By Rob Roper Love him or hate him, one has to concede that Bernie Sanders has had a tremendous impact on the political direction of Vermont over the past a quarter century, plus. His influence has reverberated throughout the Green Mountains and in our State House. He has spawned many acolytes in the activist community…

By Gov. Peter Shumlin We convened the legislative session in January with the goal of making this economy work for every single Vermonter and resolving the challenges that undermine our quality of life. It was an agenda focused on jobs, quality of life, our environment, and making Vermont a place that works for everyone, not…

Even as Vermont’s economy continues to show signs of progress, the message I hear from Vermonters is that they don’t feel the economic recovery is reaching their pocketbooks. While we have the sixth lowest unemployment rate in America and Vermont employers have thousands of job openings, incomes and wages for working Vermonters have not recovered…

Dear Editor, The Ludlow Rotary Club would like to thank all of the businesses that donated to our annual penny sale. This “Mud Season” event held the last Saturday of April is a popular event for our community members. Our local businesses make this event possible. Over $25,000 in cash and prizes was given out…

By Amy Ash Nixon, VTDigger.org The Senate Appropriations Committee late Wednesday, May 6, approved an education governance reform bill after preserving small school grants. Both the House and Senate versions of H.361 had called for phaseouts of state supports, which included small schools grants and a hold-harmless formula (the "phantom student" subsidy) that have subsidized…

By Anne Galloway, VTDigger.org Personal income tax receipts for April were the highest ever, according to the Vermont Agency of Administration. With two months left in the fiscal year, Vermont is $26.5 million (2.28 percent) above target, according to state figures. Gov. Peter Shumlin and lawmakers have indicated that any surplus at the end of…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger.org A bill that would criminalize so-called “revenge porn” is on its way to the governor’s desk after passing a final voice vote in the Senate on Wednesday, May 6. More than a dozen other states have similar laws. H.105 establishes criminal penalties for sharing intimate photos and videos without the consent…

By House Speaker Shap Smith States have faced many challenges as the country recovers from the Great Recession, but in Vermont, we are making progress and we know our approach is working. Vermont has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, our roads and bridges are in better shape than ever before, and…

By Steven J. Sinclair The localvore movement in Vermont is strong, whether for vegetables, meat, craft beer, or goods and services. I am here to promote the same approach in the purchase and burning of firewood. Why is this important? Transported firewood is a major vehicle of invasive pests such as the emerald ash borer…

By Thomas A. Kennedy While the job market has been gaining strength in recent months, there's one group of Americans who are still struggling to find work: veterans. According to the March report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), unemployment among post-9/11 veterans was 6.5 percent that month—a full point higher than the population…

Growth of renewable energy is slow By Guy Page In an April 13 Associated Press story, a prominent renewable-energy advocate said Vermont’s wind power industry is “just taking a little hibernation here as federal policy gets the tax credits right.” While Vermont waits for Congress to act, now is a good time to examine the…

Dear Editor, The session has entered its final weeks and as we consider (and sometimes reconsider) bills that directly impact you and your lives. Therefore, I and many of my colleagues, have redoubled our efforts to remain vigilant. I am committed to ensuring that your voice for a more affordable Vermont remains heard — a Vermont…

Dear Editor, What an amazing day the spaghetti dinner was. We had approximately 300 people there. I would love to thank those businesses and people that went above and beyond for me and more importantly for my son Matthew Lorman — first and foremost the Loyal Order of Moose (Moose Club) who hosted the event.…

Dear Editor, The state legislature is presently considering a funding bill that contains onerous provisions detrimental to us all. The bill H.489 sections 8 through 10 propose to give the Department of Taxes the authority to collect delinquent tax debts by garnishing wages and attaching property without a court hearing. This runs counter to due…

By Emerson Lynn There are few things less understood and less intuitive than the EB-5 program that continues to add the growth essential to the prosperity of Jay Peak and the surrounding environs of Franklin and Orleans counties, as well as projects in Addison County and throughout rural Vermont. It’s given Vermont the expansion we…