By Jim Condos Following the results-reporting debacle during the Iowa Democratic Caucus, my office has been asked numerous times about Vermont’s presidential primary process, and if the problems that occurred in Iowa could happen here. The simple and straightforward answer is “no.” I want to take a moment to clear up how Vermont’s presidential primary…

By Angelo Lynn The one positive thing you can say about Trump’s State of the Union speech is that it had entertaining moments. Trump’s brilliance, if that’s a fitting word, is that he believes in the power of reality TV and brings a larger-than-life version of the presidency into his supporters’ living rooms with the…

Dear Editor, Windsor County Sen. Dick McCormack (D-Bethel) recently opined about the climate crisis and how government must implement “a worthy and non-negotiable response” to this crisis. What is this “worthy and non-negotiable” response?  In the summer of 2018, the “new” Act 250 commission was busy crafting this response. The commission’s purpose was to realign…

Dear Editor, Republicans have long pushed the idea that lots of people on social security disability are “fakers and takers” who don’t deserve those benefits.  That push intensified when the number of social security recipients increased significantly after the financial crash in 2008, prompting calls to reduce the number of recipients to save money and…

Dear Editor, My name is Michael Talbott and I am seeking your vote for Rutland City Board of Aldermen. You might know me as a teacher at Castleton University, where I’ve worked since 2014. Perhaps you’ve seen me working on the property I’m slowly restoring on the edge of our vibrant downtown. We may have…

By Don Turner Despite a strong economy at the national level, many Vermonters feel left behind. Across our state, thousands struggle to pay their bills and make ends meet. From burdensome taxes to sky-high insurance premiums, many individuals, families, and small businesses are stuck in a persistent economic cycle they didn’t create. Small towns and…

By Anson Tebbetts Vermont’s rural communities are intricately tied to our economy, identity and way of life. At the same time, all of Vermont suffers when our farm and forestry sectors falter. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets and Vermont Farm to Plate are taking steps to build on our strengths and innovate…

Dear Editor, The Rutland County Humane Society (RCHS) is excited about our new Dinner Card!  With it, cardholders can visit 13 participating Rutland County restaurants and purchase an entrée and their guest will receive an entree of the same or lesser value free. It’s a win for the cardholder, a win for the restaurant and…

Dear Editor, We are unsettled, anxious, heart-broken by the images of the inferno in Australia. Tens of thousands of people are displaced, millions of animals have died and Primal Spaces are burning, some having been wet and unignited for eons. Prior to the fires, unprecedented years of drought and heat had already ravaged the landscape…

By Patrick Leahy Hours before senators were sworn in to serve on President Trump’s impeachment trial, an independent, nonpartisan government watchdog confirmed what I have long suspected: When Trump froze congressionally appropriated military aid to Ukraine as part of an effort to compel Ukraine to investigate his political rival, he broke the law. That’s because…

By Emerson Lynn Sen. Ruth Hardy, D-Addison, has introduced a bill to create a Community College Scholarship Program that would provide tuition-free scholarships for Vermont residents attending CCV. It would, from the outset, require a $6 million appropriation. That’s a small amount of money that would yield profound benefits at a variety of levels, and…

Dear Editor, We at the Vermont Veterans’ Home want to thank our fellow citizens from Bennington and all of Vermont for their steadfast support of our veterans and our home during the past year, and your incredible kindness during the holiday season! In front of the home is a banner exclaiming, “Where Heroes Live,” this…

Dear Editor, On Monday, Jan. 13, I presented the following resolution to the Cavendish Select Board. I requested that this resolution be placed as an article on the condition that we discuss and vote on it at the annual town meeting in early March. The Select Board approved my request with the clear understanding that…

By Amy Spear Tourism is a significant economic driver for many of Vermont’s rural communities. Visitors spend more than $2.5 billion in Vermont each year, and the tourism industry employs more than 32,000 Vermonters. The tax revenue generated by the tourism industry each year equates to a $1,450 tax savings for every Vermont household. Yet,…

Dear Editor, The 2020 lieutenant governor’s race is not about the left versus the right. It is about the past versus the future. This week’s VTDigger article, where I learned about Sen. Tim Ashe’s decision, illustrates the deep divide between the prison guards of the past and our forward-looking, Small Towns*Big Hearts campaign. I entered…