Dear Editor, Readers who care about animal welfare should ask U.S. Senators Pat Leahy and Bernie Sanders to support federal funding for cultured-meat research. Cultured meat is grown from cells, without slaughtering nonhumans. It has the potential to eliminate unimaginable levels of suffering. After all, we kill tens of billions of land animals and over…

Dear Editor, My name is Brittany Cavacas. I am writing this letter to formally announce my candidacy for the Vermont State Senate in Rutland County. I am running as an Independent. I feel that before you select a candidate, it is best to get to know that candidate first. When it comes to myself, I…

Dear Editor, Congratulations to the Rutland Region Chamber and REDC for making the decision to finally merge the two organizations to better serve the business community and the greater-Rutland region. I’ve long thought they could provide improved services and become more efficient together, provided there was solid leadership at the top. Lyle Jepson is an…

Consider an alternative way to earn a high school diploma Dear Editor, Vermont schools are preparing for September openings amid Covid-19. School administrators, in consultation with staff, families and public health officials, have been working hard to reinvent our educational systems in ways that provide students with rich learning, while keeping students, staff and the…

Dear Editor, I want to thank all who took the time to vote either via an absentee ballot or in-person on Aug. 11. It was a record turnout for an August primary in Vermont. Something we can all take pride in. Hats off to our town clerks and their election teams for the job they…

Dear Editor, The River Road and Route 4 Killington river/wetlands is essential to Killington’s economy, used daily by kayakers and anglers. The town of Killington refuses to follow DEC guidelines and to install baffles. They just removed the dams, causing the beavers to cut down more trees and brush to rebuild the dam. Thus, causing…

Dear Editor, As children get ready to return to school, I am reminded of my family counseling work after 9/11. Kids came to school following that horrific day carrying tremendous trauma and stress with them. Not surprisingly, they used phrases and drew pictures much like their parents described to explain their own despair. It became…

Dear Editor, The National Congress of American Indians advocates for “ending the legacy of racism and the era of harmful ‘Indian’ mascots.” As the NCAI elaborates, such mascots “have serious psychological, social and cultural consequences for Native Americans, especially Native youth.” The caricatures and stereotypes perpetuated by the use of “Indian” mascots spawns a culture…

Dear Editor, The Woodstock Area Relief Fund (WARF) anticipates that many local residents will be significantly impacted by the lapse of the $600 per week supplemental unemployment income.  If you live in Woodstock, Barnard, Bridgewater, Killington, Plymouth, Pomfret, or Reading, WARF can help provide immediate financial assistance of up to $1,000. This is available to anyone…

Dear Editor, When I stood with students, parents, and educators recently to discuss the challenges of emergency remote education during this global pandemic, I found myself wondering, how have we left so many children behind. To be clear, the efforts of our teachers during this crisis have been nothing less than heroic. Our teachers have…

Dear Editor, Vermont is aptly named the Green Mountain State. Our verdant forests are a defining part of our landscape and offer incredible and diverse services. They provide us with clean air and water, flood control, and climate change mitigation. They are habitat for native plants and animals, and are places where we maintain our…

Dear Editor, Most of us know it’s just as important to be a good guest as it is to be a good host. But what if we’ve never been taught how? That hospitality is as much about respecting the rules of the house to which we’ve been invited as it is providing a place of…

Dear Editor, We all can play a significant role in electing a woman as Vermont state auditor for the first time in a long time. Interesting? You bet. For many reasons. Linda Joy Sullivan of Bennington County is that woman. She is a certified public accountant, with an MBA and a master of laws in…

Dear Editor, Schools in Vermont support the academic, social and developmental needs of children, help address food insecurity, and provide mental health services. Weighing the health risks of reopening schools in fall 2020 against the educational and developmental risks of limiting in-person instruction, school districts should prioritize full-time, in person attendance for all students preschool through…

Dear Editor, The physician and physician assistant members of the Vermont Medical Society applaud Governor Phil Scott’s announcement Friday putting in place a mandatory face mask policy. On Wednesday night, the Medical Society governing council led by president Catherine Schneider, MD, met for an hour to discuss the evidence and policy options regarding the universal…