By Narain Batra Editor’s note: Narain Batra of Hartford is a professor of communications and diplomacy at Norwich University. He is the author of “The First Freedoms and America’s Culture of Innovation” and the forthcoming “India in A New Key.”  Major U.S. social media network companies — including Apple, Alphabet (Google), Facebook (now Meta), Microsoft…

Dear Editor, The recent news that Vermont experienced 487 Covid cases on Thursday, Nov. 4, breaking the all-time record by more than 100 cases, was extremely disheartening even to the most optimistic Vermonters. Friday followed on its heels with 377 new cases and a 3.3% positivity rate. With more than 90% of eligible Vermonters vaccinated,…

Dear Editor, Here is a recap of the Nov. 1 Rutland Aldermen meeting, as it pertains to my request that the board take a fresh look at fluoridation of the city water supply. I believe this issue is important, as indicated by a significant turnout of people. All members of the public who spoke were…

By Shane Spence Editor's note: Shayne Spence was a candidate for the Vermont House in 2020, and is a justice of the peace in Johnson. The tripartisan legislative apportionment board voted this month to recommend a new map for legislative seats, which is required every 10 years following the census. Its new map would eliminate…

By Betsy Bishop Editor’s note: Betsy Bishop, of East Montpelier, is the president of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. Every day there is a news story about policies Vermont is addressing to further diversity, equity and inclusion. Many organizations, including the Vermont Chamber, are focusing on this internally and programmatically to do our part to…

By the board of directors of the Coalition for Vt Student Equity: Kendra Sowers, Alison Notte, David Schoales and Rory Thibault Our poorest and most diverse Vermont school districts have been critically underfunded for decades. This is due to inherent flaws in our pupil weighting formula, which directs how Vermont calculates student needs and allocates…

By Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos Over the past few weeks, I have given considerable thought to the message I want to convey to Vermonters on cybersecurity. The world of cybersecurity has changed significantly for election officials over the last five years. Turn back to September 2017, when Dept. of Homeland Security officials confirmed…

By Cathy Davis Editor’s note: Davis is the president of the Lake Champlain Chamber. In the past two months, I have heard about housing challenges almost as much as I’ve heard about staffing shortages. Of course, they’re related. If employees can’t find housing, they have to move to where they can find it. That might…

Dear Editor, Phoners, that’s the term I coined for those people that have decided it’s their god-given right to drive and phone at the same time. I have been the near victim to these phoners five times in as many years. Lucky for me I have quick reflexes and I was paying attention. As recently…

Dear Editor, As Health Careers Awareness Month in Vermont ends, it's time to keep up the buzz around the importance of health careers in our state. Vermont has among the highest shortages of medical professionals in the nation per capita, and the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated an already stressed and depleted health workforce. The need…

Dear Editor, Editor’s note: this is an open letter to Gov. Scott and Vermont Fish & Wildlife. My husband and I are hoping to relocate to New England next year. Vermont was our first choice. However, in researching the state’s regulations governing wildlife, we decided, regrettably, Vermont was not for us. My husband and I…

By Ali Elwell Zaiac Editor’s note: Ali Elwell Zaiac, of Arlington, holds a master’s degree in theological studies from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., where her thesis focused on repurposing church spaces in Vermont to meet broader community needs. Last week I attended the housing conference hosted by Rep. Seth Bongartz and Rep. Kathleen…

By Anne Sosin Editor’s note: Anne N. Sosin is a public health researcher and Policy Fellow at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College and the co-lead on research on Covid-19 and rural health equity in northern New England.  Delta, we learn in science, means change. Delta changed the course of the virus in…

Dear Editor, Little scares me about Halloween or trick-or-treating. Ghosts, zombies, skeletons and witches have nothing on all the milk ingredients in candy and the frightening truth about the dairy industry. This is the industry that has spent billions convincing humans that drinking the milk of another species is okay. This is the industry that…

Dear Editor, This is in direct response to the article “Monkey Wrench: How the Delta Variant Caught Vermont Off Guard,” published in the Mountain Times Oct. 6. Why do case counts remain stubbornly high, despite vaccination of so many eligible Vermonters? Community spread. Without pairing vaccines with other mitigation measures, cases will increase or remain…