Dear Editor, Kevin Mullin, chair of the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB), called our state’s health insurance premiums “unaffordable” in 2019. Those premiums have since risen, and double digit-plus increases were just approved for both Blue Cross and MVP, making health care far more unaffordable. Our hospitals are requesting major increases in their budgets that…

Dear Editor, Warning. The state of Vermont has changed the process of renewing a vehicle driver’s license. No longer can you go to a real person who can answer questions and help fill out the forms, like at the Courthouse. Now it is to be done by the taxpayer, at home, and on a computer.…

Dear Editor, We’ve been following local and national news reports, and want to tell you that we are worried about the recent extreme heat and wildfires raging across the country. We feel for people who’ve lost their lives and/or livelihoods to extreme weather, and we believe that it’s only a matter of time until it…

Dear Editor, Why is it that modern name changes leave us so much in the dark about organizations and their legacy? For instance some of the local hospitals have given up the names of their medical benefactors of yesteryear. Instead of Mary Fletcher or Bishop DeGoesbriand or Fannie Allen, we now have UVM Medical Center.…

Dear Editor, After reading about the new train service between Burlington and Rutland and seeing the cost, I began thinking. The cost of taking a taxi from Burlington to Rutland is about $150. For the price of constructing the new rail service, Vermonters could have taken 1.18 million taxi rides between the two cities. The…

Dear Editor, My friend David Singer is running for assistant judge, a position he held for eight years before retiring in 2012 to be a grandfather and resume his position in the family business as a producer on Broadway. The man has incredible energy and I might note that he and his group won more…

Dear Editor, Are we prepared to help the many, many people who have lingering health problems from a Covid infection? Long Covid means health problems linger for weeks, months, or years after a Covid infection. Symptoms include but are not limited to brain fog, profound fatigue, exercise intolerance, and shortness of breath. How many “long…

Dear Editor, In researching the candidates running for sheriff, facts came to light that are cause for concern. Earlier, on Ryan Palmer’s website, he had posted a photo of himself holding an AR 15 semi-automatic, rapid-fire, assault rifle, an advocate of a weapon whose capability of mass destruction is a given, as used most recently…

Dear Editor, One way you can judge a person is by those they adore. Here are four women I adore and why. Camille Paglia is an American feminist who is unafraid to write what she believes and could care less what her critics say. She might be described as a supremely courageous example of an…

Dear Editor, The No. 1 issue facing Vermonters is the state of our economy. As Bill Clinton once said, “It’s the economy, stupid.” I fault the Democratic leadership and legislators who voted' yes' on the annual budget. Yes, there are items in the budget that are needed, but the overspending is out of pace with…

Dear Editor, Vermont Volunteer Services for Animals Humane Society would like to thank all the people that volunteered at our annual July 4 festivities in Woodstock. Thanks to friends and volunteers who were able to pull it off for another year! If any nonprofit organization would like to take over this event, we can assure…

Dear Editor, The recent proposal by Vermont Huts Association (VHA) and Moosalamoo Association (MA) to construct a hut next to Silver Lake in the Moosalamoo National Recreation and Education Area in Leicester (Addison County) reveals numerous problems with the USDA/forest service’s management of the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF). Pitched as connecting trails and establishing…

Dear Editor, As a resident of Vermont and a student intern with the Vermont Public Health Association, it was distressing to learn that some Vermonters believe that because our state is small, our efforts to combat climate change are futile. If smaller communities use their size as an excuse to remain stagnant surrounding climate issues,…

Dear Editor, This is in response to George De Luna’s letter of July 12. In it, he repeatedly refers to “God-given” rights. Passing over his total lack of evidence for the existence of any supernatural being, let’s look to see how many times this term occurs in the Constitution. Hmmm, well no “God-given,” but maybe…

Dear Editor, With pandemic restrictions easing, most people are anxious to get away on a vacation and want to include their pets. Bringing along your pet can be stressful though —for both of you. Advance planning, proper restraint, and helping them with their motion sickness and anxiety surrounding travel can help. First, contact your veterinarian…