Dear Editor, On Sunday night I attended a community hearing at Center Rutland’s fire house on the proposed closing of Rutland’s 911 dispatch call center. The room was packed and in attendance were representatives from several of Rutland County’s emergency teams, law enforcement and administration. Also attending was most of Rutland County’s legislative delegation. I know many…

Dear Editor, The Community High School of Vermont (CHSVT) is the fully licensed and accredited high school and vocational training and certification program for inmates in Vermont’s corrections system. For many students, it is the only opportunity they will have to acquire the academic, social and technical skills they need to get a job—and to…

By Governor Peter Shumlin Pursuing clean energy policies in Vermont isn’t just about doing what is right for our environment and protecting our unrivaled quality of life. A thriving clean energy sector is also integral to our economy, keeping young people in Vermont, and making the state a more affordable place to live. That is…

By Joe Fusco I’m not here to argue with you about climate change. I’m not here to convince you that it’s real, or that it’s not. I am here to convince you, politics aside, that there is a cascade of genuine economic and business development opportunities that will flow from confronting and solving global and…

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…