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…

By Mary E. Mendoza Editor’s note: Mary E. Mendoza is an assistant professor of history and Latino/a Studies at Penn State University. She lives in Weybridge. Because I teach about the history of race in America, I often ponder the differences between equity and equality. In addition, the start of my current semester teaching Latino…

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. A bill introduced last week to reform the way Vermont sheriffs operate is a step in the right direction, and sorely needed. Currently Vermont sheriffs have an unseemly way of earning…

By Lise Sparrow Editor’s note: Rev. Dr. Lise Sparrow is the chair of religious affairs of the Windham County NAACP. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said, “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”  Here in Vermont the dismantling of structural racism has been happening slowly but relentlessly…

By Scott Giles and Joyce Judy Editor’s note: Scott Giles is the president and CEO of Vermont Student Assistance Corp; Joyce Judy is president of the Community College of Vermont. We’ve long known that the most promising jobs in Vermont require education and training beyond high school. Yet too often, Vermonters seeking that education and…

By Jim Condos For more than 35 years, it has been my great honor to serve the people of Vermont as a public servant as: Secretary of state for 12 years, state senator for eight years, and South Burlington city councilor for 18 years.  During this time, I have always worked hard to serve Vermont’s…

By Michael J. Caduto Editor’s note: Michael J. Caduto is author and co-author of more than 20  books, including the “Keepers of the Earth” series. He is executive director of Sustainable Woodstock. He lives in Reading. Although Jan. 1 is day one in the year of the Western (Gregorian) calendar, it is not written in…

By Robert S. Emmons Editor’s note: Robert S. Emmons has maintained a private psychiatric practice in Vermont for 33 years. He is a member of the volunteer clinical faculty at UVM Larner College of Medicine, where he has taught in the fields of professionalism, ethics and psychoanalytic psychotherapy. It’s hard to wrestle old habits to…

By Narain Batra Editor’s note: Narain Batra is a media and First Amendment scholar affiliated with the diplomacy and international program in the graduate college at Norwich University. He lives in Hartford. Joy to the world! Freedom is rising. On Dec. 6, we saw another embodiment of what the American dream is made of: A…

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.  It’s hard to overstate the impact Sen. Patrick Leahy has had on Vermont, and the nation, during his 48-year tenure at the U.S. Senate. Reading a complete list of his many…