An easier word to swallow By Sandra Dee Owens Years ago, while contemplating the things I found impossible to resist, I looked up the word addiction. According to Merriam-Webster addiction is "a compulsive, chronic, physiological, or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity having harmful physical, psychological, or social effects and typically causing…

By Kevin Theissen In 2021, the House Ways and Means Committee cleared a new bill, Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2021, more commonly referred to as SECURE Act 2.0. There were some delays, but it was again brought up in the House and was passed on March 29. In June, the Senate passed bills,…

By Susan Shea As spring warms the water, a turtle, covered by leaves and mud at the bottom of a wetland where she hibernated for the winter, awakens. Emerging from the water, she basks on shore. The sun illuminates her bright yellow throat and her high, domed shell, or carapace, dark and shiny with light…

Down the street they march, as they have marched for almost 250 years, their red, white and blue waving proudly for all to see. Families line the roadway, cheering loudly as their favorite fire trucks and organized groups roll on by. Little ones, having on idea what nationhood means and certainly have no idea who King…

There seems to be an increase in citizen concern about emeraldash borer (EAB) based on the number of calls and e-mails I have been getting this summer from people wanting simple answers to difficult questions. The difficult part is the nature of the eemerald ash borer itself and its direct impact on ash trees. We’re…

By Liz DiMarco Weinmann When Hurricane Irene ravaged large swaths of our region more than 10 years ago, national and local media alike praised Vermonters’ courage, hardiness, and community spirit. Even the New York Times ran a justifiably joyful feature, about a group of parents who discovered a half-mile-long path through the forest and ultimately…

For the last several years, I have grown increasingly attached to podcasts as my main source of information. I’ve found that long-form discussions lead to a better and more accurate understanding of both people and ideas. A three-minute soundbite from a talking head during a nightly newscast or a 30-second YouTube or Tik-Tok video can…

We recently had some work done on our car and one of the staff members said that he had tried to reach me but the call “didn’t go anywhere!" I asked if he had dialed 802 before our landline number and he said he did. The only logical explanation for a call that “didn’t go…

They are living about three blocks apart and are almost twins in size and shape. One is on Maple Street (between Pine and Baxter) in Rutland and the other is on Baxter (between Library and Park). There is actually a third one at the corner of Pine and Maple but it is smaller and not…

By Merisa Sherman I could tell she was a little nervous. You could see how small she made herself, her little arm wrapped around her mom’s leg as she peered around from the back. She wanted to be there and didn’t want to miss anything, but at the same time she wasn’t quite sure what…

By DJ Dave Hoffenberg If you haven’t seen Breanna Elaine yet, I recommend doing so. I’ve seen her twice now, at The Foundry and Still on the Mountain Distillery, both places she’ll play again in the future. She plays mostly originals with some covers mixed in. I heard her do Jewel’s “Who will Save your…

By Tiffany Soukup Distinctive features differentiates this rodent If you’ve never seen – or heard of – the southern bog lemming, you’re not alone. Although this small mammal scurries through our landscape year-round, it is elusive by nature. So elusive, in fact, that the southern bog lemming (Synaptomys cooperi) is listed as a species of…

By Dom Cioffi No parent ever wants to receive a phone call from the police regarding their child. It’s what nightmares are made of. This past weekend, I received one of those calls. It was late Saturday morning and I was putzing around the house doing chores when my phone rang. It was my son…

By Kevin Theissen The last couple of years have been challenging for everyone, including small businesses. As it seems we’ve come out of the pandemic, business owners were hoping that the worst of its economic impact would end as well. Not so fast, however, as rising interest rates and inflation now must be dealt with…

By Susie Spikol Gardening at night has its rewards. For me, it offers a way to stay on top of planting and weeding while balancing work and family responsibilities. It is also cooler at night, and the quiet act of having my hands in the dirt helps me unwind. But my favorite part of night…