Dear Editor, The Vermont Legislature is about to give its final approval to a bill called “The Global Warming Solutions Act.” Needless to say, the bill, H.688, does not solve global warming. In fact, the bill is downright bad climate policy because it prioritizes emissions reductions over environmental protection. The bill: Establishes targets for the…

Dear Editor, In 1970, when Governor Deane Davis signed Act 250 into law, he advanced a vision shared by Vermonters who wanted to protect Vermont’s unique cultural and historic ties to the land by addressing the environmental impacts of development, while allowing for economic prosperity. Now, 50 years later, many still hold that vision of…

Dear Editor, One of the brilliant features of the original Act 250 lets the public have a real voice in the proceedings of an Act 250 permit application. No other state or local permit proceeding allows such meaningful participation. The Legislature is now considering H.926, changes to Act 250. Among other things, H.926 will reduce…

Dear Editor, I am optimistic about our future. We are experiencing two societal traumas, one new and one as old as our history, which will either make us stronger or pull us further apart. I choose to engage with the challenges before us and work with you to improve the systems that lie at the…

Dear Editor, I’d like to tell a story that I’ve never told in print before. I’ve written hundreds of policy-oriented pieces for local and national newspapers, but I’ve never told this story because it’s very personal. I’m telling it now because I want everyone to know what guides me and directs my work. This traumatic…

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…