Dear editor, As thousands across the U.S. get ready to protest environmental budget cuts, each of us can also help with our driving, our recycling, and our diet. Yes, our diet. A 2010 United Nations report blames animal agriculture for 70 percent of global freshwater use, 38 percent of land use, and 19 percent of…

Dear editor, Earl Butz was Richard Nixon’s Secretary of Agriculture and was famous for telling farmers to “get big or get out.” He was responsible for rolling back many New Deal era policies that insulated farmers from the vagaries of the market and nature’s sometimes capricious moods. Farming began its perilous decline from stewardship rooted…

Dear Editor, People ask me why I work as a licensed nursing assistant (LNA) for a living. It’s for my patients. I give each patient my all, but with understaffing my all isn’t enough. Our patients deserve the best care we have to offer, but right now I can’t provide that. Patient care and safety…

Dear Editor, Last weekend, the UN came to the Saturday Winters Farmers Market in Rutland. Actually, the Vermont Farmers Food Center (VFFC) hosted the “Grace Initiative” also called “Initiative for Governance, Reconciliation and Coexistence,” a nonprofit founded by Yvonne Lodico of Manchester. Governance, reconciliation and coexistence are interdependent and sustain each component for inclusive and…

Dear Editor, I am a full-time resident of Rochester and would like to continue living here. A decade ago, nobody in town believed we would lose our high school, but the issue was raised due to the decline in the number of students and now it’s inevitable. This upcoming merger would, realistically, put us at…

Dear Editor, Congratulations to the Democrats in the Vermont House of Representatives for coming up with a budget that got the support of all but one member who voted on it! The House Democratic Caucus made hard choices to protect Vermont families. This was not an easy budget process. It was made more difficult by the looming federal budget disaster. It was also made more…

Dear Editor, As most of you know, or at least some of you, I have been lobbying Killington for a Senior Residents Pass at a price which us retirees could afford. This past week Killington came out with their new prices for the coming season. Not only did they make the Senior pass affordable, but…

Dear Editor, In regards to the proposed consolidation Model 1: Given the fact that since the formation of the Rochester Bethel Royalton study committee began to meet on June 13, 2016, they held approximately 13 official committee meetings. Of those meetings, seven were in Royalton, five were in Bethel and one  was in Rochester, held…

Dear Editor, It’s going to be sad to not have a high school in Rochester. To review, closing of the Rochester High School seems inevitable. The proposed Model 1, soon coming up for a vote on Tuesday, April 11, in the communities of Rochester, South Royalton and Bethel, would leave the area with one middle…

Dear Editor, To the volunteer firemen and women of Proctorsville, Cavendish, Ludlow, Springfield, Chester, Reading, Weston, Mount Holly, Ascutney, Walpole, and Weathersfield who rallied to our house in the early hours of Feb. 15 to fight our house fire we are eternally grateful. Through your efforts you were able to control an inferno and save…

Dear Editor, I am writing to thank Killington voters for supporting Article 6 of our town budget. Article 6 allocates $500 to Habitat for Humanity of Rutland County. Rutland Habitat is a non-profit organization with no paid staff. Every dollar donated goes directly to the cost of building affordable housing in Rutland County. Habitat is…

By Robbie Maher In the midst of the Trump administration, the rights of a free press are questioned daily in tweets and from the podium in the White House briefing room. Concern about First Amendment rights is nothing new inside the less-than-democratic halls of public high schools. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled multiple times…

Dear Editor, Hi, Jonas here from KES, and I love Trailblazers. I only moved up here this year, and one of my favorite things about this new school is Trailblazers. And no, it’s not just because we get out of school early. It’s riding Killington with my friends, having fun, riding all of the mountain…

Dear Editor, Last week, the Republicans in Washington revealed their plans for replacing the Affordable Care Act. Unsurprisingly, their plan would hurt poor and working-class people and women while creating billions of dollars of new tax giveaways to corporations and the wealthy. Simply defending the Affordable Care Act (popularly known as “Obamacare”) is not enough.…

Dear Editor, In light of the so-called travel ban being effective the day before St. Patrick’s Day, I offer a perspective on the executive order: “Céad míle fáilte,” Irish for “a hundred thousand welcomes.” Irish immigrants who left home in the 19th century to find work and build a life in America were allowed to…