How our disregard for nature is making us sick By Tom Rogers On a warm summer evening this past July, I arrived home feeling unusually worn down. I’d been exhausted all day, and I was soon overcome with waves of crippling chills, my fever spiked, and I spent the night sweating through my sheets. I…

By Molly Gray, lieutenant governor-elect Editor's note: this commentary was originally written as an open letter to the Biden-Harris Administration. Over the last year, rural Vermont much like rural America has been hit hard by this pandemic. While our small rural state has much to be proud of in terms of the collective sacrifice of…

By Haley Frechette In all the chaos of the election, it would be easy to lose track of the fact that Nov. 8 was National First-Generation Student Day. This day was meant to highlight and celebrate those who are the first in their family to attend college. I am proud to be one of those…

By Angelo Lynn Gov. Phil Scott’s decision to ban inter-household gatherings, while allowing schools to remain open and limited access to restaurants and bars, prompted rare public pushback among Vermonters who have been model citizens in obeying the dictates Vermont has successfully imposed since the pandemic’s outbreak in March. Numerous letters across the state’s media outlets attest…

By Dr. Joshua White “Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips and shows itself in deeds,” Theodore Roosevelt said. And so, the second wave of Covid is upon us. As I write…

By Marguerite Jill Dye, Killington I never knew I craved normalcy To such an extent, to such a degree. But suddenly, I’m finding myself Heaving sigh after sigh of needed relief. Your calm, steady voice and healing words, Spoken directly from your heart, Soothe my soul, calm my nerves, Alleviate headaches, lower blood pressure. I…

By Leo Pond The Supreme Court case titled Roe v. Wade was decided on Jan. 22, 1973, the primary holding in summary was that a person may choose to have an abortion until a fetus becomes viable, based on the right to privacy contained in the “due process” clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Viability means…

By James Duff Lyall In an unprecedented year, perhaps it’s only natural that we have an unprecedented election—the first in our lifetimes to occur during a global pandemic, and one in which an astounding number of votes will be cast after being mailed to voters. While many of us are used to staying up late…

By Alison Notte As chair of the Rutland City Public Schools Board of Commissioners, my safety and family’s well-being has been threatened due to my role in facilitating discussion around changing the racist Raider mascot. It is hard to ignore the pattern (in Vermont and nationally) of threats against elected officials and/or people speaking up for…

There are strict limits on what “poll watchers” can do As Election Day nears, President Trump has increasingly threatened to instigate voter intimidation. First, he has insinuated that he will deploy law enforcement officers to root out election-related crimes at the polls or call up the National Guard. (Spoiler alert: voter fraud is vanishingly rare).…

By Dr. Michael Shank Many things in life are easier when done together. Whether it’s education, economic development, everyday chores or even emergency response, when you have more hands and more help, the work is more efficiently executed and more effectively implemented. It takes a village to lighten the load and leverage our power. And…

By Catherine Antley MD and Spencer Smith After decades of fighting Big Tobacco, is the Vermont Legislature unwittingly inviting Big Cannabis into our state, our towns and our schools? Creating a retail cannabis market is not about decriminalization or social justice. It’s about creating a hugely profitable industry which depends on addiction and youth users…

By Angelo Lynn Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is right about the shortcomings of Joe Biden’s campaign for president against Donald Trump. He is not focusing enough on what he will do differently to help Americans regain their economic footing. “We … have to give people a reason to vote for Joe Biden,” Sanders (I-Vt.) said…

By Jack Hoffman Dithering in Washington has left a lot of states scrambling to figure out how to pay for the support and services their citizens desperately need. In Vermont, Washington’s paralysis means the Legislature will have just over a month to determine whether the $7.1 billion budget Gov. Phil Scott proposed for the current…

By Haviland Smith Editor’s note: Haviland Smith, a long retired CIA operations officer who has watched democracies fall. During the Putin era it has become clear that the Russians are in the process of trying to reestablish themselves among the most powerful and influential countries in the world. To do that, they see the diminution of…