Dear Editor, There was good news from Covid-19 for this past Memorial Day weekend and beyond. We didn’t get stuck in traffic jams. And, the meat shortage kept us safe from our outdoor grills. Folks who grill hamburgers and hot dogs face a nasty choice. The U.S. Meat and Poultry Hotline advises grilling at high…

Dear Editor, Forget “government takeovers” of health care. It was taken over long ago by insurance companies and other commercial interests. Now it’s just a money pit. Insurance premiums are tied to how much insurers have to pay out to doctors and hospitals. The fees doctors and hospitals charge include money to compensate for the enormous…

Dear Editor, The Covid-19 pandemic has created unprecedented public health and economic challenges for the people of Vermont. Vermonters have lost their lives, many have lost access to healthcare services, one in four are now unemployed, and too many families are struggling with hunger and food shortage. The true extent of this devastation will only…

Dear Editor, Over the last several weeks, Vermonters have been thinking a lot about food—where it comes from, who harvests it, how far it travels, what it costs and how much is available. I was not one of those kids who grew up wondering where her food came from. My brothers and I were born…

Dear Editor, To all of those who helped us search for our dog Finn in Pittsfield, the Masillo family can not thank you enough. He got free with his leash attached and was out in the woods and stuck for 42 hours. We are overcome with gratitude, by both the willingness and kindness, of our community. He…

Dear Editor, The following is a letter that U.S. Rep. Peter Welch wrote to Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader McCarthy on May 8. I write today to request that the next Covid-19 legislative package include funding to support local journalism and media. This support is essential to ensure that our communities continue to have access…

Dear Editor, There is no hiding from Covid-19. This virus has no borders and travels at will, menacing people and businesses in every sector of society. The pandemic threatens agriculture and with it our food security, as farmers work to produce the food on our tables.  Our farmers, producers and those making their living off…

Dear Editor, As our public health paradigm shifts with the emergence of Covid-19, many Vermonters are experiencing loss—of connection, of livelihood, of basic necessities, and some have lost loved ones. We are living with uncertainty. The road forward must be paved with time for grieving, resources for the vulnerable, and opportunities to restart Vermont’s economic…

Dear Editor, While waiting for a resolution to the Covid-19 crisis we need to be looking to the future of  health care in general. We have continued to struggle with unaffordable premiums, unaffordable deductibles, and unaffordable co-pays, forcing choices between health care and food, rent, mortgages, clothes, tuition,….add to that the millions of people who…

Dear Edtior, Like many organizations and programs, Southwestern Vermont Council on Aging (SVCOA) has faced its share of challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic, specifically around maintaining high levels of service to older Vermonters in our region amidst an unprecedented increase in service demand. Thankfully, SVCOA is backed by a compassionate, hardworking and committed volunteer roster,…

Dear Editor, With many people isolating at home to benefit public safety, and uncertainty the only certainty these days, it’s been inspiring to see how Rutland County has responded to the Covid-19 pandemic. From hanging up lights and rainbows to making masks and putting out signs encouraging people to wash their hands, stay one cow…

Dear Editor, The League of Women Voters urges everyone to participate in the 2020 Census, now underway. The U.S. Constitution requires the federal government count everyone living in the country every 10 years. Every household should complete a Census form (either online, by mail, or by phone) by Oct. 31, 2020. Participating in the Census…

Dear Editor, Closing NVU-Lyndon, NVU-Johnson, and Vermont Technical College’s (VTC) Randolph campus would migrate Vermont’s higher educational engine to the Champlain Valley. The Burlington metropolitan area already exerts economic and political dominance over the rest of the state. Depriving Vermonters of access to educational and cultural resources in this manner would be unfair and inequitable. The Vermont State College (VSC)…

Dear Editor, First, a little history: 2008 saw the worst financial crisis in this country since the Great Depression. In response to the economic devastation, congress enacted the Troubled Asset Relief Program to bail out America’s big banks, to the tune of $700 billion. Today, with the coronavirus pandemic hitting small businesses harder than anybody…

Dear Editor, I felt like an imaginary, old fashioned Italian woman today. I decided it was time to pack away the big, heavy down comforter as deep winter is over in Vermont. So, I filled my big bath tub with lots of soap, bleach and hot water. Then I submerged the queen sized white comforter…