By Dom Cioffi Once the presents were opened, the wrapping paper was discarded, the food was served, the dishes were cleaned, the relatives had exited, and the decorations were taken down, my wife and I sat in our living room and discussed the holiday. We both agreed that it was an exceptional year, but also…

By Colby Galliher It’s deep in winter, and a nor’easter is dumping snow outside. In between the howling winds you hear a boom! Maybe a heap of snow fell from the roof, you think, or a giant icicle crashed from the eaves. A few minutes later, another boom pounds through the blizzard’s gales. It’s closer…

Mountain Meditation Marguerite Jill Dye   A dear friend of mine keeps a gratitude journal to write down the good things that transpire—like a heart-to-heart talk with a friendly neighbor, a courteous driver, a fall she avoided. Gratitude grows blessings. It’s a high vibration that attracts the same back to it like a magnet. When…

  Icicles sparkle, As they hang from shining rocks, Now falls, beautiful.    

Happy Gregorian New Year! A change in the calendar year is always so much more than an old year ending. It offers the chance, the hope, the possibility of what you want to bring into your sphere being closer than it was before.  Even if you awaken from slumber on Jan. 1, having seen better…

Submitted   By Rep. Michelle Bos-Lun, D-Westminster Editor’s note: Michelle Bos-Lun is a secondary school teacher in her second term representing Westminster, Rockingham and Brookline in the Vermont House. I recently submitted a bill to create the Vermont State Mushroom after consulting with some important stakeholders: the elementary students of Windham Elementary School and the…

Dear Editor,  Try to imagine Rutland City without its New England steeples and Grace Church’s organ parts strewn all over Court and West Streets. Imagine a flattened parking garage down the street and Walmart a charred pile of plastic poisoning the air.  No running water because the water treatment plant no longer exists, little food,…

Dear Editor, In 2023, the Vermont Declaration of Inclusion Initiative completed the third full year of its statewide effort, grew internally, and was recognized by several Vermont organizations. At year’s end, 131 cities and towns had adopted the Declaration of Inclusion. Nearly 73% of Vermont’s population resides in those towns. Members of the Initiative are…

Dear Editor, The Ludlow Area Rotary Club thanks the residents and businesses of the greater Ludlow area for their support in 2023. Our club is a part of Rotary International which is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The mission of Rotary is to “provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance…

Submitted   By Reps. Seth Bongartz (D-Manchester), Scott Beck (R–St. Johnsbury,  Michelle Bos-Lun (D–Westminster), Bobby Felice-Rubio (D–Barnet), Robin Chestnut-Tangerman (D–Middletown Springs) and Mike Rice (D–Dorset) A recent commentary by Reps. Rebecca Holcombe of Norwich, Erin Brady of Williston and Monique Priestley of Bradford, while making a few fair points about the rising cost of education,…

By Rep. Jim Harrison Quite a few years ago, I remember visiting the House Appropriations Committee at the State House, where there was a prominent sign on the wall, “NO, is it the N or the O that you do not understand?” The committee chair then was Michael Obuchowski, who later served as House Speaker…

In 2015, Vermont lawmakers reformed the state’s electric grid by requiring utilities to purchase or build more renewable energy.  During the coming legislative session, which begins on Jan. 3, 2024, lawmakers plan to take up a bill to strengthen the law, known as the renewable energy standard. It will likely require utilities to source even…

It was not just an unusually warm year, 2023 was a year of extremes throughout the state, from flooding to cold snaps and heat waves By Erin Petenko/VTDigger By Erin Petenko/VTDigger, with data from National Weather Service The chart above shows the average temperatures in Burlington since 1900. This past year, 2023, was well above average. …

Submitted   Starting Jan. 1, Green Mountain Power (GMP) will continue its rebate programs to help customers save when they switch from fossil fuels to clean electricity for driving, heating and cooling, yard care and more. All GMP’s programs are designed to help cut costs for all GMP customers while also cutting carbon emissions.  Also…

Submitted Kathleen Demaio   Kathleen A. Demaio, 81, passed away in her home on Dec. 11, 2023. She was born Oct. 31, 1942, in Jersey City, New Jersey the daughter of Frank and Louise (Deluca) Montone. She worked as a computer programmer as an independent contractor for the U.S. Postal Service. Demaio graduated college with…