By Brooke Geery As soon as  a mob of conspiracy-theory-inspired thugs breached the gates and began to the climb the steps of the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, the finger pointing began. Rightfully, many blamed Trump for inciting the coup, which for all intents and purposes, was a failure, as all it did was delay the…

By Haviland Smith Editor’s note: Haviland Smith is a retired CIA operations officer who was the CIA’s first chief of counterterrorism. Since his retirement in 1980, he has lived in Vermont. It is a fact that the best, noblest political movements often attract the worst kind of violent participants. These people barge in and commit the…

By Paul Costello As we come out of the crucible of the pandemic and look to a new year, we need more than recovery, we need to work together to advance renewal and resilience for our communities and economy. The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) has been asking Vermonters what recovery will look like.…

An open letter to Governor Phil Scott and the Vermont Legislature from industry leaders We appreciate the challenge of governing during a global pandemic. Instead of meeting with colleagues and constituents, we now rely on video chat, texts, emails, and phone calls. We are in an extraordinary time, where safety requires us to maintain physical distance from one…

Dear Editor, Trump reportedly intends to keep pushing the baseless claim that massive fraud of unbelievable scope robbed him of reelection even after Congress accepts the results, because  “Why should I ever let this go?… How would that benefit me?” That Trump plans to continue this demolition of democracy even after the almost certain inauguration…

Dear Editor, With the “year of Covid” barely behind us, we look forward to the New Year and the customary resolutions: reduce personal weight, reduce time on social media, and reduce consumption of animal foods. Yes, that. Nearly 40% of Americans are already eating more plant-based foods. Hundreds of school, college, and corporate cafeterias have…

Dear Editor, As we sprint away from 2020, and towards what we hope will be a happier new year, many of us have environmental resolutions front of mind. Leaders have resolved to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord and host a global climate summit early next year. Many individuals are seeking to reduce their environmental footprint…

By Rob Riley Over the past year, I’ve heard two very different narratives about rural America. The first is that rural people face enormous economic and social challenges and the federal government does little to help them. The second is that the coronavirus pandemic has turned rural places into refuges where the urban elite — with…

It’s up to us By Michael J. Caduto It was one of our country’s most turbulent years. Demonstrations and riots demanding equality were staged nationwide. Gunshots rang out. World leaders threatened military force to control protesters while millions of sympathizers joined demonstrators on the front lines. A foreign war dragged on, seemingly with no end.…

How our disregard for nature is making us sick By Tom Rogers On a warm summer evening this past July, I arrived home feeling unusually worn down. I’d been exhausted all day, and I was soon overcome with waves of crippling chills, my fever spiked, and I spent the night sweating through my sheets. I…

Dear Editor, As one of the longest and most challenging years of our lives draws to a close — with the promise of a vaccine offset by the gravity of staggering infection rates and devastating loss of loved ones — I would like to take a moment to reflect on the amazing resilience of our…

Dear Editor, As 2020 comes to an end (and no one is sad to see it go), the Woodstock Area Relief Fund (WARF) is winding down Covid-19 relief activities. The fund was established as a short-term measure to get folks through these economic challenges until they could get back on their feet. It is the…

By Angelo Lynn With the New Year upon us, let’s look for silver linings. Nine months into this pandemic, for instance, we have fine-tuned the art of looking at bleakness and coming up with ways to smile. We’ve turned panic of the unknown into a calm resignation of semi-isolation. We are learning how to infuse…

By Molly Gray, lieutenant governor-elect Editor's note: this commentary was originally written as an open letter to the Biden-Harris Administration. Over the last year, rural Vermont much like rural America has been hit hard by this pandemic. While our small rural state has much to be proud of in terms of the collective sacrifice of…

By Karen Tronsgard-Scott Editor's note: Tronsgard-Scott is the executive director of the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. Every Vermonter has the right to thrive and live their life free from violence. Unfortunately, the reality is that too many Vermonters aren’t safe. Each year, thousands of Vermonters experience domestic or sexual violence. What would…