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Opinion

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...
Letters

Thu, Apr 4

Category:

Opinion, Letters

‘A good man’ To the Editor: Life on this Island Block is quite unique in many ways. Certainly not conventional, and even unusual if you live here other than just the summer season. Death, on the other hand, is essentially the same everywhere. Howie Rice died rather suddenly just a few weeks...
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...
Letters

Thu, Mar 28

Category:

News, Opinion

A letter from the Chief To the Editor: Earlier this month on a Friday night, a few teenaged kids, good friends, left a gathering in South Kingstown and ended up in a serious car crash that resulted in a 17 year-old boy named Aiden Mulligan receiving a critical, life-threatening brain injury...
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...
Letters

Thu, Mar 14

Category:

Opinion, Letters

“His loss is not mine alone.” To the Editor: So, it has been two difficult months since my loss of Donny, since our loss of Don. The night before last, I forewent my early morning walks throughout the house. I finally slept through the night. In the morning, I applied a touch of...
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,...
Letters

Thu, Mar 7

Category:

Opinion, Letters

Thank you, Mr. Kaufmann To the Editor: I read with interest last week’s article “At 92, still making music,” about Carl Kaufmann’s guitar building. I, and my students, have many fond memories from when Carl mentored a guitar building class at the school. It was one of those projects where I...
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...
Letters

Thu, Feb 28

Category:

Opinion, Letters

Seize the reins To the Editor: “The last day of deer hunting is Friday (Feb. 22),” noted the New Shoreham Town clerk. Why? It has long been established that the island herd remains many times over Department of Environmental Management’s acceptable number of animals per acre, and deer are...
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...
Letters

Thu, Feb 21

Category:

Opinion, Letters

Drone usage has rules To the Editor: Amateur drone flyers need to be aware that a special Federal Aviation Administration Interim Final Rule will take effect on Feb. 25, 2019. All drones must be registered and externally marked with a registration number obtained at www.faadronezone...
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...
Letters

Thu, Feb 14

Category:

Opinion, Letters

Congrats! To The Editor The Block Island Yacht Club was formed in 2010, with a mission of promoting good fellowship and supporting Block Island maritime-related activities. BIYC Maritime Scholarships may be awarded each year by the BIYC to qualified Block Island High School graduates...
Letters

Thu, Feb 7

Category:

Opinion, Letters

To the Editor: Wow. First and foremost, thank you to Mason for being an incredible inspiration of courage and class. In your 10 years of life, you have mastered the fine art of strength and kindness. You have an entire community behind you, cheering you through this. Next, thank you to every single...
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...
Letters

Thu, Jan 31

Category:

Opinion, Letters

ConserFest rolls along To the Editor: The 11th Anniversary of ConserFest was full of exciting new experiences. Despite the heat, we had a huge turnout at the Narragansett Inn for food, fun, and fantastic music! With your support, we raised almost $20,000 to support Island environmental...
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...
Letters

Thu, Jan 24

Category:

Opinion, Letters

Many thanks from the Hall family To the Editor: We would like to extend our heartfelt thank you to Pastor Peter Preiser, his wife Carrie Johnson, Tony Pappas, Carrie Todd, Megan Hennessy, and to all those who participated in a beautiful service honoring our beloved Gayanne Hall duPont on...
Letters

Thu, Jan 17

Category:

Opinion, Letters

Bright lights To the Editor: The island shines a little less bright with the passing of Ginni Collins and Don Thimble within a few days of each other last week. Two pillars of island life; for decades each gave of themselves unto this special place. Who has not benefited from the generosity...
‘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...
Letters

Thu, Jan 10

Category:

Opinion, Letters

Early Learning Center thanks you To the Editor: The Block Island Early Learning Center would like to extend a very grateful thank you to the members of the community who contributed goods to our Holiday Basket, and also to those who purchased raffle tickets. The overwhelming...
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...
Letters

Thu, Jan 3

Category:

Opinion, Letters

Stone wall concerns To the Editor: To anyone concerned with the stone wall between the library parking lot and the Darius Inn: We wanted to publicly respond to last week’s article in case there are others harboring thoughts about the missing stone wall. We were surprised to read in the...
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...
Letters

Thu, Dec 27

Category:

Letters

‘Great respect and gratitude’ To the Editor: I have been coming to Block Island since I was an infant, in 1955. My parents bought a house here in 1960. My fond memories of growing up here are too numerous to count. My mother, Jane Scranton, is 92 and still lives on her beloved island. She...
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-...
Letters

Thu, Dec 20

Category:

Opinion, Letters

A year of change To the Editor: The Block Island chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness is a non-profit organization working to reduce the effects and stigma of mental illness. We aim to facilitate access to mental health care, support families affected by mental illness and...
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...
Letters

Thu, Dec 13

Category:

Opinion, Letters

Getting to the beach To the Editor: I was so happy to see the picture of the new beach wheelchair at Fred Benson Town Beach. I would like to thank all who helped in any way to obtain this most welcome addition, especially the Lion’s Club, Kathy (Szabo) at the Chamber of Commerce, Cindy (...
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...
Letters

Thu, Nov 29

Category:

Opinion, Letters

Peaceful progress To the Editor: To all who contributed and showed interest in the Block Island Peace Project: I want to thank everyone who came and also those who were unable to come for various reasons, but who have contacted me about the project. There has been interest expressed in...
Letters

Tue, Nov 20

Category:

Opinion, Letters

A job well done To the Editor: The summer of 2018 was delightful on Block Island. The weather was outstanding and the ocean was perfect for those of us who enjoy swimming, kayaking, and general beach activities extending into the late evenings. Unfortunately, but as usual, the mopeds were a...
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...
Letters

Thu, Nov 15

Category:

Opinion, Letters

Lobster Pot Tree To the Editor: It is hard to believe it is that time of year. Thanksgiving is next week! The Old Harbor Task Force invites you to drop by early afternoon, Sunday, Nov. 18 and watch the The Lobster Pot Christmas Tree being created. Turtle, his family, and his friends will be...
Personal Essay: Why Second Warden?

André Boudreau

Thu, Nov 15

Category:

Featured Letters

I get the same question a lot: “Why are you running for Second Warden?” It’s not as easy to answer as one might think in a straightforward, concise manner. I attended the last get-together before the election with Rep. Jim Langevin at the R.I. Yacht Club in October. I went as Second Warden of Block...
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...
Letters

Thu, Nov 8

Category:

Opinion, Letters

Living with the deer... To the Editor: My wife, two dogs and I live in a very old house, high on a hill and deep in the woods. We love to walk on the greenways and through the pastures, observing the changing seasons, the intricacy and rich colors of flowering shrubs, and of course the...
Letters

Thu, Nov 1

Category:

Opinion, Letters

School Committee candidate To the Editor: I am here to announce my write-in candidacy to fill one of the two open seats on the Block Island School Committee. Having a voice in the community and in the school where our children spend most of their time would be an honor. I hope to bring a...
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,”...
Letters

Thu, Oct 25

Category:

Opinion, Letters

Increased monitoring To the Editor: Recently, we have experienced two rollover accidents by drivers that are minors that could have resulted in serious injury, or worse. These are currently under investigation and will result in court action. We have also heard complaints about some of our...
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...
Letters

Thu, Oct 18

Category:

Opinion, Letters

To the Editor: I agree with letters appearing in the last few weeks that call for the removal of deer, ticks and tick-borne diseases. In particular, I share the disagreement of P.S. Wood with The Block Island Times editorial of Sept. 15, 2018. If there truly is a law stating that...
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...

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Island Buzz

This weeks Nature Conservancy Schedule

Posted By

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Check out this weeks Nature Conservancy Schedule at https:// www.natureblockisland.org
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