Dear Editor, When the Ludlow and Cavendish transfer stations recently increased their fees, our donation shed saw a steep increase in unusable donations we cannot resell – especially those made at night and on weekends when the store is closed. As a result, our trash disposal cost has skyrocketed. Black River Good Neighbor Services has…

By Daryle Thomas Once you know where you are, it’s easy to get to where you want to be. And that, dear reader, is why you need to test your garden soil. A bit of a leap? Not really. Garden soil is not just dirt. You have sand, silt, a little bit of clay, and…

By Carl Diethelm, a.k.a. Compost Carl As a tenant not owning his own home and living in town, I understand how difficult it can seem to be to compost food scraps instead of putting them in the trash. There might not be space to compost outside (if the landlord would allow it), or it could…

By Julie Moore Despite the Scott administration’s commitment to restoring Vermont’s waterways and funding clean water initiatives, recent news stories have contained inaccurate information and given the false impression that we’re decelerating our efforts. This is simply not the case. The Agency of Natural Resources, and all the partners engaged in this work – including…

Dear Editor, Recently, Ethan Allen Institute President Rob Roper posted an op-ed with the inflammatory, sensational title, “So Second Home Owners Can Vote in Vermont?” Perhaps as intended, Mr. Roper’s attention seeking commentary caused significant confusion and concern about Vermont’s residency law for voting purposes. As Vermont’s chief elections official, let me set the record…

By Lee Hamilton A dozen years ago, the preface to a report on federal election reform began with these words: “Polls indicate that many Americans lack confidence in the electoral system, but the political parties are so divided that serious electoral reform is unlikely without a strong bipartisan voice.” I can find no part of…

By Sue Skaskiw Volunteer Services for Animals Humane Society was able to fill a 34-foot RV owned by volunteer Barry Newton with cat, dog, horse, bird and rabbit food  (32 banana boxes full!); Vari-kennels, (pet carriers enabling abandoned animals to find their way to safety); medical supplies including flea, tick, ear mite medicine, antibiotics and…

By Carl Diethelm, a.k.a “Compost Carl” Most people remember visiting “the dump” as a kid and being awestruck by the sight of piles and piles of stuff. There were big machines building mountains with the materials, and if you were lucky, there might be an old bike to ride down the hill! It sure wasn’t…

Dear Editor, Pittsford Community Connects held our Ice Cream Social on Sept. 10 at The Village Farm on 42 Elm St. in Pittsford. We hosted over 100 people on the property, looking around, asking questions, and thinking about the future. We would like to thank the many people and agencies who helped to make this…

Dear Editor, Killington has an overabundance of bears this year — actually every year as I see it — but it’s getting worse and worse. Can we do something about it? Do we have to wait for someone or their pet to get mauled or killed? We see them in the dumpsters all summer long,…

By Rob Roper There is a vote fraud case in Vermont, currently in the Essex Superior Court, in which a family of second home owners from Connecticut (parents and two adult children) registered to vote in the town of Victory, and did so. Their votes likely altered the outcome of a local election, which was…

By Jon Margolis, VTDigger That was an impressive event starring Sen. Bernie Sanders last week, reflecting impressive political progress for him and his allies. Just a couple of years ago, Sanders couldn’t get a single cosponsor on a bill to create a “Medicare-for-all” single payer health care system. Now he has at least 15, including Vermont…

Dear Editor, VT Volunteer Services for Animals Humane Society (VVSA) is in the process of organizing a truckload of animal supplies for delivery to the areas ravaged by Hurricane Harvey. Donations of canned animal food with flip tops, bagged cat and dog food, flea and tick medicine, light weight kitty litter and litter boxes, heavy…

Dear Editor, Like most of you, we at Vermont Emergency Management have been watching events unfold in Texas following Hurricane Harvey. As we watch, most of us are no doubt reminded of our own historic disaster: Tropical Storm Irene. We’ve seen many stories from Houston about individuals and families who were rescued from their flooded homes…

Dear Editor, With the new school year upon us, parents turn their attention to school clothes, school supplies, and school food. Yes, school food! More than 31 million children rely on school meals for their daily nutrition, which too often consists of highly processed food laden with saturated fat. Not surprisingly, one-third of children are…