By Katherine Sims Editor’s note: Katherine Sims is a Democratic state representative in the Orleans-Caledonia district and the Rural Economic Development Working Group (REDWnG) of the Vermont House of Representatives, a tri-partisan group working together to advance legislation and policy initiatives that strengthen the economy in rural Vermont communities. Working lands are central to Vermont’s…

By Dan Galdenzi As Vermonters, we take on a certain reputation — or maybe, more accurately, a set of stereotypes — that come immediately to mind for non-Vermonters. Whether earned or not, those stereotypes are part of being a resident in this unique community. In fact, there was a study recently that said Vermont was…

By Sandra Paritz Editor’s note: Sandra Paritz, of Montpelier, directs the Poverty Law Project at Vermont Legal Aid. Years ago, when my 3-year-old son first saw someone sleeping in the doorway of a building in the cold, he asked: Why is he sleeping there? Won’t he be too cold? Why doesn’t he have a home?…

By Peter Sterling Editor’s note: Sterling is the interim executive director of Renewable Energy Vermont. Talk to anyone who has tried to bring renewable energy to Vermonters and they will tell you the same thing: despite our green reputation and the thousands of Vermonters who have asked for leadership to avoid the existential crisis climate…

By Bob Stannard Editor’s note: Bob Stannard of Manchester is an author, musician and former state legislator and lobbyist.  Bang! Bang! Maxwell’s silver hammer Came down upon his head Clang! Clang! Maxwell’s silver hammer Made sure that he was dead — The Beatles And so happy Christmas for black and for whites, (War is over…

By Julia Purdy A prominent thread woven into the fabric of present-day Vermont is the question of the “two Vermonts” — the old versus the new, the traditional versus the forward-looking, the rural versus the urban, the economically depressed versus the financially flush, and the assumptions and expectations on both sides. A particular issue has…

By Nicholas Boke Editor's note: Nicholas Boke is a freelance writer and international education consultant who lives in Chester. In late December, Rutland Board of Aldermen member Matt Whitcomb asked the big question as he and his colleagues puzzled over the possibility of enacting mask mandates. Rutland Herald reporter Gordon Dritschilo explained in a Nov.…

By Ken Fredette Editor's note: Ken Fredette resides in Wallingford. After watching public input and the ensuing conversation among board members at the Mill River School Board meeting Nov. 17, I find myself compelled to reach out to all of you with some thoughts. First and foremost: It is clear that members of the board…

By Dr. Marvin Malek Editor's note: Dr. Malek is an internal medicine specialist at Springfield Hospital. He is also on the executive committee of Vermont Physicians for a National Health Program. In 1938, the notorious bank robber Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks. His response: “That’s where the money is.” Were Willie Sutton…

By Julia Purdy Under a fuzzy gray sky that promises snow They stand like lone sentinels At the traffic lights Dark figures, straight-backed, lean, Once strong, capable bodies Muffled up in layers of old clothes, hoodies under jackets worn thin. Some are veterans. Small birds flock across the sky, strength-training for their journey. Where are…

By Bill Schubart Robert Kennedy said in a 1968 speech at the University of Kansas: “Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages,…

What citizens, workers have learned in the pandemic and what it means By Kevin Ellis Editor’s note: Kevin Ellis, a partner in Ellis Mills, a communications consulting firm in Montpelier. We are not returning to normal. Almost two years since the start of the Covid pandemic. What have we learned? And what is to come?…

By Darby Bradley Editor’s note: Darby Bradley has worked for the Vermont Land Trust in many roles since its founding, including a stint as president. For the Vermont Land Trust (VLT), land conservation has always been about more than simply protecting land. When Rick Carbin founded the organization in 1977, he was already thinking about…

By Narain Batra Editor’s note: Narain Batra of Hartford is a professor of communications and diplomacy at Norwich University. He is the author of “The First Freedoms and America’s Culture of Innovation” and the forthcoming “India in A New Key.”  Major U.S. social media network companies — including Apple, Alphabet (Google), Facebook (now Meta), Microsoft…

By Shane Spence Editor's note: Shayne Spence was a candidate for the Vermont House in 2020, and is a justice of the peace in Johnson. The tripartisan legislative apportionment board voted this month to recommend a new map for legislative seats, which is required every 10 years following the census. Its new map would eliminate…