Dear Editor, In 2021 with the passage of Act 34, Vermont took a small step toward reducing the toxic class of chemicals known as PFAS (Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) which are allowed to be sold, manufactured, and imported into our state. Act 34 bans select PFAS-containing products like stain-resistant rugs/carpets, food packaging and ski wax.…

By Angelo Lynn The challenge Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented to President Biden and the U.S. Congress in his televised Wednesday, March 16 address was as direct as it was brilliant: If you aspire to be the leader of the free world, he told President Biden (and all Western allies), then you must be willing…

Dear Editor, Deceptively labeled with such noble sounding phraseology as “The Reproductive Liberty Amendment,” Prop. 5/Article 22 has nothing to do with reproduction. Its central purpose is all about the liberty to continue to harm women and kill babies at any stage of pregnancy, even up to birth. We must never forget that despite every…

By Angelo Lynn Editor’s disclaimer: I have no particular insight to make these comments. I’m certainly no military analyst. There are many good reasons not to pursue any action that might prompt the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons. But I’m frustrated by these events, and find it unfathomable that the world would stand idle and…

Dear Editor, Regarding Vermont’s decision to recommend going “maskless” statewide, as of March 14, I wish the state had followed the CDC guidelines. Those guidelines clearly state that in areas of high levels of Covid-19, everyone, regardless of vaccination status, should wear a mask indoors in public spaces. Unfortunately, my county (Rutland County) is considered…

By Julia Purdy Now that St. Patrick’s Day is upon us, we are treated to the usual time-honored ethnic slurs and jokes about the Irish: freckled red-haired leprechauns with huge grins and missing teeth, the drunken Irishman with his hat on sideways, leaning against a lamppost. We may recall when “No Irish need apply” and…

Dear Editor, There are times when silence says more than words. But it is words and courage that are now required. The Chamber & Economic Development of the Rutland Region (CEDRR) has been outspoken in our support of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Because what we say and do matters, we support communities and institutions within…

By Rebecca Dragon, Rebekah Henson, Mary Anna King and Ellie Lane Editor's note: Dragon of Pownal, Henson of Hartford, King of Quechee, and Lane of Braintree together make up the Vermont Adoptee Rights Working Group, a core partner of the New England Adoptee Rights Coalition. Accessing your birth certificate is a basic civil right. It…

By Lindsay Kurrle, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development It’s no secret: Vermont needs more Vermonters. The shortage of residents currently calling Vermont home impacts everything from tax rates and school funding to community infrastructure and business retention. Just look at the state’s labor force participation rate, which dropped 5% in…

By Rep. David Durfee, D-Shaftsbury, member of the Ways & Means committee Recently the House passed and sent to the Senate groundbreaking, bipartisan legislation to support parents and families. As part of H.510, the new Vermont Child Tax Credit would pay families the equivalent of $100 a month for every child in the household age…

Dear Editor, Editor’s note: Gregory Thayer is a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor. He lives in Rutland. Have you seen the price of gasoline at your local gas station pumps? I paid $3.69 per gallon two days ago. This is happening all across the Green Mountain state to working Vermonters already struggling with inflation at…

By Angelo Lynn To adjust from last Tuesday’s Town Meeting concerns to the dizzyingly complex world stage is mind-numbing. Putin’s increasingly brutal invasion of Ukraine has shocked our collective senses. The personal stories of survival and death, of fear yet determination, of heroic acts and national resilience among the Ukrainian people have reawakened the hearts…

Dear Editor, There is an extraordinary exhibit at the Vermont Historical Museum, one that I encourage you to visit. It will be there from now until July 30. It tells the disturbing story of St. Joseph’s Orphanage in Burlington and the children who were abused there. When the documented torture and abuse of children was…

By Peter Sterling Vermont’s electric sector is estimated to contribute only 2% of our climate change causing greenhouse gas emissions — seemingly insignificant compared to the whopping 74% of emissions coming from our transportation sector and from the energy we use to heat and cool our homes and businesses. But this 2% figure is quite…

By Ed Baker and Jay Diaz Vermont is in the midst of a “syndemic,” a synergy of epidemics: Covid-19 and drug overdose fatalities due to opioids and stimulants. But only Covid-19 is getting the attention it deserves. The Covid-19 pandemic has rightly seen massive investment in public health tools, like vaccines, testing, surge centers, contact…