By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger.org Economists lowered estimates of how much revenue the state is expected to net in the current fiscal year by $28 million, Thursday, July 21. However, the Shumlin administration says the state can make up for the drop without cutting the budget, by using money unspent in the previous fiscal year and…

Dear Editor, The Vermont Inn and Bed & Breakfast Association brought to my attention on July 19 a consideration from the Vermont Department of Health that would compartmentalize lodging accommodations by size (the number of guest rooms) when it comes to the application of the department’s recently revised health and safety regulations. I do not…

Dear Editor, As a former legislator, I would like to help you get to know Kesha Ram, a candidate for lieutenant governor in the upcoming primary. Kesha Ram was my seat mate in the House of Representatives, and though far younger than I, 26 years old at the time, she was already an experienced legislator…

Dear Editor, I agree totally with the Jon Margolis op-ed, published in the Mountain Times July 13 -19, but I don’t think the millionaires who were described in the article are the ‘rich’ that a lot of people are talking about. Those whose annual income is in the $75,000 to $150,000 range are considered to…

Dear Editor, I am a Rutland City resident, registered voter and taxpayer. Kudos to Rutland First for standing up for everyday citizens like me, and to the Board of Aldermen for asserting their authority as our representatives by sending the letter. Rutland First is concerned that public discussion on the refugee matter and authority for…

Dear Editor, The primary responsibility of elected officials is to the citizens. When Rutland’s Mayor Chris Louras single-handedly devised a plan with respect to bringing Syrian refugees to the Rutland area, he failed to consider the citizens he represents. Vermonters are generous and welcoming. They deserve no less than equal consideration from elected officials in…

Dear Editor, Vermont Veterans of Foreign Wars tried in the past to get Vt. Route 103 named for Desert Storm veterans and their families, but it was discovered that half of Route 103 was named for Calvin Coolidge back in the 1930s. Therefore, we have re-petitioned the state asking that Vt. Route 22A from Fair…

Dear Editor, Bruce Lisman’s candidacy in this year’s Republican primary for governor seems, to me, to be a rare chance for us as Vermonters to help ourselves. I introduced myself to Lisman after hearing him speak at a candidate forum last October. I found his thoughtfulness and engagement to be head and shoulders above the…

By Steve Costello and Terry Jaye We’re writing today because we share a deep, abiding love for Rutland–and urge all who share that affection to embrace it in the coming days and weeks. Regardless of where anyone falls in the current debates, we know one thing to be true: the greater Rutland community is filled…

Dear Editor, Here at my Rutland home I have a wonderful golden retriever named McKie. He’s the most mellow, people-loving creature on the planet. We feed him an all-raw diet of healthy meat and local produce and he will soon celebrate his 10th birthday in apparent good health . . . a long time for…

Dear Editor, Over the past eight years, Vermont has rapidly become a precarious state in which to own a small business. Per the Department of Labor Statistics, 60.5 percent of Vermont businesses employ four or less persons; in Bennington County, 62.5 percent and in Rutland County 60 percent. These are our mom and pop operations.…

By Jon Margolis Editor’s note: Jon Margolis is a VTDigger’s political columnist What with elections in the offing, the ideologues have awakened from their seasonal torpor and with them a familiar old cry — one might even call it a meme if only one knew what a meme was — about how Vermont had best…

By Jay Diaz and Lia Ernst The ACLU of Vermont has received a significant number of complaints about law enforcement actions at the Rainbow Family of Living Light gathering in Mount Tabor. The Rainbow Family is a loosely knit, leaderless group of people from all over the country who, since 1972, annually gather in a…

Rep. Dave Sharpe By Rep. Dave Sharpe As the chair of the House Education Committee, I have long been disturbed that nearly all Vermonters graduate high school, but only about half continue their education beyond high school. This trend spells disaster: by 2020, two thirds of jobs in Vermont will require some post-secondary education. We…

Dear editor, With the weather warm upon us, family travel and college and high school schools out on vacation, the need for blood is critically low – but the Gift-of-Life Mini Marathon Blood Drive is fast approaching. The annual summer blood drive, the offspring of Rutland’s national-record-setting Gift-of-Life Marathon, is set for July 19 from…