In response to recent recommendations from Vermont’s Cannabis Control Board (CCB), physicians from the Vermont Medical Society (VMS), the American Academy of Pediatrics Vermont Chapter (AAPVT), the Vermont Psychiatric Association (VPA) and the Vermont Academy of Family Physicians (VTAFP) have urged the Vermont legislature to maintain the current statutory THC potency limits for the retail…

By Rep. Jim Harrison The first week of a new legislative biennium is full of tradition, pomp and circumstance, along with a heavy dose of getting organized. And, unlike the U.S. Congress this past week, the Vermont House and Senate completed their organization within hours of their respective official roll calls. Once the House members…

By Sen. Alison Clarkson It is always exciting to begin a new biennium in the Vermont Statehouse. And, the 2023 launch of the first year of that two year legislative period was no exception.  Over one third of our legislators are newly elected. Of the 10 new senators, only three have served previously in the…

The Vermont Arts Council gave $3,692,500 in awards to 49 creative sector organizations and businesses in its first round of funding through the Creative Futures program.  On Jan. 5, it announced that round two is now open for applications. Supported by $9 million from Vermont’s share of the American Rescue Plan Act, the program aims…

Pico Mountain has new snowmaking capabilities on A Slope ski trail. This project is part of continued improvements to the snowmaking system at Pico Mountain and was made possible in large part by community contributions facilitated by the Pico Ski Education Foundation, a nonprofit with a goal to help maintain an affordable organized ski racing…

About 33% of U.S. home fires involving Christmas trees occur in January. With this post-holiday fire hazard in mind, the National Fire Protection Association strongly encourages everyone to remove the hazards by disposing of Christmas trees promptly after the holiday season.  “As much as we all enjoy the look and feel of Christmas trees in…

By Lise Sparrow Editor’s note: Rev. Dr. Lise Sparrow is the chair of religious affairs of the Windham County NAACP. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said, “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”  Here in Vermont the dismantling of structural racism has been happening slowly but relentlessly…

By Scott Giles and Joyce Judy Editor’s note: Scott Giles is the president and CEO of Vermont Student Assistance Corp; Joyce Judy is president of the Community College of Vermont. We’ve long known that the most promising jobs in Vermont require education and training beyond high school. Yet too often, Vermonters seeking that education and…

By Jim Condos For more than 35 years, it has been my great honor to serve the people of Vermont as a public servant as: Secretary of state for 12 years, state senator for eight years, and South Burlington city councilor for 18 years.  During this time, I have always worked hard to serve Vermont’s…

Dear Editor, A very important fact was edited from my letter to the Mountain Times on Dec. 28 about Killington’s removal of beaver dams that the town residents should be made aware of. It’s obvious the town and state have implemented this river management plan in the complete absence of knowledge about the river itself.…

Dear Editor, In the Dec. 28 Mountain Times, a letter writer made many false claims and assertions. I am referring to the letter about Killington’s river permit. The writer is uninformed and not qualified to make these comments regardless of how much time they have spent paddling the river. I have lived on this segment…

By Michael J. Caduto Editor’s note: Michael J. Caduto is author and co-author of more than 20  books, including the “Keepers of the Earth” series. He is executive director of Sustainable Woodstock. He lives in Reading. Although Jan. 1 is day one in the year of the Western (Gregorian) calendar, it is not written in…

By Merisa Sherman I wiggle my legs back and forth underneath me, like a pendulum they swing as I meander along on the Great Eastern. Or what used to be called Great Eastern, I honestly cannot keep track of the name changes. Maybe it’s Bear Cub or something. Just the slightest bit of movement from…

By Anna Morris One January day, my husband and I set off on a walk around our neighborhood. The temperature was a bone-chilling negative 19 degrees, and although we worked to get our blood pumping, our fingers and toes eventually revolted. As we turned back toward the warmth of home, I spotted a flock of…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Once in awhile during the winter months I like to look forward instead of “back.” So this column will concentrate on flowers and veggies fresh from the garden. I don’t think that I am the only one who misses playing in the dirt this time of year.  Of course, if you…