Dear Editor, As summer has arrived and we have time to reflect on another school year, there are many great things that our staff and students did here at Poultney High School, and I would like to highlight just a few of them. This year, Poultney High School was one of a handful of Vermont…

Editor’s note: the following letter was submitted to the Woodstock Select Board and has been edited for clarity.  Dear Editor, What company starts early on weekends with no permits around wet lands and brooks? The zoning administrator is on vacation and the state offices and town hall are closed. I am the only abutting neighbor,…

Dear Editor, Rochester voters – Here are the facts: Early February 2017 Fact 1: The filing at Rochester Town Clerk’s office of a Petition for Article for the 2017 Rochester Annual Town School Meeting. The petition was filed within the Vermont state deadline with the required number of Rochester voter signatures. Fact 2: The text…

By William J. Mathis Editor’s note: William J. Mathis is managing director of the National Education Policy Center and vice-chair of the Vermont State Board of Education, and a Goshen resident. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization with which he is affiliated. It was June 26, 1997, when Governor…

Dear Editor, Julia Purdy writes in her piece “Conserving lands, healing people” published in the July 5-11 edition: “They became part of the progressive movement to de-institutionalize the mentally ill and offer them meaningful lives in community settings.” I am not sure what she meant, but the vast majority of people dealing with a mental…

Dear Editor, The Ted Bridges Scholarship Hospitality Golf Tournament was held in June under sunny skies. Chris Karr, owner of The Foundry on the Killington Access Road, and his crew once again organized the event. Bobby Peterson was his usual jovial self in bringing it together. The day was capped off with a delicious buffet…

Dear Editor, The Board of Directors of Fletcher Farm School for the Arts & Crafts wishes to express its gratitude to all local businesses for their generous donations. The school received many fabulous items and gift certificates for their 70th Anniversary Celebration, making it a great success, despite the New England weather surprise. The school…

By Lee Hamilton I’ll be the first to admit that when it comes to journalism, I’m a traditionalist. Old-fashioned, even. But I don’t think it’s a coincidence that even while confidence in the media drops to new lows and Time magazine feels moved to wonder “Is Truth Dead?” on its cover, huge numbers of Americans…

By Jon Margolis Praising elected officials ought not to be a common practice. They tend to do an adequate job of that themselves, rarely missing an opportunity to tell the world how wonderful they are. There are times, though, when an elected official deserves the approval of his constituents. Right now, Secretary of State Jim…

Dear Editor, Poultney Area St. David’s Society extends a public thank you (“diolch yn fawr”) to the many members, friends and visitors to our Slate Valley region who recently participated in the Society’s June 25th Gymanfa Ganu and Te Bach event, which was hosted by and held in historic (1833) Federated Church Castleton. Appreciation is…

Dear Editor, This case involves many tragedies. The first tragedy in this whole case was the death of Jon Bellis. We are all extremely sorry for this loss. This was a terrible accident and one that had already been adjudicated in civil court. This is where this case should have ended. Rose Kennedy should never…

By Rob Roper  The last thing the Vermont House of Representatives did before leaving town was pass H.R. 15, a resolution “strongly opposing the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement … and recognizing Governor Phil Scott’s enrolling Vermont in the U.S. Climate Alliance.” It passed, 105-31. Hey, look at us! We love the environment,…

By Lee Hamilton Back when I was in Congress, I got a call from a constituent one day. I’d recently voted to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, and the man was more than irate. “Don’t you understand that we’ve got a serious spending and debt problem in this country?” he asked. “Why did you cast…

Dear Editor, Old River Road, Woodstock … fabled with antiquity … with love laughing water her companion attacked for a view along with the out of turn bull frogs, singing peepers, trout, foxes, raccoon, deer … with birds, lightning bugs on and on … Where are the Amazon warriors to protect her? Where is Woodstock…

Dear Editor, I am urging the Select Board (for the second time) not to spend $290,000 of taxpayers’ money to repair/replace the Killington library roof. If the current roof project goes through as planned, it will cost approximately six times the amount of a traditional asphalt shingle roof. I don’t see how anybody can justify…