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Opinion
Editorials
Housing needs require coordinated look
Thu, Sep 7
Category:
Opinion
,
Editorials
With the discussion of available affordable housing bubbling up in what seems like several different quarters around the Island, it may be time for the Housing Board, as the group that has spearheaded actual progress in this area, to consider holding a series of public forums specifically dedicated...
Once again
Thu, Aug 31
Category:
Opinion
,
Editorials
It was just a week ago that we called on people to participate in the mail ballot to elect five members of what will be the newly created Utility Board of Commissioners. In fact, by Monday morning — Aug. 28 — Town Clerk Molly Fitzpatrick had received almost 400 ballots, which, if we can speculate,...
Cast your vote
Thu, Aug 24
Category:
Opinion
,
Editorials
It would be hard to make the argument that the transition the Block Island Power Company is making from a privately-owned entity to a ratepayer-run utility district has been smooth. The vote to purchase two-thirds of the stock for $1.8 million was contentious, and very, very close, and the journey...
Making a difference
Thu, Aug 17
Category:
Opinion
,
Editorials
Right around this time, every year, you can see the toll that the summer takes on the volunteers who staff the Block Island Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad. The calls just keep on coming, day after day, without discrimination in terms of time of day, and without discretion in terms of the severity...
BIPCo candidates night is Monday, Aug. 14
Thu, Aug 10
Category:
Opinion
,
Editorials
The Block Island Times
and the Block Island Residents Association are sponsoring a candidates night on Monday, Aug. 14 at 6 p.m. at the Block Island School. All eight candidates — Mary Jane Balser, Sean McGarry, Everett Shorey, Barbara MacMullan, Peter McNerney, Christine Grele, Jack...
Along Corn Neck Road
Fri, Aug 4
Category:
Opinion
,
Editorials
Not everybody liked the walkovers that were constructed over the dunes on Corn Neck Road, but their presence, along with a series of other efforts, has gone a long way toward restoring and repairing these necessary buffers. It’s a relief to see the beach grass growing where piles of bicycles used...
Smart food
Fri, Jul 28
Category:
Opinion
,
Editorials
Jamie Johnston, an island resident who runs a trash pickup business, called the paper and said something was gnawing at him, and that was the amount of edible food being left behind at the homes where he collects trash and recyclables (He sent us this photo of leftover food items.). This is food...
Stay in your lane
Thu, Jul 20
Category:
Opinion
,
Editorials
There are, in fact, rules to the road. This applies to people who drive cars, and to people who ride mopeds and bikes. This is a message for people who ride bikes, generated by the fact that people are openly concerned and frustrated by what is plainly seen as irresponsible behavior by those people...
A central role in island life
Fri, Jul 14
Category:
Opinion
,
Editorials
One of the key words from those who advocated purchasing two-thirds stock of the former Block Island Power Co. was “control.” The idea behind that word was to have local oversight of our power company because it was going to be sold to
someone
, so why not take ownership of it ourselves?...
Block Island is a work of art
Fri, Jul 7
Category:
Opinion
,
Editorials
Block Island is always referred to as a tourist destination, which is defined almost exclusively as a place to eat, drink, lounge on the beach, ride a bike or moped, or visit historic landmarks. What is too often excluded in this mix is art — Block Island is, and always has been — a haven for...
Signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs
Fri, Jun 30
Category:
Opinion
,
Editorials
All of a sudden we seem to be sign-happy on Block Island. There are new signs along Corn Neck Road urging people not to park on the beach side near the dunes. There are “stay off the dunes” signs that have been placed on the dunes. And now there are some big map signs that, while perhaps being...
Money better spent elsewhere
Wed, Mar 26
Category:
Editorials
Sometimes when we look at how the town sets its spending priorities, it’s difficult to see if the powers that be understand what pays our bills. A case in point is the situation with The Welcome Center, an issue discussed at the Tourism Council this week. First, the facts. The town owns the...
Thanks, Brown, for a great opportunity
Wed, Mar 12
Category:
Editorials
Brown University kicked off its 250th birthday last weekend and in its effort to include the broader Rhode Island community, seventh and eighth graders from every middle school in the state were invited to join the celebration. Students from the Block Island School took advantage of the invitation...
Ownership
Wed, Mar 5
Category:
Editorials
Here’s a phrase that we hear often enough: Block Island is unique. But Block Island is unique and one of the reasons for that is due to the deep feeling of ownership that many have for this place. Very few communities have a population as deeply committed to it as islanders are to their home, and...
Editorial: Let’s keep the plan moving
Fri, Feb 21
Category:
Editorials
The ambitious and controversial deer-culling plan scheduled to begin next week has been postponed — for a year. The reason for this last-minute change is that the White Buffalo sharpshooters felt unsure about proceeding without more time to prepare. Naturally it makes no sense to go forward with a...
Editorial: Town Council meetings are too long
Wed, Feb 19
Category:
Editorials
People who specialize in workplace efficiency routinely say that meetings lasting more than two hours fast become a waste of time. The mind begins to wander, conversation becomes repetitive and energy gets sapped. We bring this up in light of the excessive length of most of the Town Council...
Editorial: One young man’s journey
Sun, Feb 9
Category:
Editorials
The shocking death of actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman on Super Bowl Sunday from a heroin overdose has once again put that drug back into the spotlight. After that news became known, something predictable happened in the media: articles and TV reports started sensationalizing the presence of the drug...
Editorial: Why even bother?
Sun, Feb 2
Category:
Editorials
Gov. Lincoln Chafee, in what otherwise appears to be a responsible $8.5 billion fiscal budget for 2015 (begins July 1, 2014), has cut the tourism line item to the bone. As pointed out in our story this week , the state is posed to spend a mere $400,000 for marketing, aside from the hotel tax...
Editorial: Walsh’s food bill is necessary
Sun, Jan 26
Category:
Editorials
It’s one thing to say something needs to be done. It’s another to take the steps to accomplish it. That’s why we praise State Representative Donna Walsh on her efforts to increase food waste recycling in Rhode Island. Last week, Walsh proposed new legislation that would require Rhode Island...
Editorial: Winter diversions
Sun, Jan 19
Category:
Editorials
Block Island resident Judith Fucci posted a simple question on Facebook the other day: “Hey Block Island.. Mental wellness?..How ‘bout a gym.. swimming pool?.. A Y?.. Somewhere to hang out that is not a bar?” Within a short period of time, she received 155 “likes” and dozens of comments. What...
From the Editor
Mon, Jan 13
Category:
Editorials
It has been almost a year since I was introduced to the island, and the island was introduced to me. It’s been a year of much learning, a situation I don’t expect to change very much in the months and even years ahead. I am grateful to everyone who continues to take the time to speak with me about...
Editorial: A new year, a new council, but lingering issues await
Mon, Jan 6
Category:
Editorials
The New Shoreham Town Council is now back up to five members. At this week’s meeting, the board added new member Gary Ryan to its ranks. This is a selection that has received universal praise. Ryan is a well-liked and respected member of the Block Island community and is a welcome addition to our...
Editorial: Choosing a new member an important step for the council
Sun, Dec 29
Category:
Editorials
Five individuals have forwarded their names to the Town Council that they may be considered to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Sean McGarry. The first thing we need to do is offer our thanks to these five: Gary Ryan, Mark Emmanuelle, Allan MacKay, Howell Conant and Les Slate. Working on...
Editorial: Though not perfect, DEM plan best option for reducing deer herd
Sun, Dec 22
Category:
Editorials
On Wednesday night the Town Council voted to approve a comprehensive plan developed by the state Department of Environmental Management (DEM) to cull Block Island’s deer herd. It is very far from a perfect solution but we believe it is the right course of action. It is a milestone in the effort to...
Editorial: Jessica Willi right choice for tourism award
Wed, Dec 18
Category:
Editorials
We sometimes feel as though the state of Rhode Island has forgotten us out here; that we’re just a cash cow in terms of tax revenue and that’s about it. Of course, the island does produce revenue for the state because so many people find Block Island an attractive place to visit. The ongoing...
Editorial: No movies this year
Fri, Dec 13
Category:
Editorials
When Empire Theatre owner Gary Pollard announced that he wanted to extend his schedule into the winter for first run movies — if he could find a suitable venue — the idea was hailed as a contribution to both island culture and its mental health. Various groups and organizations publicly supported...
The First Thanksgiving
Wed, Nov 27
Category:
Editorials
Edward Winslow, who was a passenger on the Mayflower and a leader among the first settlers, attended the first Thanksgiving. He provided the earliest contemporaneous account of the feast in correspondence commonly referred to as “A Letter from New England to a Friend,” dated Dec. 11, 1621. The...
Editorial: Baldwin worked quickly and effectively for patients
Fri, Nov 22
Category:
Editorials
Barbara Baldwin was obviously not going to allow the decision by UnitedHealthcare to drop three healthcare professionals on Block Island from its Medicare Advantage network, to stand. Because of her tenacity, it didn’t. Island residents and patients at the Block Island Medical Center are fortunate...
Editorial: Time to decide on the deer
Fri, Nov 15
Category:
Editorials
The issue of Lyme disease and the presence of the deer that carries the tick that causes it, as anyone with any institutional memory can attest, goes back decades. Now, at long last, it appears that the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) has sanctioned a plan to seriously reduce the size...
Editorial, New fire barn: A good idea, but too early
Fri, Nov 1
Category:
Editorials
The idea proposed last week about building a new $3 million fire barn here on the island was certainly worth floating. But if it was indeed a trial balloon then we say that it should drift away gracefully and return only when some other, more urgent, needs have been met. The proposal, which was...
Cable options: Where do we go from here?
Mon, Oct 28
Category:
Editorials
It was inevitable that the discussion with state Rep. Donna Walsh and Sen. Sue Sosnowski would get around to the subject of Deepwater Wind. The two held a breakfast at the Community Center on Wednesday, Oct. 23, and all of 18 people showed up. But when the subject of Deepwater Wind did arise, it...
Editorial: A hopeful start
Sun, Oct 20
Category:
Editorials
On Tuesday night the Town Council, at its invitation, held a joint meeting with the Tourism Council and the Chamber of Commerce. The topic was a list of concerns identified by the latter two groups to improve the environment for tourism. The meeting was positive, productive and encouraging. It is...
Editorial: Time to go to work
Sun, Oct 13
Category:
Editorials
A startling, but quite true, statement was made to the paper last week. That statement was, in effect, that the headlines that filled the pages of The
Block Island Times
years ago — even decades ago — were still the topics of conversation on the island today. To wit: what to do about the...
Editorial: A missed opportunity for the BIHS Board
Fri, Sep 27
Category:
Editorials
A perfectly reasonable proposal to the Block Island Health Services Board to recognize the years of service of former Executive Director Monty Stover — possibly through a fundraiser — quickly devolved into a discussion designed to put as much daylight between the Board of Directors and this idea as...
Editorial: Two plans, two opportunities to help
Sun, Sep 22
Category:
Editorials
There are two initiatives underway designed to improve the town’s infrastructure and the quality of life here and each in its own way is an important step toward institutionalizing some of the challenges we face. The Block Island Chamber of Commerce recently issued a survey asking business owners...
Editorial: The arts community is an important part of island life
Mon, Sep 16
Category:
Editorials
We received a very nice letter from island artist Sharon Lehman thanking us for the spread we did on the recent art show that closed out the Spring Street Gallery season. (It’s in the letter section here .) It was not only a pleasure for us to do, but we believe the arts community is an important...
Editorial: Summer wishes, summer dreams
Mon, Sep 9
Category:
Editorials
Three things tell us that summer is coming to a close: Labor Day, the emptying streets and the return to school. One can argue that the season still has a couple of weeks to go, but if you’re sitting in a classroom looking at the nice weather through a window, you know that argument is never really...
Editorial: What was that all about
Sun, Sep 1
Category:
Editorials
The question that seemed to linger in the air after the Town Council voted unanimously to renew “a contract” for Town Manager Nancy Dodge was: What was that all about? We put “a contract” in quotes because that was the language used in the motion that passed this Wednesday night — meaning we don’t...
Editorial: It’s frustrating, yes, but progress is being made
Sun, Aug 25
Category:
Editorials
It is understandable that a good portion of the audience that came to listen to representatives of the Department of Environmental Management on the deer situation would be frustrated by what they did — or didn’t — hear. This conversation has been ongoing for years, literally, and so the
...
Editorial: Planning Board combined patience and wisdom
Mon, Aug 19
Category:
Editorials
Being a member of a Planning Board, as anyone who has served will tell you, is not the most glamorous job in the world. You look at plat maps. You listen to abutters. You hear the arguments from attorneys, who are often so eloquent and persuasive for
their
side of the debate that quite a...
Editorial: B.I. Conservancy education center a gem
Mon, Aug 12
Category:
Editorials
The opening of the Block Island Conservancy’s Education Center is a significant event in the island’s ongoing efforts to preserve its open space. The center is located in a small, elegant little building — the Old Schoolhouse — on Weldon’s Way and is the result of considerable effort by a number of...
Town Manager debate ill-conceived and troubling
Sun, Aug 4
Category:
Editorials
Monday night’s meeting on Town Manager Nancy Dodge’s contract was not a high point in town governance — and there is no clear resolution in sight. First, councilor Sean McGarry — who was so critical of Dodge’s performance that he rated her no higher than one in any of the eight categories her...
Editorial: Action now on beach erosion
Mon, Jul 29
Category:
Editorials
The question is truly epic: How do we protect our shorelines from further damage from the storms that climate experts say are surely on the way? The other question is this: Do we even try? The question of climate change, to our minds, is mute. You’ll notice we said “climate change” and not “global...
Editorial: Take a moment to thank a tourist
Mon, Jul 15
Category:
Editorials
Those of us who live here are familiar with our love/hate relationship with the summer visitors. It’s bleak here in January and February, so we look forward to “the season” when more restaurants and businesses open and the island comes alive. But when it does arrive, we become impatient with the...
Editorial: We need a seat at the PUC table
Mon, Jul 1
Category:
Editorials
During the special session that the Town Council scheduled this past week to discuss whether or not to appeal the recent Public Utilities Commission order that approved the annual revenue increase for Interstate Navigation, there was some palpable frustration with the PUC and the process that led...
Editorial: BIHS has new leadership and a new opportunity
Mon, Jun 24
Category:
Editorials
After a tumultuous and disruptive year, the Block Island Health Services (BIHS) Board of Directors has newly elected officers, one new board member (and two returning members) and some new opportunities. The new slate of officers is Bob Fallon, president; Cindy Baute, vice president (who was also...
Editorial: "Stop... talking to cops" is exactly the wrong message
Tue, Jun 18
Category:
Editorials
Given the events of the past few weeks, we have to assume that whoever planted a sticker on the stop sign in Bridgegate Square so that it would read: “Stop… talking to cops,” was serious about making a point. Just as the community, long in denial about the issues of substance abuse, appears...
Editorial: Beach Pavilion should be open by now
Sun, Jun 9
Category:
Editorials
There were about 80 students, plus assorted teachers, visiting the island and having a bonfire on town beach the other night. It was a beautiful night, crisp and clear, and the kids were all camped out about 100 feet or so from the Fred Benson Beach Pavilion. They were taking pictures and throwing...
Editorial: A Taste of Block Island begins Friday
Fri, May 31
Category:
Editorials
Do you have your button yet? That is, have you paid your five dollars for the button that will gain you access to all the events happening this weekend during A Taste of Block Island? The button can be purchased on the ferry or at the Block Island Chamber of Commerce, and along with it comes a...
Editorial: A Memorial Day Remembrance
Mon, May 27
Category:
Editorials
On Thursday, Nov. 19, 1863, a group of dignitaries, including President Abraham Lincoln, gathered on a field in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to dedicate the opening of Soldiers’ National Cemetery. This was during the Civil War and just a little under five months after Union soldiers won a decisive...
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Island Buzz
This weeks Nature Conservancy Schedule
Posted By
The Block Island Times
7/5
Check out this weeks Nature Conservancy Schedule at https:// www.natureblockisland.org
New Price! Views over the Bluffs!
Posted By
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7/1
Enjoy beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean from this waterfront 2.47-acre property located off Mohegan Trail, just a short...
Mansion Beach - Sale Pending!
Posted By
Ballard Hall Sales Group
6/30
Extraordinary opportunity to own property on Mansion Road on Block Island! Located in very close proximity to Mansion Beach...
TimberTech by AZEK
Posted By
Riverhead Building Supply
6/30
Riverhead Building Supply offers TimberTech by AZEK Building Products. Click here for the latest collections and styles...
Holiday Haven on Center Road
Posted By
Ballard Hall Sales Group
6/30
The opportunity to own a property like "Holiday Haven" does not happen very often. Built in 1884 by legendary Island...
Highland Farm has new plants arriving daily!
Posted By
Highland Farm Inc.
6/23
Planting season is upon us, and Highland Farm has the best selection of plants for Block Island! We have new plants arriving...
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Island Religion
PART 2 PRAYER - Does God hear and answer our prayers?
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