Discover More from This Category: Opinions

Vermont’s new preschool law creates unlevel playing field

July 17, 2015
By Bill Mathis Few education policy proposals have been adopted as widely and enthusiastically as preschool education. With near universal agreement, early education has been embraced across the political spectrum. This consensus was forged from “gold standard” research, conducted over decades, which almost universally found both academic and social benefits. One of the most attractive…

Vermont isn’t moving towards cleaner, low-cost energy

July 17, 2015
By Brad Ferland I read with interest a recent media report about Vermont being on the verge of a big increase in the use of fracked gas from Canada, and how our utilities plan to buy even more power from Seabrook, the nearest nuclear power plant to Vermont now that Vermont Yankee has closed. Several years ago…

Economic Development throughout Vermont

July 17, 2015
As we work to make sure Vermont’s economy works for every Vermonter, our focus has to be on growing jobs and opportunity statewide, especially in more rural parts of the state that were hit hardest by the Great Recession. That’s why I was so proud this week to stand with the leadership of Vermed, a…

Glut of milk leads Vermont farms, co-ops to dump product

July 17, 2015
By Erin Mansfield, VTDigger.org An oversupply of milk is bringing down prices in the Northeast and driving large dairy cooperatives to dump their product in manure pits, experts say. Although low prices for milk products can be a short-term positive for consumers, the low prices are causing a hard time for farmers who otherwise enjoyed…

Transparency?

July 17, 2015
Dear Editor, I have a serious question for the town on an issue that has been left out of the Town Report — in fact it never made it into the financials of the 2014 Town Report, but is clearly stated in the Auditor’s Report. On page 9 of the Audior’s Report it states that…

Policing in America: setting the standard

July 9, 2015
By Lisa Chalidze The world is a messy place. We ask our police officers to keep cleaning it up. It’s a hard job to do well, and easy to do poorly. Often it’s the poor choices that make the news. This presents us with a difficult choice of our own: Do we respond to the…

Taxes on soft drinks, vending machine victuals now in effect

July 9, 2015
By Sarah Olsen, VTDigger.org That Coke now costs a little more. A 6 percent sales tax on sugary drinks went into effect July 1. The Vermont Legislature and Gov. Peter Shumlin approved the extension of the sales tax to soda and other sweet drinks as part of a tax package passed last session. Tina Zuk,…

Pack the Paramount more than doubles the amount collected last year

July 9, 2015
Dear Editor, On behalf of the hundreds of families who will benefit, bravo to everyone who helped make Pack the Paramount a tremendous success. From The Vermont Country Store to Westminister Crackers, Hannaford and Price Chopper, from employees of Heritage Family Credit Union and Rutland Regional Medical Center to Green Mountain Power, from the elderly…

FEMA funding, questions remain

July 9, 2015
Dear Editor, The letter to the editor in last week’s edition penned by Town Manager Seth Webb on the town’s behalf, seemed more of a press release than the answers I was looking for regarding FEMA reimbursement. I posed these questions to Webb in an email a week before writing the letter for publication. I…

Reasons to oppose medical marijuana laws

July 9, 2015
By Ed Gogek, M.D. State legislatures across the country are legalizing medical marijuana, but the nation’s physicians aren’t demanding these laws. The American Medical Association (AMA) doesn’t support them, and the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Society of Addiction Medicine both oppose these laws. The American Cancer Society hasn’t demanded medical marijuana, and…

Considering what is best for the town and communication that respects all

July 9, 2015
Dear Editor, We have had several letters to the editor in recent weeks expressing their concerns about town matters. I would like to address the issues in the paper as a way of creating an open dialog where all citizens and the Selectboard can come to understand and respond to issues at hand. The Selectboard…

Vermont utilities continue search for power from diverse sources, seek more nuclear power from Seabrook; 80 acres of solar planned for Rutland Town, and more

July 9, 2015
By Guy Page Just because it's summer, that doesn’t mean Vermont has taken a holiday from energy deals and projects. Far from it! In June alone, the wheels were turning to bring more hydro, nuclear (you read correctly), natural gas, and solar power to Vermont–or in the case of hydro, at least through Vermont. Nuclear…

Study will provide cover for higher property taxes

July 9, 2015
By Rob Roper Tucked away in the education bill just passed in Montpelier – the one that has everybody talking about consolidation – is $300,000 earmarked for a study. A Legislator familiar with the back-room horse-trading that goes into moving these bills into law said that this little provision was key to getting the bill…

Supreme Court decision on equality

July 2, 2015
By Lee J. Kahrs Vermonters are generally known for keeping to themselves, not getting into their neighbor’s business, and respecting each other’s privacy. Gay Vermonters are no exception. For the last eight years, I have kept my personal life and opinions separate from my job as the editor of The Reporter. I am a pretty…

Questions on FEMA funds

July 2, 2015
Dear Editor, In a news article last week it stated FEMA would not pay any of the required upgrades to infrastructure destroyed during Irene imposed on towns from the state of Vermont. I know the town of Killington has been waiting for funds from FEMA for some four years now so I have a few…