Dear Editor, On March 9, 1954, Republican Vermont Sen. Ralph Flanders stood on the floor of the U.S. Senate to condemn fellow Republican Sen. Joseph McCarthy on his claims that there were communists in the state department. The Flanders speech was an immediate sensation, as Flanders’ courage to speak up against a member of his…

Dear Editor, I was recently asked to become the ambassador for the upcoming Gift-of-Life Marathon, and saying yes to this was one of the easiest decisions I have ever made. Just a little over a year ago I was injured in an explosion while on vacation, causing many life-changing injuries including the loss of both…

Dear Editor, A couple of times recently, I’ve driven through Brandon, which is now emerging from its own four-year ordeal of downtown disruption — leading to a whole new pattern of streets and sidewalks. While I’m sure that this period has been a trial for businesses, residents and those of us who occasionally pass through,…

Dear Editor, We may be about to witness something none of us have ever seen before, which is a large piece of public land with full public access and heavy public use being sold to a very private wealthy person who has stated he does not want the public on this land again after he…

Dear Editor, I am truly disappointed in the actions of the Cavendish Select Board not to pursue the tax appeal with the state and allowing the Property Valuation Review dated Oct. 24 (Watson V. Town of Cavendish) to stand. However, I understand why, given Cavendish is such a small town with a limited budget. My…

Dear Editor, In an editorial, published Oct. 24, titled “Let small schools prove themselves” Angelo Lynn writes: “Surely, when the idea of consolidated governance was conceived in Act 46, no one imagined district boards would rule like kings.” That is incorrect. From the very outset of Act 46 the constant refrain of many of us…

Dear Editor, Why are American health care costs so high?  Experts offer up an extensive menu of explanations, which other experts dispute.  The answer is a lot simpler than they make it.  To paraphrase James Carville, “It’s the administrative costs, stupid.” In 2011, the Commonwealth Fund reported that U.S. medical offices spent 20.6 hours a…

Dear Editor, In the aftermath of last Thursday’s electoral vote at the State House, the talk being bandied about by some members of the Vermont Legislature that they should give up their power to elect the state’s national guard adjutant general over to the governor is dangerously myopic in lieu of the threatening situation taking…

Dear Editor, My name is Lisa Ryan and I am running for reelection to the Board of Aldermen. My experience as a member of the Board of Aldermen since 2017 has been one of personal and collective growth. I have learned just how important it is to not only stay true to my beliefs and goals,…

Dear Editor, I am writing in enthusiastic support of Lisa Ryan’s reelection to the Rutland City Board of Aldermen. I have known Lisa Ryan since she was a student in the Rutland City Public Schools (RHS 2007) and recognized her strong character and sense of service even as a young woman. Lisa holds a BA…

Dear Editor, When I first bought a ski house in Killington in 2001, I never dreamed that in 2015, my wife, Rebecca, and I would decide to move up to live here full time with our two sons. There’s no question that Killington is a great place to live, but it has its issues (like…

Dear Editor, Hello taxpayers of Killington, it’s Jim Haff. I’m not on the ballot this year, surprise! But a good friend of mine, Chuck Claffey, is on the ballot, and I’m asking you to help Chuck become the next Select Board member for the Town of Killington. Chuck works for Nat West Financial as a…

Dear Editor, I have had many conversations with hundreds of people including local school leadership in regard to the current state of education in Vermont. I have written many commentaries that have been published in newspapers throughout the state as well as having met with the Governor and other officials. The state’s response as is…

Dear Editor, The real travesty to the news like that of recent similar instances that Green Mountain College will be closing due to economic problems is that meanwhile billions upon billions of federal taxpayer money goes to funding a bloated military budget for endless phony wars to generate endless military/industrial corporation profits. America is more…

Dear Editor, To our wonderful community at large: It’s been over nine years since I was hired to run the Rutland Youth Theatre as its leader. It has been an amazingly successful ride for all those years of making magic together and one I have done with love! At this time, however, I have decided…