By Josh Decatur On July 1, 2018 Vermont became the ninth state to allow the legal possession and consumption of cannabis for adult use. In other words, cannabis is now legal in Vermont. Under current law, any Vermonter 21 years of age or older can cultivate up to two mature and four immature plants and…

By Scott Giles Nearly every conversation about the economic future of our state begins and ends with the need for greater workforce development and for Vermonters to get the education and training required for the available jobs today and the ones coming down the line. Economists project that by 2020, nearly seven out of 10…

Dear Editor, Pizza is a big and tasty business in America; luscious and lip-smacking. In 2015, $38.5 billion worth of pizza was sold nationwide, according to Pizza magazine. The story of America’s love relationship with pizza began in 1905 in New York City—not Italy. Drum roll, please. Put your hands together for Gennaro Lombardi—then say…

Dear Editor, Secretary of Commerce and Community Development Mike Schirling highlighted actions his agency has taken to make a positive impact on Vermont’s previously lackluster economic development program: “focusing on fundamental activities, supporting economic growth, and affordability,” in a recent VTDigger piece. There are many moving parts to economic development. Presently, Vermont has spread those…

By James Ehlers As you know, 2019 is a constitutional amendment year, with the next one not coming until 2023. For this reason, I ask, on behalf of a broad constituency of Vermonters, for your consideration of and assistance in amending our Vermont Constitution beginning this coming legislative session. Vermont’s Bill of Rights, Chapter I…

By Anson Tebbetts As we enter a new year, many Vermont dairy farmers, as well as farmers nationwide, continue fighting through their economic fog. Trapped in an antiquated federal dairy pricing system, Vermont’s hard-working stewards of the land are at the whim of a highly competitive global structure. Compensation for their milk is out of…

Dear Editor, To the legislators, first, thank you all for your willingness to serve your constituents and all Vermonters. You are appreciated by most of us. But please remember, you serve both the special wants and needs of your constitution, and, of all Vermonters, whose needs sometimes differ. Foster the balance. The bill-drafting process is…

By Laura Wilkinson The light is slowly returning and the final days of 2018 are upon us. The festivities of December will be replaced by the quiet starkness of January. As much as I enjoy the rituals of the season, I welcome the opportunity to mirror the dormancy of the outer world with introspection. For…

As rural economies go in the nation, so goes Vermont By David Moats Economic stagnation in Vermont is not new. For decades, it has defied the efforts of political leaders, Republican and Democrat, to solve it. What’s new is a growing awareness that the problem is a widespread condition, animating protests from Paris to London,…

Dear Editor, To the legislators, first, thank you all for your willingness to serve your constituents and all Vermonters. You are appreciated by most of us. But please remember, you serve both the special wants and needs of your constitution, and, of all Vermonters, whose needs sometimes differ. Foster the balance. The bill-drafting process is…

Dear Editor, The Vermont Veterans’ Home wants to thank those who participated in this year’s National Wreaths Across America Day at the Vermont Veterans’ Home. Each December on National Wreaths Across America Day, the mission to remember, honor and teach is carried out by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as over…

Dear Editor, Southwestern Vermont Council on Aging would like to thank the many individuals and organizations throughout our service area, who, in recent months, have generously coordinated and contributed to a range of charitable initiatives benefiting the clients of SVCOA. In November, Rutland Loyal Order of Moose Lodge 1122, the Salvation Army of Rutland, Elks…

By Laura Wilkinson The light is slowly returning and the final days of 2018 are upon us. The festivities of December will be replaced by the quiet starkness of January. As much as I enjoy the rituals of the season, I welcome the opportunity to mirror the dormancy of the outer world with introspection. For…

By Jan Demers What happens when you are 1 percent over the eligibility limit? You need help and help is so close but the edge of the cliff is crumbling underneath you. She had come to our office 10 years ago and needed help paying for fuel. Year after year the cold of winter brought…

By Dick McCormack When the Legislature convenes in January, there will be an effort to amend the Vermont Constitution to alter the 1777 language prohibiting slavery, the first prohibition of slavery in North America. I think doing this is a bad idea.  As I understand it, supporters of amending object to the anti-slavery language because…