By Angelo S. Lynn What does it say when President-elect Donald Trump invites Al Gore for a visit to talk about climate change on Monday, then on Wednesday nominates Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency? What does it say when he calls the president of Taiwan in a direct affront to China, and…

By Guy Page Election Day, Nov. 8, 2016, was bleak for the future of ridgeline wind power in Vermont. The outcome of local, state and national voting signaled a vote of no confidence in the growth of utility-scale wind power in the Green Mountain State. Local voting Iberdrola, developers of the 24 turbine Styles Brook…

By Sen. Dick McCormick Deer season is wrapping up and Thanksgiving with family is a fond memory. The campaign seems like a distant memory, but the election was a mere three weeks ago. On this lazy post-Thanksgiving weekend, I am taking time to reflect. I’m filled with gratitude towards so many people who worked to…

By Rob Roper What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object? Vermonters will find out in January when the new Republican governor officially takes office along with a Legislature that has, if anything, moved a little to the left. During the campaign, governor-elect Scott, often accused by his critics of being non-committal and…

Dear Editor, This past weekend Vermont hosted over 30,000 spectators for the return of the Audi FIS Ski World Cup to Killington – one of the largest women’s weekend crowd in the 50-year history of the World Cup. On behalf of the athletes who came from every corner of the globe, a big thanks to…

By Governor Peter Shumlin One of the key responsibilities of governing is crafting a budget that reflects Vermonters’ priorities and lives within our means as a state. As we transition this important responsibility to the incoming administration, it’s worth reviewing the last six years of financial management. Let’s remember where we started. Before I took…

By Lee Kahrs I stood in front of the Pittsford town offices on Veterans Day with almost 100 other people at the dedication of the new veterans’ memorial. A fierce cold wind whipped dead leaves in all directions, the temperature dropping by the minute. Flags were lowered and then raised above the new slab of…

By Lee H. Hamilton One of the more intriguing aspects of this unusual election year is the extent to which the underpinning of the election itself — voting — has become an issue in its own right. An act that we used to take for granted is increasingly being called into question. Just look at…

By Tad Montgomery So, we have a petulant progressive farmer who is purportedly trying to plant himself firmly into the position of lieutenant governor in Vermont. One might say this is going a bit against the grain of politics as usual in our fair state, but anyone who has ever felt their oats in the…

By Lee H. Hamilton This campaign year has been full of twists and turns. We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, let alone on Nov. 8. So talking about what comes afterward seems premature. But it’s been on my mind a lot, because I’m worried. This specific worry is not about who wins the…

By Angelo S. Lynn The political bomb that dropped over the weekend did not, as many expected, explode at Sunday night’s second debate between Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Rather, it hit Friday night with the release of a video in which Trump speaks lewdly and openly about his boorish…

By Angelo S. Lynn Of the many alarming things about Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, his sense of entitlement and infallibility and his embrace of totalitarian authority should worry all Americans, and particularly those who are quick to say they cherish their freedom from big government. There is, after all, no more oppressive form of…

By Angelo S. Lynn In Rutland, the struggles that town and city have gone through in its reckoning to become a refugee resettlement site provide important lessons other Vermont communities seeking similar refugee status should consider. For starters, Vermont residents should know the national refugee resettlement program is operated under an arm of the U.S.…

By Emerson Lynn If we had to come up with the lyrics to summarize Republican Scott Milne’s campaign against incumbent Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, they would be contained in the late 1960s song by Peggy Lee, “Is That All There Is.” The song is a soulful lament drawn from a long-ago writer who, staring at…

By Lee H. Hamilton I’ve been a Democrat all my life. But that doesn’t mean I favor a weak Republican Party. Indeed, just the opposite. Before my Democratic friends drum me out of the party, let me explain why. Our nation is stronger and our representative democracy healthier when we have two strong parties. A…