By John Sayles and Anore Horton Editor’s note: Authors John Sayles, from Montpelier, represents the Vermont Foodbank, and Anore Horton, Williston, represents Hunger Free Vermont. A recent U.S. Dept. of Agriculture report on food insecurity and hunger reinforces what so many people in Vermont already know and are experiencing firsthand — affording food for ourselves and…

  Dear Editor, It is time for our legislative body to make a full commitment to truly funding meaningful treatment to Vermont’s epidemic of substance use disorder in the creation of appropriate treatment facilities.  I applaud the recent meeting at the Rutland Paramount Theatre with lawmakers, the governor and local law enforcement. I was buoyed…

  By Jessica Brown  Editor’s note: Jessica Brown is an assistant professor of law and director of the Center for Justice Reform at Vermont Law and Graduate School in Sharon. Earlier, she was a public defender for 24 years in New Hampshire and Vermont, in both the state and federal legal systems.  Vermont thinks of…

  Dear Editor, On Nov. 2, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced a bill to amend title 18, U.S. code, to “prevent the bulk sales of ammunition, promote recordkeeping and reporting about ammunition, end ammunition straw purchasing and require a background check before the transfer of ammunition by certain Federal Firearms licensees…

  Dear Editor, There are signs calling for lawmakers to show strong leadership to support law enforcement efforts across our state. You just have to listen to what was said at the Nov. 2 Rutland City Town Hall Public Safety meeting and at the Rutland City Board of Alderman Meeting on Nov. 6. Then take…

  Dear Editor, At the end of September, I talked to my daughter’s pediatrician about getting a current Covid vaccination for my 12-year-old daughter. The office told me (which I know to be true, having heard this from Health Commissioner Mark Levine through many news outlets) that the state has prioritized doling out vaccinations to…

  By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is the editor and publisher of the Addison County Independent, a sister publication of the Mountain Times.  Vermont Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), were joined by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) in sending a letter to President Biden expressing their serious…

By Jim Hurt Editor’s note: Jim Hurt is a resident of Woodstock. News flash: Enlightened Republicans have been sighted deep in the forest, traveling in small herds with Bigfoot and other tree huggers who are guiding them gently back into the light. These tired, huddled conservatives are yearning to be free of Trump’s shadow. They…

Dear Editor,  I knew Tom Fagan really well. But I never met him in person! Despite that fact, he is the reason I was in Rutland’s Annual Halloween Parade this year (2023)! Let me explain: I grew up in a little seashore resort town called Wildwood Crest, New Jersey, located near the southern tip of…

Dear Editor,  For years, I often have asked people conversationally the question, “What is the one thing that notably separates humans from most other animals?” Some answers included bipedalism, brain size, religion, etc. At no time, however, did any woman or man answer, “menopause.”  Menopause is a natural evolutionary selection in human females with profound…

  Dear Editor, In late June, The Vermont Federation of Sportsman Club announced it was building a war chest to file challenges against Vermont’s existing high-capacity magazine ban, as well as a new 72-hour waiting period that was just passed this year.   We at Cragin’s Gun Shop in Rutland are confident that neither of…

  Dear Editor, As the real winter too fast approaches, there are people and animals in dire situations, and having the good fortune to live in our neighboring towns, we don’t see the reality. My husband and I left the Paramount Theater in Rutland last week (a great place to volunteer for some wonderful shows)…

By Bill Schubart Editor’s note: Bill Schubart is a retired businessman and active fiction writer, and was a former chair of the Vermont Journalism Trust, the parent organization for VTDigger.  I once weighed 485 pounds. I now weigh a bit over half that. My addiction to sugar and refined carbohydrates was killing me. When I…

  By David Moats David Moats, an author and journalist who lives in Salisbury, is a regular columnist for VTDigger. He is editorial page editor emeritus of the Rutland Herald, where he won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for a series of editorials on Vermont’s civil union law. At a time when facts, science, and the…

  Dear Editor, For the benefit of Vermont, it is our duty and our obligation to serve, educate, and sustain our citizenry, yet Vermont allocates fewer public dollars to its state college system than any other state. How do we ensure stability in our public colleges, engage the public, and insist that the Vermont Legislature…