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Home » Opinion

Editorials

BIHS by-laws do the job

Thu, Oct 10

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

Recently, The Block Island Times was asked to review the by-laws of the Block Island Health Services Board of Directors, and we did. It is an imperfect document — why on earth any board would want up to 20 members is beyond us — but it is detailed and thorough enough for the job. There...
Celebrating democracy

Thu, Oct 3

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

Block Island Utility District board members Barbara MacMullan and Everett Shorey seemed pleased by the one-third voter response to the Utility District’s election. A total of 471 voters out of 1,500 account holders who were mailed ballots cast their votes. When the Utility District was initially...
A great start

Thu, Sep 19

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

There was some speculation that affordable rental units were more of a necessity by the town’s working class families and individuals than affordable homes. However, that notion was seemingly dispelled when about 30 people showed up at an information session to learn about the financial guidelines...
This is a no-no

Thu, Sep 12

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

This does not make New Shoreham Highways Supervisor Mike Shea happy. Furniture left on the side of the road, often under the guise that it is free, and sometimes left because the owners don’t want to bother taking it to the dump, is a no-no. This couch was still on the side of Corn Neck Road on the...
Curbing vehicle traffic

Thu, Sep 5

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

Block Island had a busy summer. Shops and restaurants were full, boats were packed to the brim, airplanes created a steady buzz at the airport. We’re certain that the majority of people left the island with happy, lasting memories. The downside is that between Memorial Day and Labor Day — that’s 97...
Full speed ahead

Thu, Aug 29

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

At the first annual meeting of the Block Island Utility Board of Commissioners on Saturday, Aug. 24, enough ratepayers — who own the utility — showed up at Town Hall to create an overflow crowd. What they heard was exceedingly good news. Interest rates on loans are not normally the most thrilling...
It’s your power company now

Thu, Aug 22

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

It could be, even after all the public meetings and votes that took place, Block Island Power Company customers are having a hard time adjusting to the fact that they now have a direct say in how the company is run. But the fact is that ratepayer participation has been lacking since the new company...
Navigating the Great Salt Pond

Thu, Aug 15

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

We often measure our busy days by how packed the ferries are when they pull into Old Harbor. The boats come in with relative ease and simplicity, always on schedule, with few, if any surprises. Private boat traffic on the Great Salt Pond (and in both harbors) is another matter entirely. An average...
The key to a healthy future

Thu, Aug 8

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

The members of Block Island Health Services Board, after many years of conversation, have now embarked on an ambitious $7.5 million capital campaign designed to address the limitations of the Block Island Medical Center, especially in its trauma care unit. One room that cannot accommodate more than...
Take your $50

Thu, Aug 1

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

In the aftermath of the four-day cell phone outage that impacted Verizon customers on Block Island this past week, the carrier set up an 800 number that allowed people to sign up for a $50 rebate. It seems to us that Verizon could have simply assigned that $50 rebate to every single customer that...
Unchecked vitriol

Thu, Jul 18

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

What happened this week was kind of crazy. Some guy from Long Island posts a picture of his hand holding a chunk of old, dried paint, and the social media universe went nuts. But let’s start at the beginning. Someone deliberately chipped off a piece of Painted Rock. That much we do know, and that...
Thank you!

Thu, Jul 11

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

When a small town suddenly balloons to more than 20,000 people almost overnight, and to have things go as smoothly as they did over the Fourth of July celebrations, is a testament to the network of volunteers and professionals alike who work tirelessly to keep this island train on track. The island...
Three little words

Thu, Jul 4

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

We have three words of advice to all of those visiting and living in our little community for the next few months: Stop. Look. Listen. In the context of the summer, these three little words have two distinct purposes. As for the first, Block Island is going to be a treat for all the sens-es. Enjoy...
A declaration of freedom

Thu, Jun 27

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

From an article written by Samuel W. Mendum titled “Block Island” and published in New England Magazine in August 1897: “Probably no body of Americans exhibited more admirable courage than the inhabitants of Block Island at the outbreak of the Revolution. When they unhesitatingly...
Follow the rules

Thu, Jun 20

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

The members of the Block Island Health Services Board should heed the advice of some of its constituents: follow the guidelines outlined in Robert’s Rules of Order and create some separation of duties between Dr. Mark Clark and the board. Some compartmentalizing is necessary. At the outset of the...
Democracy at work

Thu, Jun 6

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

The crowd that gathered for the Town Council’s meeting on Monday night to speak about the Medical Center’s termination of Nurse Practitioner Liz Dyer was encouraging to see. It means that our democracy is at work, with people being given the chance to voice their concerns. First Warden Ken Lacoste...
An inadequate response

Thu, May 30

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

After hearing the news that Nurse Practitioner Liz Dyer had been terminated without cause in the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 28, Block Island Medical Director Mark Clark said he would issue a statement. The statement, which can be read in full in the story that begins on page one, was sent...
Summer message from Chief Carlone

Thu, May 23

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

It's Memorial Day Weekend, the beginning of the most wonderful time of the year. This means that the ferries are almost at their full schedules, schools are ending their year, visitors are arriving, and we are ready to go. A few things to note: - Parking regulations are now in effect. To avoid a...
Sign the petition

Thu, May 16

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

Block Island keeps wrestling with its affordable housing situation, and now it can use some help from the Rhode Island General Assembly. House Bill 5451 is designed to increase the income ceiling for families and individuals so that more people may become eligible for affordable housing on Block...
Celebrating family on Mother’s Day

Thu, May 9

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

This edition of The Block Island Times , while it was taking shape during the week, slowly emerged as a tribute to family, and children, young and old alike. It seemed fitting for Mother’s Day. The students of Mrs. Hart’s kindergarten class, as they do every year, penned their funny and...
If we don’t want more bans, we need to change

Thu, Apr 25

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

There is a crisis brewing in the recycling trade. In 2016, China imported 7 million tons of plastic products. The problem was that much of it was contaminated with other products, so it could not be recycled. As a result, in 2018, China stopped almost all of its plastic scrap imports, leaving it to...
Taking care of beauty

Thu, Apr 18

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

It has been a long, dull winter. The snow that sometimes appears to create that lovely white-blanketed New England landscape never appeared (some would say thankfully), and there was a good deal of gray sky and rain. Consecutive warm days that mark the firm arrival of spring struggled to arrive...
The effort to make housing affordable

Thu, Apr 11

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

Although this week’s edition of the paper goes to the printer before we know the outcome of the vote, the effort to change the income requirements on Block Island so that more people may be eligible for affordable housing has been an excellent and well-timed one. State Rep. Blake Filippi, the House...
Time to move forward

Thu, Apr 4

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

The air has been cleared, people have had their say, and now it is time to put some effort into how to best utilize the Visitor’s Center in Old Harbor so that it can, without conflict, serve the needs of the entire island. Block Island, like every other vacation destination, has to fight for every...
The future is here

Thu, Mar 28

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

Block Island has been exerting some of its old-fashioned independence during these opening months of 2019. The first municipally-owned high-speed internet service in the state amped up earlier this month, and just this week the Block Island Utility District acquired the assets of the once privately...
Town budget needs your input

Thu, Mar 21

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

“What goes up must come down” is a statement that may apply to the laws of physics but not to municipal budgets. Every year, town department heads submit their proposed budgets to the town. These requests reflect what each director feels is necessary to run their department. These requests are...
Dogged determination

Thu, Mar 14

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

The saying “back to square one” almost always indicates that a lot of time has been wasted, with no tangible results. However, in the case of the Block Island State Airport, the statement applies in a positive way. After several months of dialogue, spearheaded by a very determined island resident,...
Horns of a dilemma

Thu, Mar 7

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

First Warden Ken Lacoste’s ambivalence about raising dockage fees in Old Harbor is an example, writ small, of a larger dilemma Block Island faces. What kind of services and experience should the island provide to its residents and guests, and how will these services be paid for? When Councilor...
Opportunities to serve

Thu, Feb 28

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

The New Shoreham Charter Review Commission is appointed every 10 years to review New Shoreham’s Home Rule Charter and recommend changes to the Town Council. Changes to the Town Charter are decided by ballot questions in a general election or referendum. If you wish to serve on the Charter Commisson...
Help from time to time

Thu, Feb 21

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

During World War II, Block Island residents proudly defied an order to evacuate the island, opting instead for some good old-fashioned New England independence. It was a fine moment, to be sure, striking that balance between pride and duty. Block Island has been guided by that kind of spirit since...
Nominations sought for Bayberry Wreath Award

Thu, Feb 21

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

This year marks the 36th anniversary of one of Block Island’s signature recognitions: the annual Bayberry Wreath Award recognizing outstanding contributions to the health of the island’s ecology. If there is someone you would like to honor, The Block Island Times is now...
A modest proposal

Thu, Feb 7

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

The New Shoreham Town Council, tasked with coming up with some ideas about how another round-trip schedule could be added to the ferry schedule in the winter, has come up with an elegant suggestion. The members didn’t make it complicated, didn’t try to be too clever, or make a political point;...
Count the deer

Thu, Jan 31

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

Hunting season will be over in less than a month, and it looks as though the number of deer taken will be more or less what the numbers have been in the past few years: about 150 or so. This will be, as members of the Deer Task Force point out in this week’s edition, about the same number of deer...
The time is now

Thu, Jan 24

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

Block Island has taken some baby steps toward preparing against the potential impacts of climate change and sea level rise. There has been a study done on the Corn Neck Road corridor, as an example, and there have been some very preliminary discussions on whether the locations for the Police...
‘We’ve got to love’

Thu, Jan 17

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

We must realize that we are grappling with the most weighty social problem of this nation, and in grappling with such a complex problem there is no place for misguided emotionalism. We must work passionately and unrelentingly for the goal of freedom, but we must be sure that our hands are clean in...
Madness

Thu, Jan 10

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

Unless there is some historic breakthrough between the printing of this edition of the paper on Thursday and its distribution on Friday, the members of the United States Coast Guard will not be paid this week due to the partial government shutdown. The idea that these essential services, so...
An essential mission

Thu, Jan 3

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

It may seem that the partial government shutdown that has been in place for the past two weeks or so is nothing more than some sort of abstract policy fight between the White House and Congress, with no real tangible effects to our local lives or economy. But the U.S. Coast Guard is very much part...
A simple wish

Thu, Dec 27

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

At 5 a.m. Monday, Dec. 31 (Eastern Standard Time) the tiny independent island state of Samoa, located in the South Pacific, will be the first inhabited place to welcome in the 2019 New Year. A mere 102 miles to its east lies American Samoa — it’s right over the International Date Line that was re-...
Memories of Christmas

Thu, Dec 20

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

“Always on Christmas night there was music. An uncle played the fiddle, a cousin sang "Cherry Ripe," and another uncle sang "Drake's Drum." It was very warm in the little house. Auntie Hannah, who had got on to the parsnip wine, sang a song about Bleeding Hearts and Death, and then another in which...
A fixed base operator

Thu, Dec 13

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

Why does it seem so hard for the State of Rhode Island to simply grasp the idea that the Block Island Airport, this little, cozy, unquestionably necessary airport, is just never going to be a blockbuster in terms of revenue? And why can’t the state, meaning the Rhode Island Airport Corporation,...
A free-flowing discussion

Thu, Nov 29

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

There has been a lot of murmuring and chattering over the years about the traffic flow, if that is what it can be called, on Weldon’s Way during the summer months. Some people find the traffic — a European-style mix of cars, trucks, bikes, mopeds, and people — infuriating, others simply don’t mind...
Partake of our plenty

Tue, Nov 20

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

Edward Winslow was a polymath: diplomat, printer, writer, politician. He also, in a little-known book called “Mourt’s Relation,” first written in 1620 and 1621, and rediscovered in the 19th century, includes one of the first descriptions of the gathering that occurred in the late fall of 1621...
Opportunities to serve

Thu, Nov 15

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

Second Warden André Boudreau has an interesting essay in this week’s edition, outlining why he specifically ran for Second Warden, a position he was first elevated to by the members of the Town Council following the death of Norris Pike, who held the job at the time of his passing. Boudreau, who...
For those who serve

Thu, Nov 8

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

It seems a paltry thing, just one day, 24 hours, to formally honor those who serve and have served our country during times of war. But the date is historic: Nov. 11, marks not only Veterans Day, but also what will be, this year, the 100th anniversary of the armistice signed to end the First World...
It’s time to vote

Thu, Nov 1

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

A little more than two years ago, Block Island registered voters realized the importance of showing up at the polls when it was learned that the decision to purchase two-thirds of Block Island Power Company shares came down to two votes. The lament was palpable the next day. “I should have gone,”...
Come join us

Thu, Oct 25

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

Block Island residents are in the unique position of being able to have fairly regular contact with its locally-elected officials. Any of the incumbents or candidates for Town Council can be seen, and approached, almost anywhere in town. The same goes for the folks running for School Committee or...
Education needed before more bans

Thu, Oct 18

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

The Block Island Tourism Council and the Town Council are quite right to slow down on taking any more action on ordinances designed to ban more plastics from being used or distributed on the island. We come to this with the absolute belief that plastics are a direct threat to marine wildlife and...
Important jobs

Thu, Oct 11

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

It is probably statistically accurate to say that the largest expense in any municipal budget goes to its school system. On Block Island, about $5 million is allocated to its one school, more than a third of the roughly $12 million it takes to run the town each year. Arguably, our schools also...
Learning from adversity

Thu, Oct 4

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

Monday night’s meeting of the Town Council spotlighted the variety of challenges associated with constructing rental housing on Block Island. Town Manager Ed Roberge informed the council that the lone proposal for the Thomas Property project was over budget, and would go three months over schedule...
The quiet zone

Thu, Sep 27

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

At the Tourism Council’s Annual Meeting that was held at The Spring House on Wednesday, Sept. 26, an expert in the travel habits of American vacationers, who specializes in New England trends, brought up the subject of the internet on Block Island — or the lack thereof. It was one of the first...

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