Dear editor, Phil Scott believes renewable energy is critical to our future and the future of our planet. But Vermont’s current energy policies are doing damage to our environment and to our economy. Today we are destroying Vermont’s ridge lines and landscape by building helter-skelter industrial wind projects so that we can produce electricity that…

Dear Editor, With state and national elections looming, marijuana legalization has taken somewhat of a back seat to the issues of war, terrorism, the shaky economy (Vermont’s and the country’s), huge deficits (ditto), the Brexit, the Zika virus, opiate addiction … the list goes on. The citizens of Maine and Massachusetts are dealing with contentious…

Dear Editor, I’d like to invite the public on a real tour of Kingdom Community Wind in Lowell, Vt. This educational tour is not the pretend walk Mr. Lindholm references in his letter to the editor, published in the Aug. 17-23 edition. These tours take place each summer from June through August and are open…

Dear Editor, Born and raised in Castleton, I have had the privilege of being involved in many different initiatives throughout the state. This past year—right after graduating college—I participated in the Miss Vermont Scholarship Organization Competition and worked at the American Legion Auxiliary Green Mountain Girls State as well as the Governor’s Institute on the…

By Angelo S. Lynn In a rare development, members of a major political party are rising up against its presidential nominee in growing numbers. Among these is a well-known grass-roots group of Republicans, called R4C16.org, which has posted its endorsement for Democrat Hillary Clinton. It is signed by “a raft of Republicans who have served in GOP…

Dear editor, Folks, it’s high time for Green Mountain Power (GMP) to host a walking tour, with news reporters, top state officials, ecology scientists and politicians, all walking on foot along the entire four-mile wind turbine array of 21, 459-foot tall turbines that they own on Lowell Mountain. I was up there recently, and Vermonters…

By Jon Margolis, VTDigger.org OK, Vermont. You’re still special. At least for now, at least when it comes to politics. “Attack ads don’t work here” is the oft-repeated Vermont boast. In other states, Vermonters like to say, candidates can get elected by tearing down their opponents. Not here, where folks demand civility of their politicians.…

By Angelo S. Lynn These Olympic games may be the perfect distraction — and contrast — to the political embarrassment that has otherwise dominated national news. Rather than seeing the worst of ourselves as reflected in Mr. Trump — his insults, sarcasm, put-downs and pathological lying — the nation sees the best of itself in…

By Lee H. Hamilton Now that the conventions are over, I know that all eyes are on the fall presidential campaign. But I’m going to ask you to shift your focus a bit, to Congress. Don’t do it as a favor to me. Do it as a favor to the country. Congress is in the…

Dear Editor, Bruce Lisman knows how Vermont works and it begins with more taxes. Even the carbon tax idea will put more home heating oil customers into the mix. It is a terrible idea. Now we learn that the Vermont General Fund will drop another $28 million this year. They even want to take more…

Dear Editor, Two independent newspapers, The Indianapolis Star and USA Today, have published a major investigation related to USA Gymnastics regarding the failure of USA Gymnastics to report the suspicion of child sexual abuse by many different coaches over many years. Their failure to follow the law and report any suspicion of child abuse by…

Dear Editor, In response to the Rutland Herald’s article of Aug. 4, 2016, “Killington police chief still not level III trained”: this is a “tempest in a teapot. I, for one, have advocated and lobbied for an increased public safety budget in Killington to increase the police presence in town due to the frequent break-ins…

Dear Editor, This riddle is about our town finances. Article  3 from the March 2015 Town Meeting stated: “Shall the voters approve total general fund expenditures for the 18-month budget beginning January 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016 of $6,282,554 of which $243,550 shall be applied from the 2014 general fund balance, $3,732,950 shall be…