By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is the editor and publisher of the Addison County Independent, a sister publication of the Mountain Times.  As Vermont braces for more rain again later this week, state, municipal and volunteer crews are working miracles to restore devastated downtowns, get commercial and retail buildings cleaned out, and…

  By Bill McKibben Editor’s note: Bill McKibben is an internationally known climate activist and writer who lives in Ripton. In Vermont, the scent of wood smoke on a late fall afternoon is an iconic smell. It’s not like that here today, in the first week of June — it’s more like sitting on the…

  By Richard Rawson Editor’s note: , Ph.D, is a research professor at the UVM Center for Behavior and Health. He lives in Brandon. He also is a professor emeritus in Psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. In a June 8 commentary, Jim Tomczak poignantly described the impossible situation he faces in caring…

  By Vermont Treasurer Mike Pieciak  Saving for retirement should be easy, but tens of thousands of Vermont workers lack access to a workplace retirement plan. Many of these workers are not saving a penny for retirement, and this is a major threat to Vermont’s economic future. That’s why I am so excited my new…

  By Anore Horton and John Sayles Editor’s note: Horton and Sayles are executives at Hunger Free Vermont. Hunger is a solvable problem, yet in the federal debt limit deal, one of the negotiated “tradeoffs” is to take food off our neighbors’ tables. People over 50 and under 55 who receive SNAP benefits, known in…

By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is the editor and publisher of the Addison County Independent, a sister publication of the Mountain Times. Gov. Phil Scott’s expected veto of the budget last week, and his more recent veto of a legislative pay raise, struck their mark with the expected outrage by the Democratic-dominated Legislature.…

  By Guy Payne  Editor’s note:  Guy Payne is executive director of SEON (Sustainable Energy Outreach Network). Embodying the New England dream entails not only appreciating the region’s natural beauty, history and culture, but also actively engaging in the community and building a sustainable home. To live the New England dream, you must first build…

  By Veronica Raussin Editor’s note: Veronica Raussin is the community outreach coordinator for Addicted.org. On Memorial Day, millions of American families took  time to honor the memory of those who lost their lives fighting in one of the nation’s wars. It can be challenging for families who recently lost a loved one.  We must…

  By Jim Hurt Editor’s note: Jim Hurt is a resident of Woodstock. Here is the gist of recent recommendations to the Vermont Climate Council calling for the profitable renovation of Vermont’s two wood plants, McNeil and Ryegate, thereby transforming them into negative-emission power and storage stations. These stations will emit very little but remove…

  By John McClaughry Editor’s note: John McClaughry is vice president of the Ethan Allen Institute (ethanallen.org). He has served in both the House and Senate.  One interest group fared extraordinarily well during the just-completed legislative session. That’s the interest group comprised of representatives and senators. Unlike other interest groups, who have to lobby legislators…

By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is the editor and publisher of the Addison County Independent, a sister publication to the Mountain Times. Deem this year’s legislative session a success, and if you think none of the goings-on in Montpelier impact you directly, here are several reasons why they do and why you should…

By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is the editor and publisher of the Addison County Independent, a sister publication of the Mountain Times. As a Vermont state legislator, one of the most satisfying parts of the job is to craft legislation that solves a problem for a particular group of constituents.  In H.429, legislators…

What is the ideal structure for public safety? By Polly Mikula Monday night over 70 people attended the select board meeting (in person and online). The recent riff between Killington Search and Rescue (KSAR) and the newly hired Chief of Killington Fire and Rescue Chris LaHart, spurred the spike in attendance. Unfortunately, the three-plus hour…

By Sen. Chris Bray Editor's note: Christopher Bray of New Haven, represents Addison County in the state senate. He is the chair of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy, serves on the Senate Committee on Government Operations, Joint Energy Committee, Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules, and Joint Carbon Emissions Reduction Committee. Vermonters are…

By Jim Furnish and Zack Porter Editor’s note: Jim Furnish served as the U.S. forest service deputy chief from 1999 to 2002. Zack Porter is co-founder and executive director of Standing Trees, a nonprofit working to protect and restore New England’s public lands. An old saying goes, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and…