Commentary
This is an open letter principally to my fellow members on the Dukes County charter study commission, but also to the selectmen of the towns within Dukes County, the newspapers, and anyone else seeking better local government. These are frank observations which may be difficult to swallow and somewhat indigestible.
Regional Trash Disposal: Long Overdue
Fifteen years ago Tisbury and Oak Bluffs decided to pull out of the Vineyard’s regional solid waste disposal district, figuring they could operate their own solid waste disposal system more efficiently and inexpensively. But there was never any logic to operating two off-Island transfer operations on a small Island.
Sticker Shock in West Tisbury
Staggering increases in property taxes in some areas of West Tisbury this year have come as a blow to residents, some of whom have seen their tax bills more than double. The increases put enormous pressure on people who own valuable property but are not wealthy — including some property owners on the Tisbury Great Pond, many of whom have held property in their family for generations.
So the questions are coming fast and furious from a group of taxpayers who want to know how this happened.
What is it with this pot-bellied, moon-faced guy Babe Ruth? What makes him remembered so vividly to this day? It was summed up best by an old teammate reminiscing years ago about the Babe. “He was a constant source of joy,” the old man said.
— Robert Creamer, Hall of Fame Magazine.com
How a rare image of Babe Ruth landed in a Vineyard art gallery is less a tale of the enduring game of baseball and more the story of the enduring mystery of friendship.
MISS MY PAPA
Editors, Vineyard Gazette:
Many people told me in the past few weeks that my grandfather, Peter Williamson, was a great guy and very respected. They said when he was the chief he was known for helping people. I am too young to know about those years.
I knew him as my Papa.
He would watch movies with me any time I wanted. He would watch the same Elmo movies over and over.
Anyone can buy a boat, a quahaug rake and a shellfish permit and go quahaugging. And anyone can use a rod and reel to catch a fish.
But it is a rare person who can scratch a living as a fisherman, from youth through middle age and do it with the spirit and dedication of Robert (Bob) Flanders, who died this past weekend.
Thirty years ago, when I was an aspiring young journalist, I went to Menemsha with my camera trying to take the great picture that would launch my career.