By Emerson Lynn Editor’s note: Emerson Lynn is the former publisher and current editorial writer for the St. Albans Messenger. Tucked into H.159, a bill focused on community and economic development, is a provision that would create a pilot program for “project-based” tax increment financing (TIF) opportunities. Unlike the existing TIF programs, the pilot programs…

By Kesha Ram Hinsdale Editor’s note: Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale is a candidate for U.S. Congress. Educators and civil servants in Vermont made a promise to the communities they serve. They work for wages below those paid for comparable private sector jobs, and, in exchange, receive affordable health insurance, paid time off, and a stable…

By Jon Groveman Editor's note: Jon Groveman is a policy and water program director for the Vermont Natural Resources Council. Vermont’s Act 250, our one-of-a-kind statewide land use program, is often synonymous with the state’s environmental ethic. Act 250 has served Vermont well for more than 50 years, mitigating the impacts of large-scale development on…

By Isabella A. Johnson Editor's note: Isabella A. Johnson is working toward her master’s degree in public health at the University of Vermont. As a graduate student in public health, it becomes increasingly clear how fortunate I am to live in Vermont and share the landscape with abundant wildlife that contributes greatly to biodiversity. Many…

By Jacob McCarthy Editor's note: Jacob McCarthy is a senior studying media and communications at Castleton University. He is interning with Rutland Young Professionals for this spring. If you told me the day I showed up at Castleton University on a hot, humid August morning back in 2018 that my life would change forever, I…

By Bruce Baker and Rebecca Holcombe Editor's note: Bruce Baker is a professor at Rutgers Graduate School of Education and a senior fellow at the Learning Policy Institute and Rebecca Holcombe is a Norwich resident, a parent, and former Vermont secretary of education. Based on a University of Vermont study, the Legislature is updating the…

By Jay Diaz and Ed Baker Vermont is experiencing a full-blown overdose crisis. A record 210 Vermonters died of preventable opioid-related overdoses in 2021, marking 33.7 overdose deaths per 100,000 people. That’s a 500% increase since 2010. For context, Portugal, which has committed to handling addiction with a public health approach since the early 2000s,…

By Kevin Ellis It is so very difficult to celebrate the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be the next Supreme Court justice. Nominated by President Biden, and confirmed by the Senate, Judge Jackson has a deep resume. She will be the first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court. She will be the…

By Christopher Herrick When Vermonters balance our passion for wildlife with a commitment to mutual respect, our state sees results. The first half of this legislative session exemplifies what this approach can accomplish.  After years of regulatory and legislative stalemate the House and Senate Natural Resources Committees have worked with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife…

By Angelo Lynn In the political tussle pitting small schools against districts that want to close them, a newly devised bill, H.727, intentionally works against the effort to preserve Vermont’s smaller schools — even when those communities overwhelmingly vote to support them. But the bill is not wholly misguided.  Its intent is to assure towns…

By Anne Sosin Editor's note: This commentary is by Anne N. Sosin, a public health researcher and Policy Fellow at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College and the co-lead on research on Covid-19 and rural health equity in northern New England. This opinion piece was written with the encouragement of Deborah Lisi-Baker and is dedicated to…

By Steve Pappas Editor's note: Steven Pappas is the executive editor of The Times Argus and Rutland Herald. This opinion piece was printed with permissions.  Around Vermont, as municipal boards reorganize, set goals and undertake housekeeping for the term ahead, one of the things every town and city has to do is decide its “Newspaper…

Editor's note: The following commentary was submitted by Prevent Child Abuse Vermont (PCAVT), the Vermont Chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America and the National Circle of Parents, whose mission is to promote and support healthy relationships within families, schools and communities to eliminate child abuse. Visit pcavt.org The child advocates from Prevent Child Abuse Vermont…

By Angelo Lynn With the world’s problems at everyone’s doorstep each morning, or at their fingertips any time of the day, it’s little wonder that news about the cost of healthcare has dropped out of sight. Pre-pandemic it was one of the nation’s top concerns, but since then it’s now somewhere below several world-grabbing stories,…

By Rebecca Holcombe Vermont has a proud history of providing high quality, equitable public education for children in our communities. It’s why our equity gaps are narrower than in many states. It’s why many communities fight hard to keep their public schools. Recently, conservative national litigation groups have targeted Vermont. One of these groups is…