By Secretary of State Jim Condos The Aug. 14 Vermont Primary Election is just two weeks away. While there has been some indication of lower voter turnout, I hope that as Vermonters, we can make sure that’s not the case in our state. Voting is the foundation of our democracy. When you go to the…

By Angelo Lynn Here’s a challenge for Vermont residents: Find an area dedicated to public use that needs cleaning up and work out a way to get it done. Why do it? Three reasons: First, it’s not that hard. Second, it’s rewarding. Third, it’ll make life in the neighborhood more pleasant and special. We mention this…

By Rob Roper After watching the debate in the State House over the $15 minimum wage it is hard to see how any rational or compassionate person could have, at the end of the day, supported the policy. The potential good that it may have done for a small minority of people was far outweighed…

By Angelo Lynn Republicans in Congress said the tax cuts passed earlier this year would do great things for the economy and help individual Americans. While most Americans were opposed to it, Republicans nonetheless claimed it to be a huge accomplishment, and told us just to wait to see all the good that would come…

By Angelo Lynn Gov. Phil Scott’s line-in-the-sand mantra not to raise a single tax or a single fee has made politics in Vermont’s capital more strident, divisive and unruly. The irony is that the governor himself is mild-mannered, affable, pragmatic and someone who seems to get along with almost everyone. But in this session he has…

By Harrison Bushnell My first food was a testament to Vermont’s economy. As a baby, the story goes, my parents held me as we admired the steaming arch at our neighbors’ house. They took a small spoon and let me taste my first few drops of Vermont ambrosia: maple syrup. The only problem was, the…

By Rob Roper Vermont’s student test scores are falling. It’s no longer a blip, but a trend. As State Board of Education member Bill Mathis said, “When you have two different tests showing much the same thing, you have to pay attention to them.” Those two tests are the Smarter Balance Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and…

By Senator Patrick Leahy Editor’s note: This is a transcription of Leahy’s address on the floor of the Senate, April 12, 2018. Yesterday, Vermont set an example for the Congress. A Democratically controlled Legislature and a Republican Governor, in a rural state with a strong gun owning tradition and few gun laws, worked together to debate,…

By Anson Tebbetts The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Boston regional office announced that the Vermont Agency of Agriculture has made significant progress toward meeting the state’s water quality goals. In a letter to the agency dated April 2, EPA regional administrator Alexandra Dapolito Dunn noted, “Your staff have clearly been working hard to get new programs…

By Jon Margolis, VTDigger OK, enough for a while of all this chit-chat over minimum wages, family leave, getting the goop out of the lake, and guns (especially, mercifully, guns). Let’s turn to one of the eternal verities: politics. Not that they aren’t all connected. The wages, the lake goop, the guns (especially, heaven help us,…

By Emerson Lynn The House Ways and Means Committee is pushing legislation that would change the way Vermont finances education. The impetus is political. Property taxes are high, and rising. Legislators want to rush in to ease the pain. The timing could not be worse. What the proposal does is shift some of the burden from…

By Joyce Judy In this time of heightened dialogue around the future of higher education in Vermont, I am compelled to reflect on the narratives that inform and affect our students and their families. I am reminded that our responsibility to Vermont’s students is a collective one, and it is in this spirit that I…

By Barrie Dunsmore This will be my last column of 2017. Traditionally, this has been an opportunity for reflection on important events of the past year, usually with a look ahead – and if possible – a positive spin that the glass is half full rather than half empty. As human beings I believe most…

By Daryle Thomas Once you know where you are, it’s easy to get to where you want to be. And that, dear reader, is why you need to test your garden soil. A bit of a leap? Not really. Garden soil is not just dirt. You have sand, silt, a little bit of clay, and…

By Carl Diethelm, a.k.a. Compost Carl As a tenant not owning his own home and living in town, I understand how difficult it can seem to be to compost food scraps instead of putting them in the trash. There might not be space to compost outside (if the landlord would allow it), or it could…