By Gov. Phil Scott Editor’s note: At a press conference Thursday, Sept. 12, Governor Phil Scott discussed the costs and barriers to implementing the Legislature’s Clean Heat Standard, and the impacts it will have on affordability. This is the transcript of that speech. Last year, I vetoed S.5, the so called ‘Affordable Heat Act’ which…

By Ann Manwaring Editor’s note: Ann Manwaring of Wilmington, a former Democratic state representative who served from 2007-2017. For six of the 10 years I was in the Legislature, representing the towns of Wilmington, Whitingham and Halifax, I was on the Appropriations Committee. We spent a good deal of our time in that committee listening…

Do all of these generational shifts matter? By David Moats Editor’s note: David Moats, an author and journalist who lives in Salisbury, is a regular columnist for VTDigger. He is editorial page editor emeritus of the Rutland Herald, where he won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for a series of editorials on Vermont’s civil union law.…

By Karen Horn Editor’s note: This commentary is by Karen Horn of Moretown, where she serves on the planning commission. She retired as director of advocacy for the Vermont League of Cities and Towns in 2023. As for so many others, our property taxes went up by 26% this year, an appalling and unsustainable amount.…

By Leslie J. Matthews Editor’s note: Leslie J. Matthews, co-chair of the Vermont Workers’ Center campaign team. On August 12, the Green Mountain Care Board approved a 19.8% increase for BlueCross BlueShield premiums on Vermont Health Connect individual plans, along with a 22.8% increase for small group plans. This is the third year in a row with…

By David Moats Editor’s note: David Moats, an author and journalist who lives in Salisbury, is a regular columnist for VTDigger. He is editorial page editor emeritus of the Rutland Herald, where he won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for a series of editorials on Vermont’s civil union law. Vermont Republicans are in a bind. One…

By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is the publisher of the Addison Independent in Middlebury, a sister publication to the Mountain Times.  Here’s the only good news about the bad news concerning Vermont’s health care system — it’s so bad reform can’t wait. We absolutely must make substantial changes and do it quickly. That’s…

By Angelo Lynn The tectonic plates of this presidential election are shifting so quickly it’s hard to keep up. With President Biden announcing Sunday, July 21, he was stepping aside and throwing his support to Vice President Kamala Harris, there was a moment of anticipation that Democrats would see a scramble between top contenders for…

By Bill Schubart Like a good novel, our lives have a narrative arc, during which we are actively participating in and relevant to our world. We are born, rise slowly into sensual consciousness and gradually process what we see and feel. Our juvenile perceptions gradually become knowledge, and, if all goes well, that knowledge binds…

Dear Editor, Editor’s note: This letter is in response to Don Tinney’s commentary in the July 3 edition. Tinney is the president of Vermont-National Education Association (NEA), the union of 13,000 Vermont educators.  Tinney’s “hit piece” on Governor Scott is nothing new for the Vermont-NEA, although I’m surprised by the shrillness of the tone. Perhaps he realizes how…

By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is the owner and publisher of the Addison Independent in Middlebury, a sister publication to the Mountain Times.  Lightning flashed outside my office window as weather forecasters were predicting two or more inches of rain, which got me reflecting on the $80 million to $90 million of federal…

By Doug Hoffer, Vermont State Auditor The 2024 legislative session started and finished the same way — with universal concern about significant looming educational tax increases. Original estimates indicated average property tax bills could rise 18.5% for the upcoming year. In the end, using one-time stop-gap funding that defers the financial reckoning to future years,…

By Don Tinney Editor’s note: Don Tinney is a longtime high school English teacher at BFA-St. Albans and now represents 13,000 educators as president of Vermont-NEA. No political insiders in Montpelier were surprised when Sen. Jane Kitchel condemned the Scott administration’s proposal to zero out the education fund reserves to provide short-term property tax relief,…

By Gov. Phil Scott Editor’s note: At his weekly press conference Wednesday, June 19 Governor Phil Scott addressed the impact the Legislature’s veto overrides will have on Vermont taxpayers, workers and families and their ability to afford to live in the state. What follows is a transcript of his remarks. The Legislature voted to override…

By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is publisher of the Addison Independent, a sister paper to the Mountain Times. On a few notable foreign policy issues, President Joe Biden, along with fellow Democrats and Progressives, need to reset their politics to match today’s reality. Specifically, how America manages immigration on its southern border needs…