Dear Editor, It’s time for the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department (VTF&W) and elected state officials to act on the wishes of the majority of Vermonters and ban recreational and fur trapping for furbearers (bobcat, otter, fisher, coyotes, beaver, red and gray fox, muskrat, raccoon, opossum, weasel, mink and skunk). VTF&W recently commissioned a survey…

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.  Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s announcement to launch a paid leave program for state employees is a cynical, political move that has sparked deserved criticism. With Democrats pressing for a universal paid…

By Don Keelan Editor’s note: Don Keelan of Arlington is a retired certified public accountant. Recently, numerous media stories have covered the troubles at many of the country’s top tech companies. Christopher Mims’ recent Wall Street Journal piece, “The Myth of the Tech God Is Crumbling,” notes, “America’s biggest tech companies have collectively lost more…

Dear Editor, As you may have heard or read, The University of Vermont is now pushing a medicare “advantage” plan in partnership with MVP health care, a local non-profit we are told in direct competition with more affordable traditional medicare plans. Additionally and to their discredit, rather than promoting what civilized nations around the globe…

By Walt Amses Editor’s note: Walt Amses is a writer who lives in North Calais. Between the time I’m writing this and you’re reading it, there likely have been several mass shootings, bringing the total to well over 600 so far this year, a number that, however astounding, increases annually in a country with more…

Dear Editor, The Itty-Bitty Committee wants to thank all those who have been volunteering with decorating the Fair Haven Park. We had many folks share their creative talents with us in October making stick figures. The figures decorated the park throughout the month of October. November saw the committee gather several times to create stick…

By Andrew L’Roe Editor’s note: Andrew L’Roe has lived in Addison County since 2016, and works at the Regional Planning Commission. He serves as the chair of the Middlebury Conservation Commission and enjoys getting out on the Trail Around Middlebury nearly every day. The ginkgo tree at the end of my street finally dropped its…

By Annette Smith Editor’s note: Annette Smith is the executive director of Vermonters for a Clean Environment. She lives in Danby.  Not long ago, utilities envisioned a new renewable electricity system that would involve time-of-use rates and load management via smart meters. The idea was that customers would do laundry and charge electric vehicles (EVs)…

Dear Editor, Listening to the presentation to the Climate Council on the cost savings they are claiming will be associated with the Climate Action Plan, I was reminded of the classic scene from “Caddyshack” where Bill Murray’s character tells the story of his compensation for a round with Dalai Lama: “Oh, there won’t be any…

Dear Editor, I offer this commentary to all retirees of Vermont state government, their families, and to all active state employees and their families, because this can affect them all. Gov. Phil Scott is strongly considering substituting a Group Medicare Advantage plan in place of the BlueCross BlueShield health insurance all retirees and active employees…

Dear Editor, April Hudson has always been a writer. At the age 79, her dream of publishing her memoirs has finally become a reality. April has been a well-known resident in the small northern Vermont town. A true craftsman and artist, she opened a ceramic teaching studio and designed her own line called Hudsonware. She…

By Emerson Lynn Editor's note: Emerson Lynn is the former editor and publisher of the St. Albans Messenger. He is also the uncle of Polly Mikula, editor/copublisher of this publication. OneCare is the accountable care organization whose purpose it is to shift Vermont’s health care spending from a fee-for-service model to one in which hospitals…

By Seth Steinzor Editor’s note: Steinzor lives in South Burlington and is a poet, woodworker and retired attorney. He worked for 32 years in the Vermont Attorney General’s Office. The uproar over a trans student on the high school volleyball team in Randolph evokes memories for me of my own involvement in our society’s complicated,…

Dear Editor, By some miracle, we have an animal called a beaver that builds, maintains and improves rich wetlands. However, damming behavior also creates challenging and sometimes expensive beaver-human conflicts. Partly because of their rarity, which has been increased greatly by development, wetlands like those that beavers create have enormous value. They are critical habitat…

Dear Editor, In a landmark ruling destined to save billions of animal and human lives, the Food and Drug Administration has ruled that meat cultivated from animal cells is safe to eat. The ruling was granted to Upside Foods, funded by Bill Gates and Richard Branson, but also by meat industry giants Cargill and Tyson…