By Steve Costello Editor’s note: Steve Costello is one of the organizers of the Gift-of-Life Marathon. As we approach the 20th annual Gift-of-Life Marathon Blood Drive, during a period of divisiveness and ugliness nationally and at times even in Vermont, I’ve been reflecting on some of the people who’ve become synonymous with the GOLM and…

By Cheryl Mitchell Editor’s note: Cheryl Mitchell is president of Treleven, a retreat and learning program located on her family’s sheep farm in Addison County. She does freelance consulting on issues related to children, families, social policy and farm to community work. She can be reached at cheryl.w.mitchell@gmail.com. There is a lovely new project emerging…

Dear Editor, We’ve probably all have read about the use of cameras along some highways to measure the speed of vehicles, replacing the police stationed at various points with radar guns. Perhaps some of us have driven in the various states or foreign countries that utilize this technique. There seems to be an outcry in…

By Life Legros Editor’s note: LeGeros, a professional educator who lives in Duxbury, sits on the steering team of the Waterbury Area Anti-Racism Coalition and is a member of the Harwood Union school board. The views expressed here do not represent any organizations with which he is affiliated. Community means being there for each other,…

Dear Editor, For months, the Biden Administration has committed to ending Title 42, a Trump-era border policy that has deported tens of thousands of asylum-seekers. Last week, instead of fulfilling those promises, the administration announced that it would be expanding Title 42 to prevent Venezuelans who seek asylum from gaining access to safety. Seeking asylum…

Prop. 5: Liberty and dignity, word for word By Liz DiMarco Weinmann Editor's note: Liz DiMarco Weinmann, MBA, is principal and owner of Liz DiMarco Weinmann Consulting, L3C, based in Rutland, serving charitable and educational institutions.  As the deadline for voting in the midterm elections is less than a week away, countless women are sharing…

By Michelle Bos-Lun Editor’s note: Michelle Bos-Lun is a state representative from Westminster. Early voting has begun in Vermont with the election soon approaching. There is the possibility that great changes could come to our state as a result of this election. From two opportunities to amend our state constitution to support freedom, along with a…

By Mark Boutwell Editor’s note: Mark Boutwell is executive director of Senior Solutions, the Council on Aging in Southeastern Vermont, headquartered in Springfield, Vermont. The upcoming state and national elections offer voters a chance to reset priorities and focus on true pockets of need, one of which is providing for older adults. Federal funding for…

Dear Editor, This election year, Windsor County has the opportunity to elect three excellent candidates to the state Senate. Representing the largest geographic Senate district in the state takes a special type of person. They must be willing to show up in every corner of a district that sprawls from Thetford to Weston and Springfield…

Dear Editor, I believe that women’s health care, including abortion, is a medical issue, and making it into a political issue is a mistake. As Rev. Raphael Warnock, U.S. Senator from the state of Georgia, recently stated, “I happen to think that a patient’s room is too small a place for a woman, her doctor…

By George Till Editor’s note: Rep. George Till of Jericho is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist who has served in the Vermont State Legislature since 2008. Till is also an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the UVM School of Medicine.   A lot of misinformation is being circulated regarding Article 22/Prop. 5, which will appear as…

By Bill McKibben Editor’s note: Bill McKibben is an internationally known climate activist and writer who lives in Ripton. I am writing this dispatch from a southbound train, which left Middlebury at midday and is making its way — not too fast, not too slow — through Rutland and toward Penn Station in New York…

By Kevin Manna and Allen Rothman Editor’s note: Manna is the director at Pinnacle Condos in Killington and Rothman is the director at High Ridge. So, you want to live in a condominium complex? Do you know what you are getting into? The recent surge in condominium sales has brought about a lot of “impulse”…

Dear Editor, I am running as an Independent for Rutland County assistant judge in the November election. I believe the office should be nonpartisan and as apolitical as possible, so that is why I’m running as an Independent. I will not seek or accept any campaign contributions. I’ve failed at retirement since I left Castleton…

Dear Editor, The Rutland County Humane Society (RCHS) has 25 pet rats up for adoption. Rats make wonderful pets as they are both social and smart. They do well in same gender groups so plan to have at least two. They typically live between 18–36 months. They are nocturnal so they will be most active…