By Corey Parent Do you think the most wide-sweeping change to the Vermont Legislature should be rushed through in the first 72 hours of the legislative session? I don’t. Let me back up. Over the few years, we’ve heard about […]
Category: Commentary
Vermont Chamber is focusing on workforce talent and growth
By Betsy Bishop Editor’s note: Betsy Bishop, of East Montpelier, is the president of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. The last two years changed our communities and how we do business. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Vermont businesses rallied, innovated and […]
Climate council has served up a nothing-burger
By James Maroney Editor’s note: James H. Maroney Jr., of Leicester, is a former farmer who has a master’s degree in environmental law and policy from Vermont Law School. The passage of Vermont’s Global Warming Solutions Act in 2020, over […]
Vermont’s Forest Economy under Threat
By Katherine Sims Editor’s note: Katherine Sims is a Democratic state representative in the Orleans-Caledonia district and the Rural Economic Development Working Group (REDWnG) of the Vermont House of Representatives, a tri-partisan group working together to advance legislation and policy […]
There’s a hole in Vermont’s memorable brand
By Dan Galdenzi As Vermonters, we take on a certain reputation — or maybe, more accurately, a set of stereotypes — that come immediately to mind for non-Vermonters. Whether earned or not, those stereotypes are part of being a resident […]
My 3-year-old asks: Why are Vermonters homeless? Why aren’t we helping them?
By Sandra Paritz Editor’s note: Sandra Paritz, of Montpelier, directs the Poverty Law Project at Vermont Legal Aid. Years ago, when my 3-year-old son first saw someone sleeping in the doorway of a building in the cold, he asked: Why […]
Vermont’s dirty little secret: our state government is anti-renewable energy
By Peter Sterling Editor’s note: Sterling is the interim executive director of Renewable Energy Vermont. Talk to anyone who has tried to bring renewable energy to Vermonters and they will tell you the same thing: despite our green reputation and […]
How do we stop killing each other?
By Bob Stannard Editor’s note: Bob Stannard of Manchester is an author, musician and former state legislator and lobbyist. Bang! Bang! Maxwell’s silver hammer Came down upon his head Clang! Clang! Maxwell’s silver hammer Made sure that he was dead […]
Unpacking Vermont’s history of reapportionment
By Julia Purdy A prominent thread woven into the fabric of present-day Vermont is the question of the “two Vermonts” — the old versus the new, the traditional versus the forward-looking, the rural versus the urban, the economically depressed versus […]
Pandemic isn’t likely to end soon; expect a lot more ‘sacrifices’
By Nicholas Boke Editor’s note: Nicholas Boke is a freelance writer and international education consultant who lives in Chester. In late December, Rutland Board of Aldermen member Matt Whitcomb asked the big question as he and his colleagues puzzled over […]