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Home » Opinion

Editorials

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...
The conversation continues

Thu, Sep 20

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

There will be another opportunity to discuss how business has been performing on Block Island, both for this past summer and in previous years, at the annual meeting of the Tourism Council that will be held at The Spring House on Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 5 p.m. The public is invited and encouraged to...
Reducing the herd

Thu, Sep 13

Category:

Editorials

There has been a letter writing campaign by some Block Island homeowners and residents asking the Deer Task Force to look into additional ways to once again reduce the deer population in some significant manner. There should be, first, a deer count done sometime during the winter. Rather than...
Set the terms

Thu, Aug 30

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

There is a letter from National Grid written to Town Manager Ed Roberge and Facilities Manager Sam Bird dated Aug. 21, 2018 that is on next week’s Town Council agenda. The letter addresses issues regarding the exposed portion of the sea2shore cable that has been a topic of discussion in recent...
Weeds, for lack of a better word, can be good

Thu, Aug 23

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

The news out of California was shocking: a jury awards a groundskeeper almost $290 million based on its determination that the herbicide glyphosate, found in the popular weedkiller Roundup, was responsible for his cancer. That verdict will undoubtedly be appealed, but the message the jury sent is...
Power Outage Information

Lars Trodson

Thu, Aug 16

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

The following was sent in by BIPCo’s President Jeffery Wright: The power to the National Grid substation in Wakefiled was interrupted on Wednesday, Aug. 15, at 4:54 p.m., causing an island-wide outage. The Block Island Power Company restored power within approximately 50 minutes by using...
A season of giving

Thu, Aug 9

Category:

News, Opinion, Editorials

Block Island has experienced a remarkable season of events designed to raise funds not only for our local institutions, but for individuals, as well. The season began with an island-wide party for the Murphy family, and continued through with successful events and fundraisers for the Block Island...
Thinking in bold strokes

Thu, Aug 2

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

Town Manager Ed Roberge has helped to facilitate an enormous — and enormously intriguing — idea to create a new kind of community zone to be located on parcels located near the Block Island School; a zone may eventually include a combination of homes to purchase and rental units. It can’t be...
One small step

Thu, Jul 26

Category:

News, Opinion, Editorials

There is ecological bad news everywhere. Mudslides, sink holes, melting ice caps, heat waves, volcanoes, earthquakes, flooding, and drought. It sometimes feels so overwhelming that it’s reasonable to think that there is nothing one person can do to prevent these disasters from happening. The most...
Time to move on

Thu, Jul 19

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

It’s unclear as to why town leadership is maintaining its steadfast opposition to the Quonset-based fast ferry service. We understand why Interstate Navigation is against it — that makes sense. Interstate doesn’t want some gadfly business coming in here just during the summer, potentially taking...
Not pretty

Thu, Jul 12

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

This is not art. It’s not pretty. It’s vandalism. We almost hate to bring attention to it, because whoever did this — if they are not long gone — will probably have a good chuckle over our unfashionable chagrin, but even we thought tagging was a thing of the past. That old culvert underneath the...
A fine sight

Thu, Jul 5

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

It was a joyous, fun-filled Fourth of July here on Block Island. The fireworks went off without a hitch. The parade was raucous and fun-filled. The Block Island Volunteer Fire Department’s annual steak fry was a big success. Many, many words could be used to describe the sense of fun that pervaded...
Candidates file for offices

Lars Trodson

Thu, Jun 28

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

Here are the declared candidates for open seats on various town boards, including the Town Council. The declaration of candidacy period closed at Block Island Town Hall on Wednesday, June 27: Town Council: First Warden: Ken Lacoste (R) and Mark Emmanuelle (I). Second Warden: André...
Just a reminder...

Thu, Jun 14

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

This is not the way to park a bike when taking a walk at Crescent Beach, or any of the beaches along Corn Neck Road. There are bike racks at every entrance to the beach, across the street, and at the Fred Benson Beach Pavilion. Please be delicate with the island’s fragile dunes.
A plastic shield? Really?

Thu, Jun 7

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

Looks like we’re stuck with a mitigation plan for the exposed part of National Grid’s sea2shore cable that no one really cares for. This summer the island will be blessed with a field comprising a dozen buoys designating the area where the exposed cable lies about 200 feet offshore at Fred Benson...
Look, no hands!

Thu, May 31

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

One of the reasons why governing bodies keep passing new laws is because human beings, by and large, have a difficult time with self-discipline. It’s no secret that drinking and driving is not only against the law, but stunningly dangerous, and yet there was a DUI arrest by the State Troopers on...
Editorial photo

Thu, May 24

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

“Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices.” — President Harry S. Truman “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God such men...
Our complete support

Thu, May 17

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

On the morning of Thursday, May 17, the Block Island Rescue Squad ambulance went racing down Ocean Avenue, sirens blaring. That ambulance was driven by a volunteer, and whomever was being transported was also being attended to by a volunteer. These folks are among the many who are about to work...
Take your junk to the dump

Thu, May 10

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

The weather has gotten warmer, seasonal residents are returning to the island to open up their homes. In light of that, Highways Department Supervisor Mike Shea has a plea not to leave unwanted household items on the side of the road by anyone thinking that the Highways Department will eventually...
Time to make your voice heard

Thu, May 3

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

A year-and-a-half ago, one of the more important questions in recent Block Island history was put to voters: Whether or not to buy two-thirds of Block Island Power Company stock to create a local utility district. The build-up to the vote was intense, with passionate views on each side, and the...
Watch out!

Thu, Apr 26

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

It’s the time of year when you may find one of these slowpokes crossing the road. Please don’t drive over the speed limit and keep an eye out for any precious wildlife — including duck families with babies — that may be traveling in your path. This turtle was slowly making its way across Mohegan...
DEM needs to take action

Thu, Apr 19

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

Over the past several years, a lot of time, effort, and money has been spent trying to figure out how to reduce the deer herd on Block Island. While some headway seemed to have been made a few years back, we now seem to not know how many deer there are on the island, or whether or not herd numbers...
Getting greener

Thu, Apr 12

Category:

Opinion, Editorials

It was the balloon ban heard ‘round the world. Moments after The Block Island Times posted on its website that the Town Council had voted to ban the sale and use of balloons on the island, the media calls started to come in. Seemingly moments later, a version of the story started popping up...

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