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...
What to do about so many guns
All the Islanders I know who own guns are highly responsible with and knowledgeable about their firearms. That said, editorial cartoonist Drew Sheneman of the New Jersey Star-Ledger recently reminded his readers of the...
A tale of two committees
Last week we had two divergent stories about the same group of public officials. A school committee eager to spend money on an outside attorney to appeal the Oak Bluffs planning board’s decision not...
A flag of many colors
The decision by the town of Oak Bluffs to fly the Progress Pride flag this year during the month of June, joining the other towns that have already done this, has special significance to...
An unsurprising development
It’s really no surprise that the Tisbury School renovation and addition project is over budget. Whenever you seek to renovate, it always costs more than new construction.
What is a surprise is just how quickly...
The ‘great replacement’ explained
Many people may now be familiar with the “great replacement” theory, universally used by white supremacists such as Payton Gendron, who drove 200 miles on May 14 to shoot 13 people in a Buffalo,...
Better than expected
“Leave the parking the way ìt is and do the upgrades, why ruin a good thing?”
“Has anyone ever witnessed what happens in the summer when a tourist (or an islander) that has not parallel...
Nantucket got it right
Ssshhhh, don’t tell our friends at the Inquirer and Mirror or the Nantucket Current, but we found ourselves a little envious of Nantucket’s town meeting last week.
No, not because they discussed and approved topless...
The future of Roe, the court, and us
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.’s recently leaked draft opinion overruling Roe v. Wade has amplified the loss of credibility the Supreme Court has suffered as its approval rating erodes. It used to run as...
Wounded pride
Martha’s Vineyard in general and Oak Bluffs in particular have always had a proud history of being a welcoming and inclusive community.
Last week, that history took a blow — an unnecessary blow.
It was one of...
Act in the present
“The Vineyard Way: Connected to Our Past, Committed to Our Future,” is the theme of a Climate Action Plan being developed by dozens of Island residents through the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.
Next week (May 8...