Dear Editor, On Nov. 19, the Recreation Department sponsored the annual holiday craft sale. The Recreation Department would like recognize Kelly Connaughton, the craft fair coordinator. She volunteered a lot of time out of her very busy schedule to help raise money for the kids in our community. The town of Pittsford and Lothrop School…

Dear Editor, In 1986, a few friends and I threw a small dinner party and asked everyone invited to bring a toy, instead of wine or snacks, that we would donate to a local shelter. On Saturday, Dec. 3, at The Foundry at Summit Pond, hundreds of friends and neighbors helped us celebrate the 30th…

By Lee H. Hamilton Franklin Roosevelt once said, “Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely.” He was talking about why education matters in a representative democracy, but it’s a safe bet that had he known about fake internet news, he’d have said the same thing—except maybe with more…

By Angelo S. Lynn What does it say when President-elect Donald Trump invites Al Gore for a visit to talk about climate change on Monday, then on Wednesday nominates Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency? What does it say when he calls the president of Taiwan in a direct affront to China, and…

Dear Editor, Many people that I have been talking to in the past two weeks have been expressing feelings of isolation, grief, and deep anxiety. Some feel unable to get back to everyday life as they have normally lived it. Well, friends, I’m sorry to tell you that you can’t get back to that everyday…

Dear Editor, A healthcare crisis is coming down the road at very high speed. Getting rid of the ACA (Obamacare) is one of our new president’s top priorities. That will end subsidized health insurance under the ACA, and the ACA’s expansion of Medicaid. Millions of people, including many, many thousands of Vermonters, will rapidly become…

Dear Editor, On Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016, the Pittsford Recreation Department sponsored a trip to New York City for 56 passengers who loaded the Mountain Son Tour Bus, Inc. of Mendon, Vt. We had 40 tickets to see Radio City Christmas Spectacular 2 p.m. show. Folks who attended the show were once again amazed with…

Dear Editor, In response to the article “Vermont State Troopers increasing enforcement over holiday season,” printed in the Nov. 30-Dec. 6 edition: Roadblocks that stop mostly innocent drivers with no warrants and no probable cause to believe that any particular drivers have done anything wrong are a violation of the Fourth Amendment against improper search…

By Guy Page Election Day, Nov. 8, 2016, was bleak for the future of ridgeline wind power in Vermont. The outcome of local, state and national voting signaled a vote of no confidence in the growth of utility-scale wind power in the Green Mountain State. Local voting Iberdrola, developers of the 24 turbine Styles Brook…

By Sen. Dick McCormick Deer season is wrapping up and Thanksgiving with family is a fond memory. The campaign seems like a distant memory, but the election was a mere three weeks ago. On this lazy post-Thanksgiving weekend, I am taking time to reflect. I’m filled with gratitude towards so many people who worked to…

By Rob Roper What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object? Vermonters will find out in January when the new Republican governor officially takes office along with a Legislature that has, if anything, moved a little to the left. During the campaign, governor-elect Scott, often accused by his critics of being non-committal and…

Dear Editor, The framers of the US Constitution created the Electoral College as a result of a compromise for the presidential election process.  During the debate, some delegates felt that a direct popular election would lead to the election of each state’s favorite son and none would emerge with sufficient popular majority to govern the…

Dear Editor, As I reflect on this World Cup weekend, I would like to offer my greatest thanks to Killington Resort and the volunteers that made this event a success. Without the town, the resort and the business community working together, this international skiing competition would have been near impossible to pull off. Very rarely…

Dear Editor, This past weekend Vermont hosted over 30,000 spectators for the return of the Audi FIS Ski World Cup to Killington – one of the largest women’s weekend crowd in the 50-year history of the World Cup. On behalf of the athletes who came from every corner of the globe, a big thanks to…

By Governor Peter Shumlin One of the key responsibilities of governing is crafting a budget that reflects Vermonters’ priorities and lives within our means as a state. As we transition this important responsibility to the incoming administration, it’s worth reviewing the last six years of financial management. Let’s remember where we started. Before I took…