Dear Editor, Bill S. 230 — a bi-partisan piece of compromise legislation that empowers local communities when it comes to siting for energy projects and sets reasonable sound standards for industrial wind projects — was vetoed Monday, June 6, by Governor Shumlin. This bill had input from the governor’s office throughout the entire session, especially in…

Dear Editor, A few weeks ago I was the victim of theft as someone stole a large value of money and stuff from my car, which was parked at my house. In the weeks since I reported this to local officers Howard and Montgomery, they’ve been very proactive in tracking down the perpetrator that broke into…

By Rebecca Holcombe A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit, confirmed that transgender students should be able to use the bathroom that is consistent with their gender identity. This is the right decision. I think of a family friend, who spends every day worrying about whether his transgender child will still…

Dear Editor, As I watched President Obama deliver a speech in Vietnam last week, I have to wonder about a few things this Ppresident does. First, he lifts a U. S. arms ban on this country so the U. S. can sell lethal military equipment to them even though the Communist Party leads the Socialist…

Dear Editor, Congratulations to President Obama on your historic and thoughtful words and deeds in Japan. You destroyed the artificial suspense created by the media over whether you would apologize or not. No one familiar with your background as someone keenly aware of our history would have predicted any such apology. The generation that fought…

Dear Editor, In response to John Paul Faignant’s letter of May 5, 2016, in the Rutland Herald entitled “Rose Kennedy passes hard test”-- First of all Mr. Faignant is obviously biased in his assessment of Ms. Kennedy’s judgment. Either that or he is just a poor judge of words he uses in his letter. His…

Dear Editor, The criminal charges filed by the Rutland State’s Attorneys Office against Mr. Mosher are overreaching and should be totally dropped. An involuntary manslaughter charge (felony) against the responsible owner of a cow killed by a car—in light of strong facts suggesting fault may lie with the auto driver—seems very unreasonable. As a Killington…

By Lee H. Hamilton If there’s a theme that sets this political season apart, it’s the voters’ utter disdain for most of the people who practice politics. They’re fed up with politicians, they’ve lost faith and confidence in the political “elite,” and they don’t believe that the realm where politicians ply their craft—government—works. The two…

Dear Editor, On Sunday, May 15, 2016, ARC Rutland Area again offered a Spring Fling dance for over 70 members, parents and friends of ARC Rutland Area for a fun afternoon of socializing, munching and dancing. A huge thank you to all who made this event possible. Events such as this promote ARC Rutland Area…

Dear Editor, The United Way of Rutland County is thankful to the many Rutland County residents who contributed non-perishable food items in support of the 24th Annual Letter Carriers’ Food Drive on May 14. The event was a great success this year, with more than 25,000 pounds of food collected and distributed to food shelves…

Dear Editor, Rachael Ray, alumna of Lake George, N.Y., cooked, entertained and gave back to over 400 admiring fans, mentors, lifelong friends and family in her high school auditorium on April 29 for her 14th annual cooking show to raise money for the school and town she calls home. At the start of the show,…

By Lee H. Hamilton I had the good fortune last week to spend some time in Washington, D.C., with about a dozen former members of Congress. As you’d expect, we got to talking about the current Congress. Very quickly it turned out that the same question was troubling all of us: Why is it held…

By Douglas R. Hoffer, Vermont State Auditor The unfortunate situation with the EB-5 program presents an opportunity to reflect on the state’s approach to economic development. Among other responsibilities, the state auditor’s office examines various programs to determine whether they achieve the goals established by the legislature. That is, are we getting our money’s worth? To…

By Maxine Grad and Willem Jewett It may be accurate to observe that Governor Shumlin’s accomplishments during his final legislative session have been modest but it goes a bit too far to cast off the work of the General Assembly as “an uninspired, housekeeping session that was remarkable for how few initiatives lawmakers tackled,” as…

Dear Editor, Another legislative biennium has ended and Vermont has begun to enter the doorway of an historic transition in state government. Next January we will have a new Governor, Lt. Governor, Speaker of the House and President Pro Tem of the Senate — and it is possible that Vermont’s path forward could look far…