By Julia Purdy After the Gospel, Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is probably the best known story of Christmas in the English language. Since 1900, the entertainment industry alone has produced at least 50 versions for film and TV. We enjoy the “Carol” like a box of Christmas candy, a cornucopia of special effects thanks…

By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is the editor and publisher of the Addison County Independent, a sister publication of the Mountain Times.  It’s hard to overstate the impact Sen. Patrick Leahy has had on Vermont, and the nation, during his 48-year tenure at the U.S. Senate. Reading a complete list of his many…

By Dom Cioffi I look forward to this time of year, which is why I save up several vacation days to coincide with my company holidays. I use this extra time to partake in various Christmas activities and get numerous household chores accomplished. I also take a lot of naps in front of the fire.…

By Liz DiMarco Weinmann The lyrics of the holiday ballad “Grown-Up Christmas List,” reference fervent hopes for peace and a better world, a poignant contrast to blaring jingles that play on endless repeat. The song, written three decades ago by renowned composer David Foster, speaks to universal humanitarian quests: “No more lives torn apart…That wars…

By Mark Bushnell/VTDigger Charles Dickens had writer’s block in the worst way. It had been years since he’d laid down his pen while only halfway through writing “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.” In desperation, some say, he turned to an unlikely assistant. The public was stunned to read that the great British writer had picked…

By Merisa Sherman Pulling my hood over my head, I dove off the trail and under the tree branch, heavily laden with the snow from the past few days. Usually, the branch would be bent from the weight of heavy wet snow, but today it was only from the weight of so much snow falling…

By Kenrick Vezina Have you noticed the cheery evergreen sprig with pearly berries, currently perched over the doorways of Yankee traditionalists and those desperate to be kissed? That’s common mistletoe (Viscum album), which one botanical dispatch from the 1800s called “perhaps the most distinguished plant in the flora of England.” It’s found in broadleaf trees…

The First Universalist Church and Society of Barnard, located at 6211 Route 12, will host BarnArts 12th annual winter carols at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 16. The event is free with donations welcome to offset costs. There will also be a bonus outdoor BarnArts Chorale performance on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. on…

December — LUDLOW — Help Benson’s Chevrolet make a child’s Christmas special this year. The car dealership is once again a local drop-off location in the Ludlow area. Help them fill the tree and truck with books, toys, clothing and more this holiday season. There is no greater joy than a child receiving a Christmas…

By Curt Peterson The Killington Select Board made some significant adjustments in zoning setback requirements during a hearing that was part of its Dec. 12 meeting. The area covered includes two “hamlets” within the town, and a section called “the valley," all on Route 4 on the East side of town. According to Town Manager…

By Curt Peterson Maggie O’Brien, the newest member of the Rutland Regional Planning Commission, will be helping update the 2015 Killington Town Plan, according to RRPC Special Projects Manager Ed Bove. O’Brien grew up in Farmington, New York, a small town of 14,000 between Lake Canandagua and Lake Ontario. She earned her degree in environmental…

By Katy Savage Digging into soil found no evidence of underground storage tanks at the Vermont Farmers Food Center — a relief to the organization’s leaders as they try to remedy an environmental contamination. “That was best case scenario, that’s what we were hoping for,” said VFFC Executive Director Heidi Lynch, explaining the process to…

By Anne Sosin Editor’s note: This commentary is by Anne N. Sosin, a policy fellow at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Social Sciences at Dartmouth College.  A recent Vermont Public story profiled a home health worker who, after nearly 30 years of steady service, now earns $18 per hour. That…

By Dylan Giambatista Editor’s note: Dylan Giambatista is a former Vermont state representative, past trustee of the Vermont State Colleges system, and alumnus of the Community College of Vermont. Imagine being a college student who’s trying to get ahead but faces obstacles at every turn. Maybe it was a late phone bill, an unexpected closure…

Dear Editor, In response to Mr. Emerson Lynn’s guest editorial “The Peril of OneCare’s failure,” which ran in the Nov. 30-Dec. 6 editon of the Mountain Times, OneCare’s failure would hardly impact Vermont’s health care because it has always been a failure to begin with. I commend Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) members Owen Foster…