Not a Drop to Drink

It took four words to remind Islanders this week how fragile our ecosystem is: Don’t drink the water.

Residents of Oak Bluffs last weekend were advised — not promptly enough for many, adding “devise foolproof disaster communications plan” to the to-do list for all town officials — that they should boil any water they might drink, use to wash their hands or teeth, or even their dishes.

Indian Summer

September is the Island’s best-kept secret and many Islanders who work hard all summer consider it their own special gift. The ocean water is still warm enough for swimming, and beach days are still at hand for strolling, collecting shells and stones and, of course, one more plunge into the ocean. Will it be the last until next year?

The derby is on and fishermen line the shore, casting for blues and stripers in their waders, perhaps making us somewhat incongruous as we splash about in shorts and bathing suits.

The Oceans Plan Quid Pro Quo

Gov. Deval Patrick and his senior advisors in energy and the environment have an ambitious, aggressive agenda that is designed to regulate and encourage the development of renewable energy industries, especially wind. But the legislative initiatives that have grown from the this agenda would also eviscerate the protective powers of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, and this is an unacceptable trade-off.

The MCAS Scoreboard

Vineyard students take statewide standardized tests in the fall and spring. This week the annual test results were published, making now a testing time for parents, educators and the community. What do we make of the good news and the bad?

Tony Meyer’s Surprise

The House the Houghs Built

Has the importance of history and the preservation of old architecture in the Island community fallen down a rabbit hole?

It would certainly seem so, and the scant public outrage over the proposed demolition of the Hough house on Pierce Lane in Edgartown is just the latest example.