By Laurie Gagne Editor’s note: Laurie Gagne is the retired director for Edmundite Center for Peace and Justice at St. Michael’s College. Investment in education, anti-poverty programs, and other human needs are essential to keeping our communities safe. My faith community, the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, has worked in Vermont for decades on…

By Gregory M. Thayer Editor’s note: Gregory M. Thayer is a candidate for lieutenant governor. When we look at shootings, we need to stop blaming inanimate objects — the guns— for these tragedies. They are not the problem. Criminals or mentally ill people intent on murdering people will always succeed. Either they’ll acquire a firearm…

By Dan Smith Editor’s note: Dan Smith is president and CEO of the Vermont Community Foundation, which is based in Middlebury. We are out of words. The list of available adjectives is too commonplace to hold any real meaning. These events are not aberrations of a functioning society — they are the convulsions of a…

By Brian Searles Editor’s Note: Brian Searles, of Burlington, has served as Vermont secretary of transportation, as a police chief, as director of the Police Academy, and as executive director of the Criminal Justice Training Council. In the wake of yet another mass shooting in the U.S., we mourn the child victims and again ask:…

By Falko Schilling Editor’s note: Falko Schilling is the advocacy director for the ACLU of Vermont. This legislative session impacted Vermonters’ civil liberties in significant ways, both good and bad. Specifically, while Vermont continued to adopt smarter criminal justice policies this year, we have also seen a shockingly inadequate response to the opioid crisis and…

By Kesha Ram Hinsdale and Mike Honda Editor’s note: Mike Honda is a former teacher, principal, and school board member and served in the U.S. Congress for 16 years (D-CA) where he co-founded the Equity and Excellence Commission under President Barack Obama. Kesha Ram Hinsdale is a Vermont state senator, the first woman of color…

By Julia Purdy “Many very educated people who are environmentally conscious don’t want mining anywhere,” said Slack, “and yet they fully support, in many cases enthusiastically, renewable energy. You can’t have your cake and eat it, too.” John Slack is a geologist who was interviewed by the Maine Monitor, a public-interest newspaper out of Hallowell,…

By Annette Smith Editor's note: Annette Smith is the executive director of Vermonters for a Clean Environment, a non-profit that believes Vermont’s economic growth depends on its environmental health. It was founded in 1999 by citizens in southwestern Vermont who joined together to deal with an inappropriate industrial development project. When it comes to building…

By Rep. Pattie McCoy Editor's note: Rep. Pattie McCoy (R-Poultney) represents Poultney and Ira in the Vermont House where she serves as House minority leader. I want to talk to you about three numbers: 4,000, 60,000 and 221 million. Four thousand is the number of military retiree families in Vermont who are fully taxed on…

A serendipitous haven on the hill By Lisa M. Cuzydlo-Donohue Don’t we all need something more to believe in, maybe even magical/mystical these days? The Olympics seemed to have showed up precisely at the right time to inspire us all. So might this story, which still heartens and influences even after four years. We arrived…

By Karen D. Lorentz As if the pandemic’s shift to an endemic isn’t enough for weary souls, David Brooks, the New York Times columnist, has observed that bad behavior has become rampant. Despite people driving less, they’re also driving more recklessly and fatalities are up as is the murder rate. People are becoming more abusive…

By Seton McIlroy, vice-chair of Woodstock Village Board of Trustees Weatherwise, the toughest time in Vermont is not the freezing days of winter, as some out-of-staters think. It’s the Janus-faced month of April. We get a few days, maybe a week, when the snow melts, flowers poke out, and heavy coats stay in the closet.…

By Elaine Haney Tim Newcomb’s cartoon on Jan. 19 compares the three candidates running for the U.S. House of Representatives. It appears to imply that experience is the most important factor for voters to consider. But whatever the primary message of this cartoon is supposed to be, the implicit, negative messages it sends about these…

By Andrew Campanella If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a parent, or have friends or neighbors who are. Baby Boomer, Gen X, or Millennial— the K-12 school scene has changed so much since we were kids. Understanding these changes can help moms and dads guide their children to greater learning, success, and happiness. So,…

By Anne Donahue Editor's note: Anne B. Donahue is a House representative for the Washington-1 district (Northfield, Berlin). The importance of conscience protection for health care workers, most often in the context of permitting hospital staff to request to be excused from participation in abortions, has broad public support and is endorsed by the Vermont…