Columns
Mountain Times columnists share personal experiences on themes they’ve chosen as a focus. Find a personality you relate to and follow them weekly!
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Housing by the numbers: The high cost of low quality data
May 21, 2025
“In God we trust, all others bring data,” said W. Edwards Deming. Human beings are hardwired for narrative, storytelling, connecting with other humans by sharing experiences and detailing characters, plot, dialogue, spectacle, theme, and action. We tell stories to build relationships, establish rapport, teach, persuade, inspire, establish credibility, create empathy, entertain, persuade juries, and accomplish…
Memorial Day
May 21, 2025
We were surrounded by red, white, and blue. The stars and stripes were everywhere, repeated over and over across the field in front of us. We sat next to my mom and dad, trying to read the names on the memorial that stood proudly in front of us. We saw the name Jones repeated over…
The Age of Innocence
May 21, 2025
When I was a young man, the legal drinking age was 18. That meant that a good chunk of teenagers could go out to the bars while still in high school. Admittedly, this caused some problems. I should know; I was one of them. When I was 20 years old, the state of Vermont changed…
Mosquitoes in the rain
May 21, 2025
If you’re a mosquito and it’s a warm spring afternoon, you’re out cruising the air currents on your tiny wings. But as you buzz around, the sun warming your exoskeleton, the clouds roll in, heralding a spring shower. Balls of water up to 50 times heavier than your body begin plummeting out of the sky.…
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Own your potential
May 21, 2025
It feels nice to listen to a podcast, read a book, or attend a seminar that inspires, motivates, and uplifts. It’s a great mind exercise to expand on the possibilities and wonder what might be possible for you. It also feels nice to gain new levels of self-awareness, to be able to examine your habits,…
Soderbergh’s ‘Presence’ features more than scares
May 21, 2025
‘Presence’ is available to stream on-demand After director Steven Soderbergh’s planned 2013 theatrical film, “Behind the Candelabra,” ran into funding difficulties and eventually landed on HBO for a cable release, the prolific director announced his retirement. In what is, perhaps, the shortest retirement in filmmaking history, Soderbergh was back with his short-lived, though compelling, two-season…
Paying back the bond: A look at the safety nets
May 14, 2025
A common concern regarding the Rutland City TIF District is: what happens if the development doesn’t generate enough tax revenue to pay back the bond? This week’s article seeks to answer that question, as well as explain some of the safety nets that are in place to make sure the City remains financially secure. By…
The Full Moon signals the real beginning
May 14, 2025
Astrologically speaking, so much has already happened in 2025. Despite this, the big events of this year and next have barely even begun. This week’s Full Moon divides May into two chapters: the quiet chapter, which we’ve already moved through, and the loud chapter, which we are only just beginning. There is something about this…
‘Nonnas’ is a ‘cheesy,’ slice of goodness
May 14, 2025
By Ellie Trinkle It has long been suggested that the power of food transcends beyond simply “tasting good”; it can heal, invite, and inspire. Stephen Chbosky’s new Netflix film “Nonnas” depicts this multitude of food in a heartwarming and tender way. The film follows middle-aged Joe Scaravella, played by Vince Vaughn, whose mother’s recent tragic…
Little Feat rocks Rutland with new tunes and classic hits
May 14, 2025
The Little Feat show at the Paramount Theatre on Cinco de Mayo was a 10. This performance was the kick-off of their “Strike Up The Band” tour, supporting their just-released album of the same name. This is Little Feat’s first album of new original songs in 13 years. “Tonight was rockin’ ,” said Little Feat’s…
Creating your own outdoor oasis: A relaxing retreat in your backyard
May 14, 2025
When May arrives, it’s time to think about spending time in your yard and gardens. But all of your time outdoors shouldn’t be spent working. After all, you need a break from doing “chores”. Creating your own oasis will entice you to relax and enjoy nature while you are outside. Find a spot where you…
We’re all MAD here
May 14, 2025
It’s over. Wait, seriously, it’s over? It’s like the second week of May and my friends are putting their skis away for the season. Some of my spring friends I didn’t even get a chance to ski with and it’s all over? It’s all over and I was just getting started, just getting the hang…
Savoring tradition
May 14, 2025
“Eat the meat!” I can hear my grandmother’s voice bellowing through the kitchen like it was yesterday. She was famous for her Sunday Italian meals, which she relentlessly provided to an extended family throughout her life. My grandmother grew up in “The Gut” of our city, where all the Italian immigrants (including her parents) had…
How growth rings chronicle the seasons
May 14, 2025
The longer, warmer days of spring spark phenological changes in trees, from root to tip. As the limbs of trees stretch and twist toward the sky in search of sun, their trunks grow wider to support the new weight. New wood is added year after year to the cambium, the area of a tree just…
Homeless legislation encounters Sturm and Drang
May 7, 2025
A cohort of Vermont’s social service providers has embarked on an editorial campaign challenging the House’s recent legislation that would disrupt the status quo of homeless services funding administration. Angus Chaney, executive director of Rutland’s Homeless Prevention Center (HPC), appears to be the author of the editorial and is joined by about a dozen fellow…
‘Secret Mall Apartment’ takes street art to a new level
May 7, 2025
Director Jeremy Workman’s documentary, “Secret Mall Apartment,” spins a crazy yarn about a group of Rhode Island street artists who, in a brazen and ingenious-level piece of establishment corporate defiance, fooled the Providence Place security for four years by building a secret apartment within a hidden nook of the mall structure. Artist Michael Townsend is…
Short poles
May 7, 2025
It never felt like this before. My chest was in the right position and wasn’t getting bounced backward every few turns. My right shoulder wasn’t getting jammed into itself with every pole plant, forcing my torso up and my entire body to stretch out. That beautiful extension that forces me to then retract everything while…
A cut above
May 7, 2025
Only three people have ever cut my hair: There was the older gentleman that my mother brought me to when I was young. Then there was the son of my dad’s barber, who cut my hair for decades. And finally, there’s the guy I’ve been going to for the last several years. I especially liked…
Hepatica: Ephemeral or evergreen?
May 7, 2025
As the days get longer and the sun warms the forest floor, hepatica flowers emerge. These charming early bloomers captivated the writer and naturalist John Burroughs, who extolled their “winsome grace” in his poem “Hepatica.” Hepatica flowers close on cloudy days and when night falls to preserve their pollen for when pollinators are most likely…
