By Mike Mrowicki Editor’s note: Mike Mrowicki is a state Representative for the Windham 4 District of Putney and Dummerston. For those experiencing sticker shock from viewing their property tax bills this year, you’re not alone. I get it. Or, I got it, as our tax bill soared on a 1,000-square-foot house on 2 acres,…

In a matter of days, the 2024 General Election will be over. Hooray!If you have not already sent in your ballot to your town clerk, you have three options according to the Secretary of State’s Office: Bring your ballot to your town clerk’s office in-person during their open hours. Drop your ballot into an official…

Dear Editor, There’s a reason you see lots of signs for Alison Clarkson, Becca White, and Joe Major now: They are the cream of the crop running for the Vermont State Senate, and Windsor County voters recognize these stellar candidates. These 3 share a deep understanding of our communities’ needs and have records as public servants showing…

Dear Editor, As we enter the last weeks of this election cycle, it is important to recognize the characteristics that are most critical in a candidate — integrity, honesty, transparency, and a genuine desire to be sensitive to and to understand the needs of the people of Vermont. There can be no ulterior or self-serving…

Dear Editor, Don’t we all need to answer Trump’s … “So What!” Last week, unsealed evidence in one of Trump’s legal cases regarding efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election showed that in the hours after his Jan. 6 rally turned to violence and learning Vice President Mike Pence was moved to safety,…

Dear Editor, There are sharp distinctions between the Progressive Democrat Lt. Governor David Zuckerman and his challenger, a former longtime legislator, Republican John Rodgers. Rodgers left the Democratic Party this year and joined the Republican Party, because of runaway tax and spending passed by the Progressive Democratic super majority of legislators and their disregard for…

Dear Editor, Vermonters should vote for John Rodgers for Lieutenant Governor. For many of us, the Lieutenant Governor race is the only place our vote will make a difference this fall. Unfortunately, it is our only seriously contested statewide race; we know who is going to get Vermont’s three presidential electoral votes; and, in too…

Dear Editor, In early spring this year a small group of longtime school board members — most former, one current — got together to talk about pushing back against the steady attacks on our public schools, which are also longtime. We decided to start a grassroots effort, calling ourselves “Friends of Vermont Public Education.”  Our mission is…

Dear Editor, People in positions of power and authority have been speaking out against the First Amendment. Recently, John Kerry, the former secretary of state and Democratic nominee for president, stated at a World Economic Forum panel, “Our First Amendment stands as a major block (to getting things done).” For Kerry, democracy and freedom of…

Dear Editor, I am writing to express my support for John Rodgers as the next Lieutenant Governor of Vermont. Having previously served as Commissioner of Vermont’s Dept. of Forests, Parks, and Recreation for 12 years, appointed by two different governors with a significant legislative portfolio over six legislative biennia, I worked over an extended period…

Dear Editor, I urge my friends and neighbors to elect Joe Major and to re-elect Alison Clarkson and Becca White to the Vermont Senate. Major offers intelligence and extensive management experience. He listens with an open heart and an open mind. Clarkson and White have risen to the challenges of governing in a time of…

By John Vogel Editor’s note: John Vogel of Williston is a retired professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. The shortage and cost of housing in Vermont is a problem we can solve. Other states are showing us how.  In Minneapolis, apartment rents have declined by 4% over the last five years,…

By Chief Don Stevens, Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk – Abenaki Nation As the holiday season approaches, it gives us time to reflect on how we celebrate the Holidays. Whether you celebrate Columbus or Indigenous Peoples Day is a personal choice. Some gather together to celebrate the original inhabitants of this land, Columbus, or simply…

By Don Tinney Editor’s note: Don Tinney, an English teacher who lives in South Hero, is the elected president of Vermont-NEA, the state’s largest union. He has also served as chair of the Vermont Standards Board for Professional Educators. Recently, I came across an extraordinary video produced by Gov. Phil Scott’s Agency of Education. It…

Dear Editor,  Unchecked trapping poses a serious and largely unnoticed threat to Vermont’s imperiled fisher population. It shouldn’t have to come to this. Why does it take Protect Our Wildlife (POW), an all-volunteer Vermont nonprofit, to petition Vermont Fish & Wildlife to get them to protect Vermont’s imperiled wildlife? Fish & Wildlife is well aware…