By Julia Purdy What if Vermont legalized fun-time marijuana? The 196-page report from the RAND Corporation, commissioned by Governor Peter Shumlin, addresses that question in mind-boggling detail, but with no guarantees and many caveats that are beyond Vermont’s control. The moral issue of whether government should profit from a powerful, mind-altering drug is beyond the…

By Anne Galloway, VTDigger.org Advocates say low-income people are enticed by low weekly and monthly lease rates offered by two national chain rent-to-own stores doing business in Vermont, Rent-A-Center and Aaron’s. Advocates charge the national retailers with circumventing current regulations and exploiting low-income Vermonters. The companies lease used and new furniture and electronics at 14…

By Governor Peter Shumlin In my years of public service, I have never heard a clearer message from Vermonters than the one they sent this past November on school spending and property taxes. This issue goes right to the heart of affordability and economic opportunity in Vermont, because when property taxes rise and wages don’t,…

By Chuck Ross, Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Higher education in Vermont is working together to make the state the best place for farm and food education in the country. “First,” “most,” and “highest” most often describe the Vermont food system. On a per capita basis, Vermont has more local and organic farms, community supported enterprises,…

By Governor Peter Shumlin It wouldn’t make much sense if you were charged $1.40 for a cup of coffee only to find the person in line behind you was charged 60 cents for the same order. Yet that’s how medical services are paid for in Vermont and around the country. It’s not only nonsensical; it’s…

By Jennifer Hollar As too many Vermonters struggle to make ends meet, affordability has rightly taken its place at the center of public debate. Often missing from the discussion, however, has been the cost of housing. If we are to succeed in closing the affordability gap, housing must be central to the conversation. The shortage…

Dear Editor, From finding out where I’m supposed to park to pulling my neckties out from the back of the closet — it’s been an eventful couple of weeks! I’m settling in well and I’m enjoying, very much, learning the lay of the land and getting to work on your behalf. As most predicted, Governor…

By Governor Peter Shumlin We have our work cut out for us this legislative biennium. Too many hardworking Vermonters who are proud members of the middle class are left with a feeling that they are treading water or, worse, dipping below the surface. The only way to reverse that trend is by pursuing policies that…

By Governor Peter Shumlin It’s an incredible honor to continue serving as governor for another two years. Vermont is an amazing state which holds a certain promise that has led so many like me to live, work and raise a family here. But our state faces present and future challenges that have left many feeling…

Dear Editor, As I sit here in the old Bill’s Country Story writing this, I look back on the past year and couldn’t be more pleased with all that we’ve accomplished: we moved the Chamber offices and converted Bill’s Country Store to a Welcome Center. We increased visits to the Welcome Center from 4,500 to…

Dear Editor, On Jan. 8, I participated in a sit in at the Vermont Statehouse. I participated in this sit in because co-pays and deductibles have made it impossible for me to get adequate care to relieve my chronic pain. We have a law, Act 48, that requires our state government to create a healthcare…

Dear Editor, On Sunday, Jan. 11, I heard the wonderful news that JD the missing dog that was out in the cold for the past 11 days and has survived and been found. This story struck a personal chord with me as I am approaching the three year anniversary of when I lost my own dog…

Dear Editor, While skinning through the woods last week I pondered the objection to nearby glading in the National Forest expressed in a letter to the Mountain Times last week (Jan. 8 edition). Though I appreciate the offended individual’s expertise, I side with the volunteers working with Federal employees for the benefit of the many. Our forests are…

Dear Editor, Pittsford families and community members discussed the Lothrop School budget at the school board meeting on Jan. 8 where two options were presented. The first is a number of cuts to the programs at Lothrop in order to decrease the budget over $100,000, which would result in a 3 cent increase in the…

Dear Editor, Back in 2010 I attended the ceremony where Senator Sanders and Michel Guite announced the award to Vermont Telephone of a total of $116 million in federal government funding. Sanders said “In the year 2010, every community in Vermont and America should have access to high-quality broadband service. This very large USDA grant…