Dear Editor, After a visit with Job Tate, candidate for Vt. House of Reps (Mendon, Chittenden, Killington, Bridgewater) I am convinced that he would serve the district very well. Tate has an infant son and is very concerned about the things this young child will be facing with Vermont on its current path. Tate is a veteran,…

Dear Editor, An interesting kerfuffle popped up in the comment section of VermontDigger.com’s recent article, “Feliciano claims Shumlin wants to take over Medicare” (see reprinted article, this issue). First, some thought the way the headline was phrased cast doubt on the “claim.” However, Act 48 as passed–which Shumlin signed and his party and the Progressives…

Editor’s note: The Mountain Times receives many questions from readers every week about Killington Resort and Pico Mountain operations. In order to best answer some of the most common questions we have posed them directly to Mike Solimano, president and general manager for Killington Resort and Pico Mountain, who has responded here. Three questions many…

By Paul Cillo A month after announcing a two percent cut to the current year’s budget, the Shumlin administration is signaling its intention to make additional cuts of as much as five percent and possibly more next year (fiscal 2016). For an already anemic state government that is suffering from staffing shortages and struggling to…

Dear Editor: My wife, Monica, and I are parents to three beautiful young sons and we both agreed there would be no better place to raise them than in Vermont. So in 2011 we bought our first home in Killington. At the time we knew managing a mortgage along with high property taxes and energy…

Dear Editor, Thank you for the terrific exposure you gave The Fresh Air Fund in The Mountain Times this year by featuring our Volunteer Host Family Program in your community paper. This year we celebrated our 138th summer of serving New York City children. The coverage continues to support our volunteer leaders’ efforts to recruit…

Dear Editor, The future of the Gift-of-Life Marathon has been up in the air ever since the greater Rutland community crushed the national one-day blood drive record last December. No one ever dreamed when the GOLM started that this community would accomplish even half of what it has done, in terms of blood donations and…

Dear Editor, Come November, I’ll be taking great pride in my steps up to the ballot box; I can already envision the ink from the felt pen staining the box next to William Tracy Carris’ name. No question. I first met Tracy when he joined the Planning Commission in 2010. The volunteer commission was undergoing…

Dear Editor, The Fair Haven Concerts in the Park committee thanks everyone involved in making the 2014 summer concert series a success. We continue to be overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from local businesses and our many loyal supporters. We thank the town of Fair Haven for its generous support of the concerts. Our…

Dear Editor,  We were pleased by what we heard at the elementary school consolidation meeting in Bridgewater on Sept. 30. As taxpayers, we are very supportive of the proposal to consolidate K-6 education with Pomfret and Woodstock. It is prudent and fiscally responsible. From a long term sustainability standpoint, it is in the best interest of our towns.  As parents, we…

By Lee H. Hamilton Members of Congress are home now, campaigning for the upcoming elections. Their messages are all over the map, and for a good reason: they have very little to brag about. The Congress that just recessed until after the elections makes the 80th—the one that Harry Truman blasted as “do-nothing”—look like a…

By Andy Kirkaldy This week’s writer is Andy Kirkaldy, an Addison County Independent reporter who has covered education in the Vergennes area for two decades. A major shift in the way Vermont schools must deliver education is looming, and there is a way for Vermonters to help our schools adapt—by supporting a single Vergennes teacher…

By Laura Krantz, VTDigger.org Gov. Peter Shumlin released his 2013 tax return Friday, reporting $721,445 in gross income and total assets worth $10.3 million. Shumlin’s 1040 IRS form shows most of his income comes from real estate he owns and rents. He reported $128,639 in wages and $349,091 in income from real estate, royalties, supplemental…

In his speech last week outlining his plans to use military force against the jihadists of the Islamic State, President Obama gave Congress only passing mention. “I have the authority to address the threat from ISIL,” he said. “But I believe we are strongest as a nation when the president and Congress work together.” He’s…

Editor’s note: This commentary is by Dan Feliciano, who is the candidate for governor for the Vermont Libertarian Party. He is a business consultant who lives in Essex Junction. Thousands of Vermonters are looking at their school property tax bills and wondering “where will this end?” They are finding out the hard way that the…