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…

Why Article 5 is the best deal for the town and its residents By Polly Mikula The need for clean reliable water in Killington (and everywhere) is well understood and agreed upon by nearly everyone. The need for a village at the base of Snowshed and Ramshead is not. Whether it’s preserving a long-standing routine…

By Liz DiMarco Weinmann Editor’s note: Liz DiMarco Weinmann, MBA, is principal and owner of Liz DiMarco Weinmann Consulting, L3C, based in Rutland, serving charitable and educational institutions: lizdimarcoweinmann.com.  Pop quiz:  The story behind the Vermont State University administration’s decision to eliminate all but a few select print materials from its libraries, in favor of…

By Ted Brady Editor’s note: Ted Brady is the executive director of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns   Vermont’s 247 cities and towns are on the front lines of Vermont’s housing crisis – responding to a record number of emergency calls at hotels filled with the housing insecure, re-evaluating their zoning laws to…

By Lindsey Stroud Editor’s note: Lindsey Stroud is director of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance’s Consumer Center. Another legislative session and another bill has been introduced that would ban the sale of flavored tobacco and vapor products in Vermont. This isn’t the first time the Vermont Legislature has attempted to restrict adult access to tobacco and…

By Sarah Copeland Hanzas Editor’s note: Sarah Copeland Hanzas was elected secretary of state in 2022 after 18 years as a state legislator. She lives in Bradford with her family. As I begin my first term as Vermont’s 39th secretary of state, I am keenly aware of my role as chief elections officer for the…

By Gov. Phil Scott Editor’s Note: At his weekly press conference Tuesday, Governor Phil Scott addressed concerning incidents seen at youth sporting events over the past several months, and the need for everyone to work to be better role models. A transcript of Scott’s remarks follows. Good afternoon. I want to start today by addressing…

By Richard Hopkins Editor’s note: Richard Hopkins is a retired public health official who has devoted himself to volunteer activities to try to reduce climate change. He is a member of the board of the Climate Economy Action Center of Addison County, and of the town of Middlebury Energy Committee. Do you remember when Al…

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.  It’s hard to ignore Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Republican firebrand and likely presidential candidate leading the nation’s third most populous state. His keen sense of timing when championing cultural issues…