Dear Editor, Virtually every business owner or manager Green Mountain Economic Development Corp. works with as the regional development corporation for Windsor and Orange counties, cites the lack of decent housing and child care as the most important factors hampering recovery from Covid. We believe this is true throughout New England and beyond. Both were…

By Chris Winters, Vt. Deputy Secretary of State It is important we all understand the strengths of American democracy, as well as its weaknesses. If we are to work together as a nation to address the limits of "the great experiment," and ensure our government is truly created of, by and for the people, having…

By Shayne Spence Editor’s note: This commentary is by Shayne Spence of Johnson, who was a Republican candidate for the Vermont House in 2020. With an ongoing battle taking place over the future of voting rights and access, on the federal level and in many states, we often hear about the For The People Act,…

By Walt Amses Editor’s note: Walt Amses is a writer and former educator who lives in Calais. The waning days of July find me swimming in silken water that feels prematurely cool, gliding by a shoreline maple sporting a single bright-red leaf, a distinct reminder that nature will not only have its way, but also set…

By Tom Evslin Editor’s note: Tom Evslin is an entrepreneur and author from Stowe. He is a former Douglas administration official. The U.S. government talks the talk about Covid vaccination but doesn’t walk the walk. The CDC and the FDA say “get vaccinated” but they don’t act as if they really believe in the efficacy of…

Dear Editor, Most people don’t know what Home & Community Based Services (HCBS) are, let alone their importance to many disabled people. People who are physically disabled often depend on others to perform “activities of daily living” like getting in and out of bed, dressing, bathing, preparing meals, toileting and transferring to and from a…

Dear editor, Recently I had the opportunity to tour the newly repurposed Cortina Inn, the beautiful property that my wife Breda and I owned for 33 years, which is now under the management of a family that is now offering a new kind of hospitality — perhaps the most essential kind. Long known for Sunday…

Dear Editor, Since Dec. 2018, “Vermonters for Vermont” Initiative has been talking about educating every Vermonter about freedom, liberty, individualism, independence, innovation and personal responsibility. We have been defending and promoting our Constitution, free markets and taking risks. We have been working to educate and encourage Vermonters to learn what Montpelier and local governments are…

By Anne N. Sosin, Liz Winterbauer and Annie Hoen Editor’s note: This commentary is by Anne N. Sosin, a policy fellow at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College; Liz Winterbauer, a consulting epidemiologist currently supporting national Covid-19 testing efforts; and Annie Hoen, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Geisel School of Medicine…

Dear Editor, You may have seen some of your neighbors in front of TD Bank on Bonnet St. (Route 30 in Manchester) holding signs. You may have asked yourself: “Why are they there? What are they protesting? What do they want?” I’d like to answer those questions. We are there because TD Bank is one…

By Angelo Lynn The Washington Post published an interesting column Tuesday, July 13, by Ashish K. Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, in which the columnist noted the current rate of Covid-19 infection in South Dakota and Vermont were “remarkably similar” and rated among the lowest three (along with Massachusetts) in the country. It’s a…

By Laurie Cox The summer I turned 13, a friend told me how she made a lot of money picking strawberries. It sounded like a relatively easy deal, so my sister and I decided to give it a try. Lunch sacks in hand, we ferried to a nearby island and were loaded in the back…

Dear Editor, In Michael Long’s letter “OneCare is not the problem with Vermont’s health care” published in the July 7 edition, he asserts that “fee-for-service … is the reason health care in the U.S. is the most expensive, but not the most effective.” That’s a questionable claim at best. Canada, for example, largely continues to rely on…

Dear Editor, I’m writing this, to welcome you new residents to Vermont. It’s been an intense year and a half; I’m sure you must feel relieved and grateful for having been able to find refuge and make a new start during such a challenging time. I, better than most, know what it’s like to pick…

Dear Editor, Education finance in Vermont is an often hard to understand and quite complex system. Act 59 of 2021 created the “Task Force on the Implementation of the Pupil Weighting Factors Report,” a group of eight Vermont Legislators who will spend time this sum- mer, as the name implies, determining the best path forward to implement the recommendations…