Discover More from This Category: Opinions

Trek to taste sets record attendance

July 2, 2015
Dear Editor, Thank you so much for your great and supportive coverage of our recent Trek to Taste on the trails of Woodstock. Over 1200 people attended the event, enjoying local food, fun and fitness. This was a record number, due in part to your great community reporting. Thank you for that, and for all…

When it comes to PEG-TV, Rutland’s gain is Killington’s loss

July 2, 2015
Dear Editor, Rutland’s PEG-TV recently announced the retirement of their long time executive director. The three-station juggernaut has been a success that hopefully will continue. They last reported revenues of $750,000 and $1.4 million in assets with a well-paid and benefitted staff. But that success came in part at great cost to the town of…

FEMA’s recent rejection of some reimbursements doesn’t directly affect Killington

July 2, 2015
State to submitting final case to FEMA on Killington’s behalf in July Dear Editor, Last weeks’ news about FEMA rejecting the state’s appeal to fund the cost of box culverts for other towns raised questions about our own town’s outstanding claims to FEMA. I wanted to write to share where the town of Killington stands…

Return to reasonable lending opens door to homeownership

June 26, 2015
By Dave Liniger Home-buying season is heating up. Homes sold faster in April than at any point in almost the last two years, according to data released by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Existing-home sales are on pace to top 5 million this year. Consumers are rushing into the housing market thanks in part…

Our goal: zero deaths

June 26, 2015
By Vermont Transportation Secretary Sue Minter Another tragic bicycle fatality in our state this week–the third in one year–compels me to write to express my deep sorrow and to express a plea that we all drive more safely on our roadways. I receive the news of every highway fatality in our state, and each tragedy…

Is the KPAA tail wagging the Killington Town dog?

June 26, 2015
Dear Editor, In response to Vince Chiarella’s letter to the editor “KPAA Questions Answered” in last week’s, June 18-24, 2015 paper, his letter has no new information that is not included in the KPAA’s  presentation to the Killington Select Board or The Mountain Times article “Town officials support contracting with new association for marketing and…

Building a better Brandon, vote “yes”

June 26, 2015
Dear Editor, Brandon’s special town meeting next Monday and election next Tuesday, June 30, offer voters an opportunity to build success upon success. As a town, Brandon has made visible progress over the last several months. We now have decisions to make together on a small number of important questions. It is our hope that…

Killington Selectboard was elected to represent voters, not act as supreme ruler

June 26, 2015
Dear Editor, I have a lot of serious concerns about what is happening in Killington. As a long time resident and gardening professional, I’m alarmed at the decisions that have been made. I’m all for the beautification of Killington, but the decisions made on few new garden areas were not well thought out. The amount of…

Roundup out of the OK corral

June 26, 2015
Dear Editor, Interesting front page story about the “war” on weeds in this past week’s edition (June 18-24) and the growing use of “economic poisons” as pesticides are known in the trade. Blockbuster products such as Monsanto’s Roundup have been exposed before. If the state is not interested in reducing pesticide use that’s a shame.…

Why run for office?

June 17, 2015
By Lee H. Hamilton I spend a fair amount of time talking to students and other young people about Congress and politics in general, and I’ve noticed something. It used to be that I’d regularly get asked how one runs for office. Nowadays, I rarely do. A lot of young people are repelled by politics;…

Voters at fault for not reining in town spending policies at elections

June 17, 2015
Dear Editor, The front page of this past week’s (June 11-17) Mountain Times reported on the first quarter local options tax in the story headlined “Central Vermont towns report good first quarter revenue for local options tax.” In it, Killington town manager reported we took in $483,628. Where does that money go? It goes into the…

A word from the Commodore

June 17, 2015
Killington Reunion Weekend promises many memories and laughs Dear Editor, I’m sure by now everyone has heard about the Killington Reunion Weekend, June 26, 27, and 28, 2015. My spies inform me the weekend will kick off with a “meet and greet” at the Summit Lodge featuring Okie’s historic slide show. May I suggest that,…

KPAA questions answered

June 17, 2015
Dear Editor, As a member of the business community, a resident of the town of Killington and an Executive Board member of the KPAA, I wanted to respond to some questions that have arisen regarding the KPAA’s proposal to the Select Board to manage the Marketing and Special Events for the town. The KPAA is…

Let’s talk about it: Race to the courthouse

June 11, 2015
By Lisa Chalidze, chair of the Criminal Justice Division and Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at College of St. Joseph, Rutland, Vt. Last week a grand jury indicted six police officers in relation to the death of Freddie Gray. The charges ranged from second-degree assault to “depraved-heart murder.” Gray lived in Baltimore. He was 25…

It’s time to establish an independent ethics commission

June 11, 2015
By Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos Vermonters deserve good government—and that includes an open and transparent government! We are proud of our state and our collective ability to overcome any difficult issue we may encounter. As Vermonters, when we see a problem, we know we can fix it through hard work and a dose…