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…

Dear Editor, There have been many misconceptions by the general public regarding the need for a new Public Safety Building. The major objection is to the cost, with no real regard to the pressing need due to the antiquated facility (Oren Bates Firehouse). The old firehouse is not in need of repair, it is in…

Dear Editor, As a young and native Vermonter who is committed to this state it has been frustrating to watch many of my peers leave Vermont for more affordable college opportunities. I know this frustration is shared and felt by many Vermonters. These include small, large, local business owners and employers who are struggling to…

Dear Editor, Each year the staff and volunteers at Black River Good Neighbor Services collect food and toys during December and distribute them to deserving families throughout the area. This distribution dates back to well before the creation of BRGNS, but our staff and volunteers are proud to continue the tradition and to serve our…

Dear Editor, By the time you are reading this we hope that the government shutdown has ended. But if not, the folks at Black River Good Neighbor Services in Ludlow want to remind any government employee who is having trouble meeting financial obligations that we stand ready to help with food or heating assistance. We…

Dear Editor, Pizza is a big and tasty business in America; luscious and lip-smacking. In 2015, $38.5 billion worth of pizza was sold nationwide, according to Pizza magazine. The story of America’s love relationship with pizza began in 1905 in New York City—not Italy. Drum roll, please. Put your hands together for Gennaro Lombardi—then say…

Dear Editor, Secretary of Commerce and Community Development Mike Schirling highlighted actions his agency has taken to make a positive impact on Vermont’s previously lackluster economic development program: “focusing on fundamental activities, supporting economic growth, and affordability,” in a recent VTDigger piece. There are many moving parts to economic development. Presently, Vermont has spread those…

Dear Editor, To the legislators, first, thank you all for your willingness to serve your constituents and all Vermonters. You are appreciated by most of us. But please remember, you serve both the special wants and needs of your constitution, and, of all Vermonters, whose needs sometimes differ. Foster the balance. The bill-drafting process is…

Dear Editor, The Vermont Veterans’ Home wants to thank those who participated in this year’s National Wreaths Across America Day at the Vermont Veterans’ Home. Each December on National Wreaths Across America Day, the mission to remember, honor and teach is carried out by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as over…

Dear Editor, Southwestern Vermont Council on Aging would like to thank the many individuals and organizations throughout our service area, who, in recent months, have generously coordinated and contributed to a range of charitable initiatives benefiting the clients of SVCOA. In November, Rutland Loyal Order of Moose Lodge 1122, the Salvation Army of Rutland, Elks…

Dear Editor, The committee for the new public safety building along with representatives from each department and the design team met again after receiving the drawings which were presented in the Mountain Times. The main discussion was to assess the drawings which were according to our previous discussions. At this meeting we looked for ways…

Dear Editor, My heart is breaking for the child who felt so alone in our community that the only answer they could come to was violence. We need to wrap that child, and every child, in love. We need to do better. As grateful as I am for the advocacy (mostly by our youth) that…