I am responding to a recent article written by lobbyist Mike Covey, and his unmistakable intolerance toward wildlife advocacy groups and its members. I felt compelled to correct misleading statements that misrepresented the values and goals of wildlife advocates. It’s OK to disagree, but the…
All Vermonters deserve a safe and affordable place to live, yet rising rents, low rental vacancy and mounting evictions are pushing an unprecedented number of Vermonters into streets, cars and dangerous living situations. Children, Vermonters with disabilities and severe medical conditions, …
Faced with an uncomfortable yet utterly conventional question about the cause of the Civil War, GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley not only blew the answer but the obligatory, next-day walk-back as well, pawning off her seemingly tone-deaf response on an alleged Democratic “operative,” lab…
On Dec. 4, I loaded my car with what I hoped would be the essentials of living on the road for a period of time. I was hesitant to purchase any type of RV for obvious reasons — in that, perhaps, I would shortly find this was not for me and have an RV I didn’t need and might not be able to sell.
As we enter the new year and leave a frightening 2023 behind, it seems a good time to consider the local lessons of the past year to prepare for what comes next — at best, a sobering prospect.
In 1983, Gloria Steinem published a book called “Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions.” Her essay collection reflected troubling issues that called for action at the time. The title of the book rings in my ears now as I contemplate outrageous acts that require rebellion again. The troubli…
Across the state, individuals are in the process of gathering signatures to run for public office, either representing their municipality or school district.
Home sharing, at its core, is about two people helping each other.
As we set resolutions to achieve personal goals and give back, the end of the year is a time to envision the positive changes we can bring to the world in the next 12 months. It is time for us to consider extending our influence to do the best we can by shining a light on the power of doing good.
For some, this past year has flown right by. For others, it felt as if it would never end. Let’s take a look at some of the events that helped shape the year and may have consequences for the future, shall we?
The title of this column is a phrase that comes from the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, dated 14 May 1948. The passage reads: “The State of Israel … will ensure the full social and political equality to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex … and…
As we approach the quarter-century mark of the newish millennium without getting stuck on how quickly it seems to have gone, it’s instructive to glance back at the beginning, when fabricated conservative rage and a malleable enough Supreme Court gave us George Bush and Dick Cheney, irrevocab…
Calais poet Geof Hewitt has been entertaining Vermonters with his wit, wisdom and love of language for decades. The state’s reigning slam poetry champion, he enjoys spreading the word by hosting poetry slams and introducing others to the fun of slamming — competitive performance poetry that …
Federal employees working in central Vermont will receive a significant Christmas gift this season. While they may not know it, the federal government has added this group of people into the federal locality pay system. The Christmas gift will come in the form of a larger paycheck every mont…
Every year has its ups and downs. We’d submit that 2023 was two thumbs down.
On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, Donald Trump crossed the line. In his Claremont, New Hampshire, speech, he said: “We pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical-left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal and che…
A recent commentary by an anti-hunting activist took the standard track in denying the value of the sporting community to wildlife stewardship in Vermont. It is intriguing that this handful of activists has the hubris to claim they speak for the general public. They don’t. They speak for the…
Most years when we’re on the threshold of a new year, I don’t think about resolutions I probably can’t keep. But I do contemplate my life as a writer as I put aside prior works and enter a new ever-changing writing landscape. I ask myself what I will write about and worry I will not honor my…
The windows of the old Buick are fogged over as my father winds his way through suburban New Jersey late on a 1950s Christmas night while I use my itchy wool cap to create a small viewing portal in the back window, praying the misty rain will eventually turn to snow but it never does. The
For almost 50 years, during the week before Christmas, I’ve been haunted by a spirit — the ghost of Charles Dickens, who rose from the grinding poverty of his childhood home to become England’s most famous writer. At the peak of his fame, crowds gathered at the wharves in New York, Boston an…
Those seeking to understand the challenges of providing health care to patients in rural areas of the United States need to look no farther than Vermont. I am proud to lead Rutland Regional Medical Center, the largest community hospital in the state, where we have the privilege of delivering…
It feels good to come together for the giving season. We welcome moments with family and friends. We build memories.
I totally agree that Israel has a right to defend its existence and its people and that all members of Hamas should be eliminated because of their war crimes, like their wanton killing of 1,200 innocent Israelis and their savage, sexual assaults on and tortures of live bodies.
At Thanksgiving, I baked an apple pie to bring to my daughter’s house for dinner. I made it from scratch, piled the Cortland apples high and got the sugar and cinnamon just right. The crust was picture perfect, and the pie was a hit.
Immigration is one of those thorny issues that has been in the news forever. The debate about how to control the influx of people coming into the United States has been ongoing through at least the past four presidents. It’s back again.
I don’t want to feel a crackle run up my chest when I breathe anymore. I noticed it a few years back when I got sick. Every time I took a breath, I felt my windpipes quake. I hated it then. I hate it now. I’m 21 years old, and I’m addicted to tobacco products.
The most dangerous book in the world is the Book of Revelation, also known by its Greek title “Apocalypse,” the last book of the Christian Bible. Not only is it the last book in the Bible, it is also the last book to be accepted into the Bible. It has always been a controversial text and it …
I’m sitting five feet from a fired up wood stove, the warmest place in a house that’s been without electricity and furnace for nearly three days, the second such outage in a couple of weeks and third in less than a year. A foot of heavy, wet snow and thousands of fallen branches and broken t…
The stakes are high for all parties taking sides in the Hamas-Israel conflict. The members of Vermont’s congressional delegation have certainly been leaning in a direction of a cease-fire and an end to the bloodshed for good. Israel has said it will not stop. And now the U.S. pledge to maint…
The heart of effective governance lies in the intricate task of problem-solving, an inherent aspect of policymaking, legislating, and governing in our democratic society. Regardless of our roles — whether on school boards, in the Legislature, or as the elected governor — it is imperative to …
Considering all the concerns Kevin McCarthy may have had mere weeks after a horde of GOP constituents stormed the Capitol and congressional Republicans were massing at the ramparts to defend what would become “The Big Lie,” the minority leader made an emergency trip to Mar-a-Lago because he’…
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the World Citizenship Movement.
Ready for some good news about nursing in Vermont? I bet you are. I know, reports haven’t always focused on the good news.
In Plainfield last month, residents there took to social media after a series of lights were seen in formation flying quickly across the evening sky. A debate ensued in the little central Vermont town that the lights were UFOs; others suggested fighter jets flying in formation to Burlington;…
In “The Valley of the Moon” outside San Pedro de Atacama in northern Chile not far from the Bolivian border, we gawk like strangers in a strange land, which we are, and have been since we left Vermont a month ago, marveling at as inhospitable an earthbound landscape as we’ve ever seen, comin…
For some time now, we have been talking about how, when all factors align, there will come a point when the population of taxpayers in Vermont can no longer afford to pay for the services required to run the state and educate our children.
Let’s get real about the most vital issue Americans face as we slowly march toward our dubious future as a nation.
”I have seen but one vessel in distress in all my years at sea. I never saw a wreck and never have been wrecked nor was I ever in any predicament that threatened to end in disaster of any sort.”
Although evangelical Christians in America are fervent supporters of Israel (including the war against Gaza), the actual teachings of Christian Zionism and its historical development are fundamentally antisemitic when more fully understood. This may seem counterintuitive, so here is an attem…
Which side are you on? As a child of two Holocaust survivors and a product of Jewish day schools and Zionist summer camps, I was brought up to love Israel unconditionally.
Last week, I ran into a former teaching colleague, and the conversation included our sadness over the war in Gaza. As we started on our separate ways, her parting line was, “It’s hard to be a Jew right now.”
The landscape of the vast Patagonian steppes streaks by, unchanging for hours: low, scrubby vegetation in every direction under a slate gray sky, extending well beyond a horizon that could easily be 100 miles distant or might go on forever. It’s evocative, I’m certain, steeped in ancient mys…
The members of Vermont’s congressional delegation took some hard line positions this week on the Israeli-Hamas war.
