Dear Editor, It is with a heavy heart I report to you that the Southwest Freedom Riders will be dissolving at the end of 2015. It’s been a long, strange, wonderful journey through the last 15 years. We have done our best to help as many people as possible, and really make a difference—locally, state-…

Dear Editor, Santa would like to thank the elves at Boss Office Works for helping to get all my letters out to the community children this year. I couldn’t have done it without you! Sincerely, Santa Claus

Dear Editor, This week world leaders and 200 scientists have decided on a plan to address climate change, the largest problem humankind has ever had to deal with. We Vermonters also are addressing the same social dilemma. It is simple: either we rest on our laurels and just wait to see what the world will…

Dear Editor, Vermont, like many states, is dealing with a budget deficit; this year, legislators are grappling with an estimated $40 million shortfall. New sources of revenue are increasingly hard to come by, so the idea of increasing tax revenues by legalizing recreational marijuana has, for some, a distinct appeal. Proponents like the Marijuana Policy…

Limiting global warming to under two degrees By Deb Markowitz, Secretary, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources The last time I was in Paris, the temperature was unbearable. The country was suffering through a record-setting heat wave that caused the deaths of over 100 people. Needless to say, our visit to this beautiful and historic city…

By Lee H. Hamilton Not many people outside of Capitol Hill paid attention last month when the congressional leadership released next year’s legislative schedule. Its headline feature is a strikingly long summer recess: half of July and all of August, along with a few spotty weeks of work before the November election. In all, the…

Dear Editor, As as Rochester community member, I am writing to share some of my thoughts and concerns about the future of our school. My hope is that this will be the beginning of a conversation. I know there are lots of concerns and worries coming from all different points of view. My concern is…

Dear Editor, Happy holidays on behalf of the Killington Pico Area Association (KPAA) to you and your families. Looking outside its hard to determine which holiday season we are in. I’d like to remind everyone that we have been here before and there’s no reason to panic as some have   expressed to me. I,…

By Sue Minter Three dead and nine wounded at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs. Fourteen dead and more than 20 wounded in San Bernardino, California. In less than one week. Gun violence is a crisis in our country. It’s happening in our schools, our movie theaters, our workplaces, our community health centers, our…

By Julia Purdy Governor Shumlin has been quoted saying that legalizing recreational marijuana is entering “uncharted territory.” Other supporters have claimed that Vermont will legalize marijuana “the Vermont way.” The governor’s statement is completely disingenuous, since we do not lack for a crystal ball (now five, in fact). And the jingoistic notion expressed by optimists…

Technology will increasingly provide efficiencies—plan accordingly By Alan Shusterman The robots are coming—and they may put your friendly neighborhood retail staffer out of work. Home-improvement superstore Lowe’s recently began employing robot sales assistants in its stores. The robots can answer questions in multiple languages and take customers directly to what they’re looking for. Lowe’s isn’t…

Dear Editor, There has been a lot of wonderful activity going on in our town over the past few years, showing that despite setbacks (like Irene, and a major recession), we as a town have made a lot of progress since 2008 when we voted in the options tax in an effort to revitalize our…

Courtesy of the state of Vermont The Lester H. Greene Co., in Montpelier, Vt., manufactured and sold a cough syrup containing alcohol, chloroform and heroin. The company was fined in 1917. On Tuesday, Oct. 20 at UVM, historian and author Gary Shattuck presented “Opiate Use in Vermont: The Present Reflects the Past,” a talk about…

By Lt. Governor Phil Scott At the start of every legislative session since being elected Lt. Governor, I’ve urged legislators to evaluate every proposal based on whether it helps our economy, improves efficiencies or reduces costs. If the answer to any of those questions was “yes,” then I suggested they put it on the front…

Dear editor, ARC Rutland Area (ARC) recently held its annual membership meeting for people with developmental disabilities and their families. We celebrated the accomplishments of our members with Maggie Pak Awards and the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. At the meeting, we also explored how the ARC services make impacts in the members’ lives.…