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…

Dear Editor: Here are the eight best reasons for barbecuing veggie burgers and veggie hot dogs at this year’s Independence Day gatherings, rather than ground-up animal body parts: Focusing on traffic and fireworks safety, rather than food safety. Giving your eyes a break from reading food warning labels. Not sweating cancer-causing compounds if barbecue temperature…

By Jack Hoffman The Equal Educational Opportunity Act, better known as Act 60, is 20 years old on Monday. On June 26, 1997, at an outdoor ceremony in Whiting, Gov. Howard Dean signed into law Vermont’s unique and groundbreaking education funding system. As we face tensions over school consolidation and who should determine teachers’ health…

Dear Editor, Two years ago, I wrote an op-ed that opened: “The Legislature can work with local communities to improve education, or it can push them around.” This is the fundamental choice that the governor and lawmakers continued to wrestle with this session. In 2015, the debate was over school district consolidation. This year, the…

Dear Editor, On behalf of the Bennington-Rutland Supervisory Union (BRSU) I would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to some of the organizations that have offered support to our students and families throughout the 2016-2017 school year. Casella Waste Management has continually offered unwavering support to students and families particularly with the Community Clean Up…

Dear Editor, I am a father, husband, and small business owner, and my work is as a healthcare provider. Since going into business for myself in 2001, I have lived either without health insurance, or with uncertainty about insurance availability and affordability. My kids grew up enjoying team sports, skiing/riding, and biking, as so many…

By Steve Costello As regular readers may recall, I am a lover of  fables, stories that for generations have carried a message. With the recent news about the purchase of two key downtown buildings by MKF Properties and plans in the work for a variety of projects downtown, I am reminded of one of Aesop’s…