Dear Editor, I grew up spending summers on Lake Bomoseen, where Fair Haven was our nearest village for shopping, restaurants and other activities. I was also a soccer player in high school at that time, and spent two months in Germany, where I was invited to play soccer. My daughters all played soccer from grade…

Dear Editor, Covid cases are climbing around the state and Gov. Scott says “I don’t know why.” The answer is obvious: the abandonment of the indoor mask mandate. This is causing serious outbreaks across the state, particularly in schools. From the early days of the outbreak, Vermont was justly praised for keeping the numbers down.…

Dear editor, In 2022, after decades of hopes, fears and tears, Amtrak’s Ethan Allen Express should finally restore passenger rail service between Rutland and Burlington, after a 69-year absence. The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTRANS) and media will closely track this $25 million project until the train becomes a reality: Vergennes Station/Platform restoration (summer 2020),…

Dear editor, In response to the article about combined state colleges to be named Vermont State University, it truly is time for the state of Vermont to come to terms with its support of its state college system. This problem has plagued the schools for years, not only because of the national issue colleges and…

Dear editor, Since 1964, Oct. 15 has been designated White Cane Safety Awareness Day to celebrate the achievements of people who are blind or visually impaired, and to recognize the importance of that tool for independence. The white cane is a symbol of strength and independence for blind and visually impaired people. As a blind…

Dear editor, Vermont is at an interesting crossroads with the fossil fuel empire. On the one hand, our Attorney General is suing ExxonMobil, Sunoco and Citgo for deceptive and unfair practices, as a consumer protection issue. Included is a proposal to prevent said companies from engaging in future unfair and deceptive acts, as well as…

Dear Editor, I am reaching out to express my support for universal school meals in Vermont. I am a recent resident of Middlebury, a longtime former resident of Brandon, and the mother of two children in the public school system. As a mother and a former student in the public school system, I am aware…

Dear Editor, I wanted to take a moment to reflect back and share to a time in my youth that I have such fond memories living for a couple years in Killington. The year was I believe 1972, give or take, I was in third or fourth grade. My family had made a move to…

Editor’s note: This is an open letter to the Vermont Legislature written by Commissioner Bram Kleppner, CEO of Danforth Pewter, on behalf of the Vermont Tax Structure Commission. Dear Legislators, Three years ago, you and the Governor asked us to spend two years studying Vermont’s tax system as a whole, and to make recommendations that…

Dear Editor, Farming, like most human activity, impacts the environment. During the last two decades — and particularly since 2016 — Vermont has taken progressive and calculated steps to reduce one such environmental impact: nutrient loss from farmland. On Aug. 19, Sen. Patrick Leahy hosted U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack at ECHO, Leahy Center…

By Shaun Christean Dear Editor, Everyone living in the Northeast has heard the warnings time and time again: always be vigilant for ticks after spending time outdoors. Tick habitat has increased substantially as higher latitudes are unlocked by warming climates, allowing ticks to edge further north every year. Tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease, babesiosis, and…

By Cary Brown, Meg Smith, Rhoni Basden, Jessica Nordhaus and Aly Richards Editor’s note: Cary Brown is the executive director of the Vermont Commission on Women; Meg Smith is the director of the Vermont Women’s Fund; Rhoni Basden is the executive director of Vermont Works for Women; Jessica Nordhaus is the director of Change The…

Dear Editor, Forest ecologists estimate that if you let a New England farm field go fallow, it takes natural succession about 120 years to re-establish a healthy soil biome, but even that will be but a pale shadow of the mature complex food web that once existed under the bowers of the ancient giants. The…

Dear Editor, One of my dearest writer friends in life passed away early in the pandemic. She lived in an upscale senior community that provides care on every level. I wonder which worker or health provider may have carried Covid to her locked room? Everyone was restricted to remain in their apartment or room. Might…

Dear Editor, Julie Wasserman recently laid out a wise series of questions that we should be asking in assessing Vermont’s current healthcare reform efforts. Among them: “What portion of school budget increases are attributable to the rising cost of health care?” Good question. But why limit it school budgets? Healthcare costs also contribute to budgets for police,…