to the Island on a year-round basis.
Under...
Everyone should have access to treasured Chappy beaches
The natural splendor of the beaches on Chappaquiddick attracts swimmers, hikers, anglers, sunbathers, birdwatchers, and sunset — or sunrise — watchers. For generations, Martha’s Vineyard residents and visitors have come to these beaches seeking...
The new EPA emissions rule
On April 25, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued far-reaching new rules concerning coal-fired power plants: They must capture the air pollution that they produce, or they will have to shut down. The federal...
The Times’ first editorial
Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from an editorial printed on the front page of the first published MV Times newspaper. The paper came out on Thursday, May 3, 1984. We are republishing...
‘A Timely Issue’
The front page of the newspaper has yellowed into a sepia tone in the frame that hangs in my office overlooking Vineyard Haven Harbor, but the words feel like they are still unusually current....
The good, the bad, the sad: Newspapering for 40 years
Now, 40 years since its founding, The Martha’s Vineyard Times once again doubles down to its news-gathering overwatch on Islanders' behalf. And once again, although a new crowd is at the controls, the job...