By Mary Jo Teetor Editor’s note: Mary Jo Teetor of Poultney, a longtime member and trustee of the Lake St. Catherine Association, where she is currently the treasurer. She is on the water quality committee and has been a lay monitor on Lake St. Catherine for more than 20 years. There have been so many…

By Jess Kimball Editor’s note: Jess Kimball is an administrative assistant at The National Midwifery Institute and managing editor of the Journal for Pre and Perinatal Psychology. Jess runs a private practice, Jess Kimball Wellness (formerly Sunflower Postpartum Care LLC), providing families with birth and postpartum doula support and lactation counseling. She is also a…

By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is the editor and publisher of the Addison County Independent, a sister publication to the Mountain Times. The latest news that a top-secret document describing a foreign government’s military defense readiness, including its nuclear capabilities, was found among the documents at ex-president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence is the…

Editor’s note: This commentary is a joint op-ed from Vermont Natural Resources Council, Vermont Conservation Voters, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, Conservation Law Foundation, Vermont Chapter of the Sierra Club and Vermont Public Interest Research Group. When it comes to getting where we all need to go — which often needs to be by car…

By Peter Sterling Editor’s note: Peter Sterling is the executive director of REV, the voice of Vermont’s renewable energy business community who are working to eliminate our reliance on dirty fossil fuels by increasing the use of renewable energy and building a clean energy economy. Incredibly and finally, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has begun…

By James Duff Lyall Editor’s note: James Lyall is the executive director of ACLU of Vermont. Our communities are still struggling through the pandemic and its harmful impacts on mental health, substance use, and affordable housing. It’s clear that we still need to do far more to support one another and build healthy, safe, and…

By Fred Baser Editors note: Fred Baser is the financial advisor and founder of Bristol Financial Services, is a commissioner of the Vermont Housing Finance Agency, former member of the Vermont House of Representatives and past member of the Habitat for Humanity of Addison County board. Despite recent efforts, in our state and nationally, to…

By Josh Castonguay Editor’s note: Josh Castonguay lives in Colchester, and is the vice president, chief innovation and engineering executive at Green Mountain Power. When it gets hot outside, folks say it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity that gets you. Some Vermonters relish the warm weather no matter how damp it is. Summer is…

By Rob Roper Editor’s note: Rob Roper is on the board of directors for the Ethan Allen Institute, a non-profit that lobbies for conservative principles in politics. He lives in Stowe. As gasoline prices hover around record highs, putting tremendous pressure on family budgets, stressing businesses, and making life generally more expensive, the Vermont Climate…

By Jim Condos Editor’s note: Jim Condos is Vermont secretary of state. He is stepping down from his position in November. As we watch new information emerge from the Jan. 6 Congressional hearings, one truth has been made crystal clear. Whether it’s insurrection at the Capitol or violent threats against election officials, these acts are…

By Jay Diaz Editor’s note: Jay Diaz is a general counsel for ACLU of Vermont. With Vermont’s primary election approaching on Aug. 9, it’s time for many voters to decide which candidates are best aligned with their values — and that includes candidates for county prosecutor. Vermont’s elected prosecutors, known as state’s attorneys, have tremendous…

By Jonathan Dowds Editor’s note: Jonathan Dowds is the deputy director of Renewable Energy Vermont. New Hampshire households are about to get hit hard, really hard, by rate hikes that will increase electricity bills by more than $70 a month. These unprecedented rate hikes reflect surging natural gas prices and New Hampshire’s ill-fated decision to…

By Linda Bowden Editor’s note: Linda Bowden is AARP Vermont’s volunteer state president. We are paying more for nearly everything today – from groceries to gas to housing. As inflation reaches its highest in 40 years – rising 7% last year alone – Vermonters are asking what Congress can do to help them pay for…

By Roxanne Vought Editor’s note: Roxanne Vought is the executive director of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility. She lives in Weybridge. For those of us who envision — and strive each day toward — a just, thriving, and transformative economy that works for all people and the planet, the final week of June 2022 was…

By Steph Yu Editor’s note: Steph Yu is the deputy director of Public Assets Institute, a non-partisan, non-profit organization based in Montpelier. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has devastating effects on anyone who can get pregnant. Plain and simple, this ruling is a clear effort to assert control over women’s…