By Elayne Clift As I watched the flag-draped coffin of the late Billy Evans, the second Capitol Police officer to lie in state, descend from the Capitol steps, I wept — and wondered how much longer we would find ourselves living in a country that has become so violent. As I saw the photograph of the deceased Dwayne…

By Lisa Loomis The Vermont Press Association wishes to thank Gov. Phil Scott for his veto of S.107 and siding with greater transparency for all Vermonters while also allowing for more time on this important issue. His veto letter is very clear and thoughtful as to why the bill as passed needs more consideration. The governor makes…

By David Kelley, board member of the Vermont Wildlife Coalition  When I was young everyone in my family hunted and fished. In fact, when I was young, it seemed like everyone in Vermont hunted and fished. At Otter Valley, where I went to high school, absenteeism shot up during deer season. Going to deer camp…

By Madeleine May Kunin Editor’s note: Madeleine May Kunin, a Democrat, was the 77th governor of Vermont, serving 1985-1991.  It’s almost the end of lockdown. Light is coming through the open door. Fresh air is rushing in. Outdoors, we can breathe again, without being muffled by masks. Where I live, at Wake Robin, a senior living…

By Ron Krupp Editor’s note: Ron Krupp, author of “The Woodchuck’s Guide to Gardening,” “The Woodchuck Returns to Gardening” and “Lifting the Yoke,” is working on his third garden book, “The Woodchuck’s Guide to Landscape Plants and Ornamentals.” When we plant a seed, we create a direct link between our ancestral past and our potential future.…

By Julia Purdy As I continued my search for a smallish property to settle into permanently – land or land-with-small house – my budget gave me no slack. On my side, I do have the advantage of knowing the southern Vermont counties well, being a native of the area and having returned almost 20 years…

By Michael Metz Editor’s Note: Michael Metz is a retired materials scientist, entrepreneur, and business owner. He has a history of board leadership with profit and nonprofit organizations and currently serves in that role for the Maker Space Generator and The Vermont Community Foundation. This commentary is the seventh in a 10-part series in which the…

By Lindsay DesLauriers Editor’s Note: Lindsay DesLauriers is one of the co-owners and the president of Bolton Valley Resort. She lobbied for the Vermont Early Childhood Alliance from 2012-2018 and for Voices for Vermont’s Children from 2012-2014. This commentary is the sixth in a 10-part series in which the authors respond to the pressing topics identified…

By Governor Phil Scott Editor’s note: Governor Phil Scott announced April 17  that he will allow H. 315 to become law without his signature and issued the following letter to the General Assembly. Pursuant to Chapter II, Section 11 of the Vermont Constitution, H.315, An Act Relating to Covid-19 Relief, will become law without my signature for…

  By Holly Groschner Editor’s note: Groschner, a former partner at DR&M, is a telecommunications lawyer with 30 years of experience and the chair of the board at Equal Access to Broadband. She recently retired as the president & CEO of Vermont PBS. This commentary is the first in a 10-part series examining some of…

By Paul Costello Vermont’s pandemic recovery is a catalytic opportunity for creative renewal. How do we work together to revitalize Vermont? Where do our values, principles, culture and economy fit together as we search for common paths to a more resilient, prosperous and welcoming state? Throughout this long year, the Vermont Council on Rural Development…

By Sec. Jim Condos Covid-19 has strained so many of our institutions over the last year. As our Vermont government agencies work to support our state through this crisis, we must always work to maintain the public’s right to know. Fortunately, in Vermont we have made great strides. Confidence in our public institutions is needed…

By Angelo Lynn Hunters and reasonable gun owners may be the only Americans capable of talking sense to Republican representatives in the U.S. House and Senate. That’s because political leeches like Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, believe he is crowing to his base with his shoot-from-the-hip snipe that any calls for gun reform in the wake…

By Michael Shank Editor's note: This commentary is by Michael Shank of Brandon, communications director for the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and an adjunct faculty member at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs. A local zoning administrator once told me — when I served as chair of the Brandon Planning Commission — that Vermont was…

By Richard Watts and Meg Little Reilly Editor’s note: Richard Watts is the director of the Center for Research on Vermont, and Meg Little Reilly is a Vermont writer and editor with the Community News Service (a program which pairs college students work with professional editors to write news stories for local papers around Vermont.) With needed…