Dear Editor,  The Vermont Sierra Club supports the passage of S.5, the Affordable Heat Act (AHA). We appreciate the hard work of representatives and senators to move this important policy forward. We believe that the governor must act now to send this proposal to the Public Utilities Commission and don’t delay any further in transitioning…

Dear Editor,  In response to several letters and articles posted over the last 6+ weeks regarding the transition of Killington Fire and Rescue, First Response, and Killington Search and Rescue, we feel it is necessary to clarify the status of all groups.  Currently, Killington Fire and Rescue and First Response are operating within the guidelines…

Dear Editor, Recreational marijuana is legal in Vermont. 4/20 Day promotes a growing industry nationwide. Cannabis companies leverage the day as another opportunity to promote the industry and its products, similar to alcohol companies during the Super Bowl or St. Patrick’s Day.   These events have long moved past being counterculture protests. It’s a growing…

Dear Editor,  As members of the Vermont Antiquarian Booksellers Association, we have dedicated a portion of our lives to the care of used and rare books.  Our shops exist to aggregate good books and to find suitable homes for each. Unsurprisingly, we were horrified to learn of the state university administration’s decision to eliminate physical…

Dear Editor, At my local school board (of which I am a member) budget meeting last week, a community member asked, “What keeps you (individual board members) awake at night?” At that moment, I wasn’t able to find the courage to be candid. The weight of what I wanted to say, my sincere answer, felt…

Dear Editor, Last week, on March 29, Vermont senior U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was grilling Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz on the illegal union-busting activities used by that corporation.  In order to embarrass our senior senator, Schultz shot back that Vermont has a paltry minimum wage of only $13.18/hour. Starbucks, his company, pays more. We…

Dear Editor, There has been a great deal of misinformation circulating around about the Affordable Heat Act. I would encourage anyone who is interested in gaining an accurate understanding of the bill to go online and look up the text of the bill itself. It is readily accessible, and, though long, is written in language…

Dear Editor, A 45-day comment period on a proposal by Green Mountain National Forest staff concerning logging and other activities in the forest at Telephone Gap ended on March 13. A huge 94% of the official comments regarding logging were against the proposal. According to a preliminary tally approx. 1,280 comments were opposed to the…

Dear Editor, I attended the Killington Select Board meeting on March 20 and all in all it was a well-attended meeting with people being calm and communicating, until Select Board member Jim Haff turned red in the face. He was abusive and bullied a member of the audience. This seems to be a pattern.  He…

Dear Editor, My Dad encouraged me to find my voice and my Mom taught me to respect those who serve the public good. So, I  would like to extend a hearty thank you to all who have served the public as the Killington Search and Rescue team (KSAR) since 2011 in their capacity as trained…

Dear Editor, I want to thank Polly Mikula for her editorial on the public safety issue published in last week’s edition of the Mountain Times, it is informative and asks the questions that need to be addressed. As a past select board member (2013–2019) and a relative of two past members of KSAR (three if…

Dear Editor,  Thank you to our fantastic Killington community for supporting the Drive-Thru Lasagna dinner on March 3 at the Killington Public Safety Building sponsored by the Sherburne United Church of Christ, Killington’s Little White Church.  A special thanks to Rob Merrill who prepared and cooked the lasagna, to the Killington Resort who donated the…

Dear Editor, Human-wildlife conflict poses a major challenge for the conservation of carnivore species globally. Today black bears inhabit only about 60% of their historic range in North America, mostly due to human persecution. Large home territories and a varied diet can easily lead them into conflict with humans. Wildlife agencies consider bear hunting to…

Dear Editor, Last month, 21 schools across Vermont were targeted by a vicious hoax that terrorized countless students and staff members as they were sent into lockdown and SWAT teams carrying AR-15s burst into the lobby.  We are thankful nobody was physically harmed in these incidents. Yet, many of us faced the credible threat of an active…

Dear Editor, A big thank you to the voters of Killington. The passage of the Killington Forward article at last week’s Town Meeting, by a wide margin, has finally set the new Six Peaks Village into motion. We owe it all to this amazing community. Killington Resort and Great Gulf Group are excited to embark…