Dear editor, Since 1964, Oct. 15 has been designated White Cane Safety Awareness Day to celebrate the achievements of people who are blind or visually impaired, and to recognize the importance of that tool for independence. The white cane is a symbol of strength and independence for blind and visually impaired people. As a blind…

Dear editor, Vermont is at an interesting crossroads with the fossil fuel empire. On the one hand, our Attorney General is suing ExxonMobil, Sunoco and Citgo for deceptive and unfair practices, as a consumer protection issue. Included is a proposal to prevent said companies from engaging in future unfair and deceptive acts, as well as…

Dear Editor, I am reaching out to express my support for universal school meals in Vermont. I am a recent resident of Middlebury, a longtime former resident of Brandon, and the mother of two children in the public school system. As a mother and a former student in the public school system, I am aware…

By Marvin Klikunas, M.D. Editor’s note: Kilkunas practices medicine in Williston. As I write this commentary, the seven-day rolling average of daily Covid cases in Vermont is 209. Even during the depths of last winter, before a vaccine was available, the daily average as plotted in VTDigger never reached 200. Forty-eight people were hospitalized with…

By Madeleine May Kunin Editor’s note: This commentary is by former Gov. Madeleine Kunin, a Democrat and the first woman to serve as the governor of the state of Vermont. I was driving home on a September evening when the air started to turn cool. I glanced out my side window and caught a pink,…

By Karl Meyer Editor's note: This commentary is by Karl Meyer of Greenfield, Mass., a member of the Fish and Aquatics Studies Team in this FERC relicensing process since 2012. He did not sign a confidentiality agreement with FirstLight. Meyer is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists.   No river should die in the…

By Rep. Emilie Kornheiser Editor’s Note: Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, D-Brattleboro, is vice chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, co-chair of the task force on the implementation of the pupil weighting factors report, and a state legislator since 2019. Vermont’s commitment to equitable access to education is enshrined in our constitution, which established the…

Dear Editor, I wanted to take a moment to reflect back and share to a time in my youth that I have such fond memories living for a couple years in Killington. The year was I believe 1972, give or take, I was in third or fourth grade. My family had made a move to…

By Steve Costello Editor’s note: Steve Costello is the vice president of Green Mountain Power. Time and again, Vermonters amaze and inspire with their kindness and generosity — from our communities’ strength seen throughout Vermont during the 10th anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene just last month, to the seemingly endless acts of kindness that have…

Editor’s note: This is an open letter to the Vermont Legislature written by Commissioner Bram Kleppner, CEO of Danforth Pewter, on behalf of the Vermont Tax Structure Commission. Dear Legislators, Three years ago, you and the Governor asked us to spend two years studying Vermont’s tax system as a whole, and to make recommendations that…

By Angelo Lynn As Congress grills the Biden administration on its troubled withdrawal from Afghanistan, as small businesses throughout Vermont and many parts of the nation struggle to hire enough employees to keep their businesses open, as housing prices rise and millions of Americans can’t find affordable solutions, as the climate crisis magnifies, or as…

Dear Editor, Farming, like most human activity, impacts the environment. During the last two decades — and particularly since 2016 — Vermont has taken progressive and calculated steps to reduce one such environmental impact: nutrient loss from farmland. On Aug. 19, Sen. Patrick Leahy hosted U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack at ECHO, Leahy Center…

By John McClaughry Editor’s Note: McClaughry, vice president of the Ethan Allen Institute, a free-market oriented public policy research and education organization. A large insurance company has been flooding the television channels with an advertising slogan “Only Pay for What You Need.” It’s an interesting exercise to apply that idea to various public spending issues.…

By Shaun Christean Dear Editor, Everyone living in the Northeast has heard the warnings time and time again: always be vigilant for ticks after spending time outdoors. Tick habitat has increased substantially as higher latitudes are unlocked by warming climates, allowing ticks to edge further north every year. Tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease, babesiosis, and…

By Jennifer Mayhew Editor’s note: This commentary is by Jennifer Mayhew, executive director of the Turning Point Center of Addison County. September is both Recovery Month and Suicide Prevention Month. An increase in overdose and suicide deaths across the country is shining the spotlight on how the Covid-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected those already struggling…