Dear Editor, As if the onslaught of U.S. tariffs on goods from the Great White North weren’t enough... … now this, per Bloomberg via The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington. The Trump tariffs on Canadian petroleum, cars, hydropower, medications, vehicles, and softwood lumber for construction include wood pulp for … paper products. Yes, that includes toilet paper.…

Dear Editor, March was Youth Art Month, and we held our bi-annual show at the statehouse in Montpelier. I want to share my speech from that evening. My name is  Melissa Kristiansen, and I am honored to serve as president of the Vermont Art Education Association and co-chairperson of Youth Art Month alongside the incredible…

By Angelo Lynn If you’re worried that Trump’s proposed cuts to the administration of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security will negatively affect the benefits you or a member of your family may receive, you should speak out. If you’re worried that privatizing the U.S. Postal Service will reduce rural delivery to your mailbox, negatively impact…

It was the war plans group chat heard aroundthe world. The Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg received a request to connect on the encrypted messaging app Signal from a user named “Mike Waltz” (possibly the Trump administration’s national security adviser) on March 1. Goldberg was later added to a group chat called “Houthi PC small group”…

By Secretary Lindsay Kurrle Too often in Vermont, popular and necessary housing construction is derailed, delayed, or diminished by a small number of folks abusing the appeals process who have no direct skin in the game and are reluctant to welcome new neighbors. While appeals are valuable in certain cases, they also drive-up costs, affecting…

Dear Editor, I want you to imagine standing in a field surrounded by 9,000 beautiful, healthy Brussels sprout plants—months of careful planning, hard work, and abundance growing from the soil. But then, in a matter of days, relentless rain pounds the earth, drowning the roots, rotting the harvest, and washing away not just my crops…

Dear Editor,  I think about energy a lot. I grew up in a drafty house with cold bedrooms, whereas my best friend lived in a modern, passive solar home that was always comfortable. That contrast put the role energy consumption and efficiency played into clear focus at a young age. This idea led me to…

By Angelo Lynn Before Vermonters label Gov. Scott heartless for denying “children, pregnant women, disabled Vermonters, veterans, and those fleeing domestic violence” access to the motel voucher program set to expire on April 1, voters should consider the governor’s position. For the past several terms he has run on the mantra of “affordability,” not aiding…

Chip and Dan Heath, in their book “Switch,” tell the story of a young MBA who ran a chunk of the Brazilian railroad after it was privatized and broken into pieces. The newly minted railroad CEO ended up with a share that included steam locomotives and infrastructure in dire need of repair and maintenance, with…

Dear Editor, A considerable amount of attention and work this legislative session has been devoted to Vermont’s preK-12 public education system and its funding. This is important work as 30% of state spending is devoted to our most precious resource, 83,000 children. Vermonters understand how meaningful these conversations are. Education is critical to our communities…

Dear Editor, The recent actions of Americans for Prosperity (AFP) and the Vermont Republican Party (VTGOP) reveal a concerning inconsistency. AFP, founded by the Koch brothers and a mouthpiece for Big Oil, is campaigning to repeal Vermont’s Act 18 of 2024, the Clean Heat Standard, citing concerns that it will “increase the cost of living,” “make it…

Dear Editor, Education is heading for a major overhaul in Vermont. Whether it be the governor’s, the House, or the Senate proposal (or most likely some amalgam of the three), it is happening. Although the pressure for action is intense now, we won’t actually see substantive changes play out until 2027 or beyond. In the…

By Tanya Marshall Editor’s note: Tanya Marshall is the Vermont State archivist, chief records officer, and director of the Vermont state archives and records administration, a division of the Vermont secretary of state.  As the days get longer and snow melts, it is fitting that this is Sunshine Week—an annual celebration of government records and…

In 1995, Chicago experienced a heat wave in which the temperature reached 106 degrees, which translated into a heat index of 126, the temperature that the body felt. Within a week, the streets were buckling, the power grids failed, and over 700 people were dead. By all accounts, the cause of death was the heat.…

By Governor Phil Scott Over the past few months, my administration has rolled out a plan to transform and strengthen our public education system. After last year’s double digit increase in property taxes, Vermonters made it clear that we need to make major changes to a system that no longer meets the needs of our…