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…

Dear Editor, I attended the Killington Select Board meeting on March 20 and all in all it was a well-attended meeting with people being calm and communicating, until Select Board member Jim Haff turned red in the face. He was abusive and bullied a member of the audience. This seems to be a pattern.  He…

Dear Editor, My Dad encouraged me to find my voice and my Mom taught me to respect those who serve the public good. So, I  would like to extend a hearty thank you to all who have served the public as the Killington Search and Rescue team (KSAR) since 2011 in their capacity as trained…

Dear Editor, I want to thank Polly Mikula for her editorial on the public safety issue published in last week’s edition of the Mountain Times, it is informative and asks the questions that need to be addressed. As a past select board member (2013–2019) and a relative of two past members of KSAR (three if…

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. As a Vermont state legislator, one of the most satisfying parts of the job is to craft legislation that solves a problem for a particular group of constituents.  In H.429, legislators…