By Gov. Peter Shumlin For most of the last two decades, Vermont’s prison inmate population has been rising. Between 1997 and 2008, it grew by 86 percent. Projections made in 2007 said that Vermont’s inmate population would grow to 2,619 by November 2015. After years of work to reform Vermont’s criminal justice system that trend…

By Debby Haskins, executive director, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM-VT) Early last summer, the Vermont Department of Health formed a broad-based task group to conduct a health impact assessment for legalizing marijuana in Vermont. On Oct. 29, the group gave a progress report on the first steps, which included a survey of 185 published scientific…

Dear Editor, The Friends of the Sherburne Memorial Library thank the businesses and the library patrons who purchased wreaths in the library’s fundraiser this fall. The money that was collected will provide additional programing and other extra purchases for the library. The community support is truly appreciated. Pat Kent and Judy Findeisen, Killington wreath coordinators

Dear Editor, While President Obama is pardoning two turkeys for Thanksgiving, every one of us can exercise that same presidential power by choosing a nonviolent Thanksgiving observance that spares a turkey’s life. And here are some good reasons: You can brag about pardoning a turkey, like Obama. You truly are what you eat. Who wants…

Dear Editor, Lately I have been very concerned with the amount of misinformation that travels throughout town about the issues the town offices and selectboard are dealing with or have dealt with. This creates roadblocks to truly solving our challenges in an efficient and economical manner. Much time seems to be spent correcting the inaccurate…

By Daryl Cagle Like Lady Liberty in the United States, Marianne of France is a symbol of the French state and values, especially the values of liberty, brotherhood, and egalitarianism. She is probably one of the most recognizable and distinctive symbols of France. The concept for Marianne of France appears to have arisen during the…

It was Friday night in Paris, a time to go out to concerts, or to meet friends at a bar and share a glass of wine. Instead, 11/13, became France’s 9/11 as gunmen and suicide bombers methodically and randomly slaughtered more than 130 citizens at four locations around the city, wounding hundreds more. Claiming responsibility…

Dear Editor, As a lifelong resident of Rutland, I’ve long appreciated the way this community works together when the chips are down, or when a challenge confronts us as a community.  It’s one of the reasons I love this time of year, when the greater Rutland area demonstrates its amazing sense of camaraderie at the…

Dear Editor, I have tried in earnest to answer Jim Haff’s questions regarding several topics regarding the town of Killington’s financial reports such as the town report and the annual audit. I wrote those answers under the assumption Mr. Haff understood certain basic financial concepts. I guess one should never assume anything. Mr. Haff seems…

By Lee H. Hamilton You can understand why President Obama and congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle sought to cast their end-of-October budget deal in the best possible light. They avoided a potentially catastrophic national default. They reduced the possibility of a government shutdown. And they raised the debt ceiling until March, 2017,…

By Rebecca Holcombe and Scott Giles Fifty years ago, on Nov. 8, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Higher Education Act of 1965 into law. This historic act marked our first commitment to universal access to higher education, and represented one of the great achievements of the Civil Rights movement. Reflecting on the momentous occasion, President…

Those who grew up in Vermont likely experienced a childhood with adventures through snowy woods, discoveries in neighborhood brooks, and foot races through grassy fields. In Vermont we’re so fortunate to be surrounded by a natural world that offers so much. It truly is nature’s playground that we all get to enjoy. For many, it…

Dear Editor, One of the articles recently, regarding the status of the Rutland State Fair, mentioned the "Master Gardens." I think it is important for people to know that the Fair staff has nothing to do with maintenance, or even creation of the landscaping of the grounds, except to mow the lawn. There is a group…

Dear Editor, On Sunday, Oct. 25, approximately 70 members, friends and supporters of ARC-Rutland Area arrived at the Bomoseen Grange Hall for their annual Halloween Dance. That afternoon the hall was filled with music, munchies, costumes and plenty of dancing. Lori Anna and Bob Mason, did a super job as DJs and provided a delightful assortment of…

Dear Editor, I am writing to you today to share a vision for Vermont that is guided not by what is lacking but by what is working. I have so much optimism about our beautiful state. Vermont has incredible resources and resilient people. We see it in our working landscape, our revitalized downtowns, in our…