After a week of long days and late nights, the regular session of the 2024 Vermont Legislature adjourned early Saturday morning just after 2 a.m. My best guess in the annual adjournment pool was 6:30 p.m. Friday evening, which turned out to be way too optimistic. When the Legislature finishes its work for the session,…

Vermont’s 2023-24 Legislative Biennium ended in the wee hours of Saturday morning May 11. The Senate gaveled out at 1:18 a.m. and the House about 2 a.m. This has been a hard session. It was begun in the wake of a natural disaster, with a state recovering from terrible flooding. Despite these challenges we managed…

By Shaun Robinson/VTDigger Vermont lawmakers have passed a bill that would create new uniform ethical standards for many local government officials — a change that proponents said is long overdue. H.875 would establish a “municipal code of ethics” that’s similar to one for state officials that went into effect two years ago. The new code would apply to local…

By Tom Evslin Editor’s note: Tom Evslin, of Stowe, is a retired high-tech entrepreneur. He served as transportation secretary for Gov. Richard Snelling and stimulus czar for Gov. Jim Douglas. The Vermont Legislature is playing an expensive shell game — and planning worse. The “equalized pupil” is the shell under which the pea is hidden.…

Dear Editor, It has been 12 years since the relicensing process began for five hydroelectric facilities on the Connecticut River, and until May 22, there is an opportunity to comment to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).  The last time these hydro facilities were licensed was in 1979, and once the new licenses are issued,…

Dear Editor, As a pastor, I feel it is my professional and moral responsibility to speak to the crisis of conscience facing our nation and state. As of this writing, the civilian death toll in Gaza stands at around 34,654 according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. A third of these casualties are children. I do…

By DJ Dave HoffenbergHave a music scene coming up? Email djdavehoff@gmail.com Wed 5/8 LUDLOW6 p.m. Off the Rails – Learn to Line Dance POULTNEY7 p.m. Poultney Pub - Open Mic with Danny Lang QUECHEE 6 p.m. Public House Pub – Chris Pallutto RUTLAND5 p.m. Moose Lodge – Nick Bredice and Liz Reedy 8 p.m. Center…

May is Older American Month. This designation was established in 1963 by the Administration for Community Living. The theme for 2024 is “Powered by Connection,” which recognizes the profound impact that meaningful relationships and social connections have on our health and well-being.  In our area we have the Killington Active Seniors, the Thompson Center in…

Building a Killington Dream Lodge: Part 12 While building our ski lodge in Killington, we worked very hard but there were perks, too. One thing I loved most about Vermont was what I discovered when I was 13. Since we owned property, I’d qualify to apply for a learner’s permit when I turned 14. (In…

My mom moved here, to Killington, seven years ago, after the passing of my father. She was the first widow of her friend group and no one knew what to do with her in a world where everyone was coupled up. She was lonely and alone, so when the needlepoint shop that she worked at started…

  I don’t know when it first happened, but one day many years ago, after indulging in a donut, I experienced some odd discomfort in my chest; it was a burning sensation that felt like I had burped up acid. I didn’t initially attribute the feeling to the donut, but after having it occur multiple…

Years ago, a hitchhiker found a baby red squirrel beneath a tree and brought it to the nature center where I worked as a naturalist and wildlife rehabilitator. The squirrel kit had not yet opened its eyes, so we estimated it was only 3 weeks old.  Most squirrels are born in the spring, but this…

Back and forth, The waves crash against the sand, With a beautiful sound of calmness, The waves breathe in, And they let out a big sigh, In and out, In and out, The beautiful blue ocean goes, Maybe it’s sending a little message, A message telling you, That it is important to always be calm,…

After the month that was, chances are that by now, you need a little resolve. This week brings one of the most calm and quiet weeks we’ll see in some time. Though collectively, we’ve grown grossly unused to it, there is a magic in the stillness,  in the calm and quiet where nothing seemingly happens.…