Dear Editor, The new Career and Technical Education report from outside consultants strengthens the argument that Vermont’s education system is a mess.  After over 40 years teaching and helping to plan education reforms around the world, I believe that Vermont’s continuing commitment to fixing what’s broken in different silos of the system and within those silos…

Dear Editor,  Rutland South Rotary Club is doing its part to protect the environment by starting with a roundup of the poisonous weed killer Roundup. They are asking those who have containers of Roundup sitting in their garages, basements, or sheds, empty or with some quantity left, to please bring them to the Vermont Farmers…

Dear Editor, April is volunteer appreciation month, and Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains wants every person who volunteers for us to know that we appreciate them. We have more than 4,000 volunteers across New Hampshire and Vermont who give generously of their time and talent to ensure that Girl Scouts are encouraged…

Dear Editor,  The Vermont Sierra Club supports the passage of S.5, the Affordable Heat Act (AHA). We appreciate the hard work of representatives and senators to move this important policy forward. We believe that the governor must act now to send this proposal to the Public Utilities Commission and don’t delay any further in transitioning…

By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is the editor and publisher of the Addison County Independent, a sister publication to the Mountain Times.  When the House Committee on General and Housing was handed the omnibus housing bill last week, S.100, committee members were eager to contribute to one of the key legislative issues of…

Dear Editor,  In response to several letters and articles posted over the last 6+ weeks regarding the transition of Killington Fire and Rescue, First Response, and Killington Search and Rescue, we feel it is necessary to clarify the status of all groups.  Currently, Killington Fire and Rescue and First Response are operating within the guidelines…

Dear Editor, Recreational marijuana is legal in Vermont. 4/20 Day promotes a growing industry nationwide. Cannabis companies leverage the day as another opportunity to promote the industry and its products, similar to alcohol companies during the Super Bowl or St. Patrick’s Day.   These events have long moved past being counterculture protests. It’s a growing…

Dear Editor,  As members of the Vermont Antiquarian Booksellers Association, we have dedicated a portion of our lives to the care of used and rare books.  Our shops exist to aggregate good books and to find suitable homes for each. Unsurprisingly, we were horrified to learn of the state university administration’s decision to eliminate physical…

By Emerson Lynn Editor’s Note: Emerson Lynn is editor emeritus at the St. Albans Messenger. If the state of Vermont accepted the Environmental Protection Agency’s standard for airborne polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs], Burlington would not be on the hook for a $190 million rebuild of its high school and the administrations of most of Vermont’s other…

Dear Editor, At my local school board (of which I am a member) budget meeting last week, a community member asked, “What keeps you (individual board members) awake at night?” At that moment, I wasn’t able to find the courage to be candid. The weight of what I wanted to say, my sincere answer, felt…

Dear Editor, Last week, on March 29, Vermont senior U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was grilling Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz on the illegal union-busting activities used by that corporation.  In order to embarrass our senior senator, Schultz shot back that Vermont has a paltry minimum wage of only $13.18/hour. Starbucks, his company, pays more. We…

Dear Editor, There has been a great deal of misinformation circulating around about the Affordable Heat Act. I would encourage anyone who is interested in gaining an accurate understanding of the bill to go online and look up the text of the bill itself. It is readily accessible, and, though long, is written in language…

By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is the editor and publisher of the Addison County Independent, a sister publication to the Mountain Times.  In a legislative session in which the state faces several so-called crises — the lack of affordable housing and affordable childcare, labor shortages, long-term care, climate change, mental health, substance abuse,…

By Laurie Cox Editor’s note:   Cox is a retired school counselor and longtime Ripton Selectboard member. Besides occasional writing she pursues art, gardening, hiking with her dog, and is always striving to build stronger communities. “Can anybody live in Vermont?” asked the two young boys who had been visiting us for a couple of…

Dear Editor, A 45-day comment period on a proposal by Green Mountain National Forest staff concerning logging and other activities in the forest at Telephone Gap ended on March 13. A huge 94% of the official comments regarding logging were against the proposal. According to a preliminary tally approx. 1,280 comments were opposed to the…