By Alis Headlam It was a perfect storm. Jim Baker arrived in Rutland to take the helm as chief of police at a time when drugs, housing and crime were devastating the city. This was 2012. A vision was created under his leadership with the help of Joan Gamble and a large group of concerned citizens:…

By Timothy R. Burgess In 2004, convicted and sentenced to a term in Vermont’s correctional system, I had been back in Vermont for 12 years. It was the experience of being in prison that really showed me how institutional racism in our little state was flourishing. I had a visit from my family, and it…

By Leo Pond The Black Lives Matter movement has driven another political “wedge” between the left and the right. The Black Lives Matter movement has advocated against police brutality and for equality, so why is it so hard for the right to support it? The right thinks that this movement forgets about all other races,…

By David F. Kelley If we cut the distance between two points in half, no matter how often, it brings them closer together, but they never meet. When I was practicing law I came to the conclusion that finding the “truth” was, very often, the same way. We rarely got to “the whole truth and nothing…

Vermont was a leader in the abolition of slavery By Bill Clark May 25, 2020, was Memorial Day. A day set aside to pause and remember and pay tribute to all the brave Americans who have given their lives over the years so that this great American democracy can continue to live on. A time…

By Eric Booth and Paul Gambill Look at a particular artwork with others and personal opinions and positions arise; join in making an artwork with others and connections bloom. The state of our union is jumbled, tense with differing opinions and opposed positions—our strengths disoriented, our consciousness of unacceptable systemic oppressions rising. But the power…

By Sen. Bernie Sanders Editor’s note: The following is Sen. Sanders prepared remarks June 25, ahead of the Senate’s consideration of a proposed $740.5 billion military budget authorization. Sanders’ amendment to the National Defense Authorization. Mr. President, if there was ever a moment in American history when we needed to fundamentally alter our national priorities,…

By Angelo Lynn In this unique moment in the national debate over racial justice, particularly as it is being portrayed through acts of police brutality, we are all asked to do the hard work of looking within, to examine our own wells of systemic racism and flush them out. It’s a tall task and not…

Dear Editor, Vibrant. That’s a word you will never hear to describe Rutland, Vermont. A few months back the Rutland Herald published a letter from myself calling for the closing of Center Street between Wales and Merchants row for the summer months. I also had sent a letter to Brennan Duffy with the Rutland Development…

By Lee H. Hamilton Not long ago I was asked by several students for my thoughts on the outstanding characteristics of good politicians. What follows is my response: Good politicians are patriots, who are committed to strive for a more perfect union. They understand that they cannot accomplish much by themselves. There are scores of…

By Gov. Phil Scott Editor’s note: What follows is a transcript of Gov. Phil Scott remarks on racism in the wake of George Floyd’s death by police last Monday and subsequent protests over the weekend in Vermont and nationwide. These remarks opened the regular, three-times-per week press conference usually dedicated to the state’s Covid-19 response…

By Jonathan Spiro, interim president of Castleton University Like many Vermonters, I have not driven to work in six weeks. But yesterday I had to go to the office (which in my case is Castleton University) to attend to some essential business for the state. As I drove down Main Street in Castleton, I passed…

By Jack Hoffman Vermont’s April revenue collections highlight the absurdity of federal rules restricting the use of the Coronavirus Relief Fund—the $150 billion that Congress appropriated in the CARES Act to help the states. The state’s personal income taax receipts dropped by two-thirds last month. Instead of taking in $184 million, as forecast, the tax…

By Aliya Schneider On May 20, 2020, I was officially awarded my college degree. I am now an alumna of Barnard College, the women’s college affiliated with Columbia University. The Barnard-Columbia dynamic is complicated, but basically, Barnard students have two graduation ceremonies. On Monday, May 18, we would have had Barnard’s Class Day at Radio…

By Bob Cappadona In mid-March, several states gave redemption centers and retailers the option to temporarily stop accepting bottles and cans. They advised households to stockpile their water bottles and soda cans for several weeks, or to simply toss them in their curbside recycling bins. While it is unclear how many redemption centers chose to…