Dear Editor, This is an important time in history, a tipping point. The view of adversity and divisiveness is fogging the lens. A refocusing of our attention may change the view so we can see the light in the shadows.  The restructuring of our country at this critical time requires a more expanded view of…

Dear Editor, The scarcity of animal meat caused by the Covid-19 pandemic will keep our outdoor grills safer this Independence Day. Folks who grill hamburgers and hot dogs face a nasty choice. The U.S. Meat and Poultry Hotline advises grilling at high temperature to avoid food poisoning by E. coli and Salmonella bacteria. But the…

Dear Editor, It’s been a tough year for all of us, but kids in particular have been significantly impacted by a year of remote or hybrid learning, disrupted routines and a lack of socialization and normal activities. Anxiety and depression have skyrocketed, social-emotional skills have taken a hit and many children have fallen behind in…

By Matt Krauss Editor’s note: Matt Krauss of Stowe is a happily retired state employee and a former Vermont legislator. Vermont women were denied membership in the exclusive and private Ethan Allen Club until 1990. The welcomed change came about because of very intense public pressure. Women remember the sting of exclusion, and Vermonters have rightfully rejected joining these private, very restrictive clubs. Not all private clubs in New England are so progressive. Bailey’s Beach Club in…

By Angelo Lynn It’s worth pondering what’s in Vermont’s DNA that makes us so agreeable? Why would Vermonters be the first to surmount an 80% vaccination rate? Why would the state legislature and a Republican governor lead the nation in adopting some of the most generous elections laws to promote easy access to as many…

By Lisa Loomis Editor’s note: Lisa Loomis, who is president of the Vermont Press Association, is the co-owner and editor of the Valley Reporter in Waitsfield. The Vermont legislature will be called back into special session this week to try to overturn three vetoes issued by Governor Phil Scott and also to possibly consider legislation that failed…

Dear Editor,  I am writing this letter in honor of Juneteenth, a day that commemorates June 19, 1865, when the last enslaved people in Texas were freed from captivity.  In many ways this represented a transition in our country. It was the final act to physically abolishing slavery. But that did not mean the legacy…

Dear Editor, Congratulations to Avery Provin, Jeannette Langston and everyone responsible for organizing Pride in Rutland! I lived in Rutland for most of my adolescence, graduating from Rutland High School in 1966.  During all that time I could not recognize that I was gay, having recently survived some horrific bullying in the small New Hampshire…

By Jennie Gartner, a now former teacher at Rutland High School In October 2020, I resigned my position as a social studies teacher at Rutland High School, effective at the end of this school year. As a teacher, and adviser for the Gay Straight Alliance, Model UN and New Neighbors student organizations, my primary role…

By John Keough I founded Appalachian Trail Adventures (ATA) in 2007, and the company has grown steadily each year, with a focus on providing fun adventures and premier customer service. I have lived and worked in Killington since 1986, and at 51 years old, that’s 34 years spent in the local area. ATA has enjoyed…

By Ali Dieng Editor’s note: Ali Dieng is the founder of the Burlington School District Parent University and co-founder of the Vermont New American Advisory Council. He is the first African immigrant elected to the Burlington City Council. This commentary caps a 10-part series in which the authors respond to pressing topics identified in a “Proposition…

By Addie Lentzner  Editor’s note: Lentzner, 17, is a high school senior (class of ‘22) from Bennington, Vermont. He’s a member of the Vermont Young Playwrights and wrote a play to honor a homeless man named Thierry Heuga in Bennington who died after sleeping under a bridge in February 2020. He also co-founded facebook.com/endvermonthomelessness. He…

Dear Editor, “A rose by any other name would smell the same,” wrote William Shakespeare. Not so apparently, in the Raider vs. Raven standoff here in Rutland. The cancel culture has reached Rutland in the form of challenging the racist implication of the Raider team mascot, an arrowhead. Symbols have meaning, it is true. But…

Dear Editor, If anyone has the right to hold a soft spot in their heart for the Raiders, it is the extended family of Roger Laird. In the 1920s, as a Raider, Roger suffered a traumatic brain injury on the football field behind the high school on Library Avenue; one that would take his life…

By Jack Hoffman Many legislators and school officials are eager to adjust Vermont’s education finance system to provide more money for school districts with kids from low-income families and those for whom English is not their first language. We agree these resources are necessary and should be provided as soon as possible. But the Legislature…