Editorial

Transitions can be difficult, but friendships will survive

As with any business, The Deerfield Valley News has always had employees who have come and stayed a while, contributed much, and moved on to other opportunities. We feel fortunate that, almost always, we part on good terms and wish them well with their next adventure. And we’re particularly proud...

WSWSU has come a long way in two years

Last week we reported on a recent meeting of the Windham Southwest Supervisory Union board with the headline “WSWSU will start year with a deficit, despite projected end-of-year surplus.”
During the meeting, the superintendent told board members that the supervisory union was expected to...

In the darkness, a little light shines from Montpelier

While it may seem that much of the country is hard at work dismantling our democratic institutions, chipping away at voter rights and access, and undermining the very foundations of our representative democracy, we might pause to thank the Vermont Legislature for taking steps to strengthen...

A new general store, and a village’s economic viability

Jacksonville, some 7 miles south of Wilmington, is about to get a new general store. It sounds like a parochial story that may not be of much interest to anyone other than the approximately 220 people who live in the village. But it has a lot in common with that of other small communities...

No Kings protesters to express justified dissent

On Saturday, the center of Wilmington is likely to be filled with several hundred people waving signs protesting what they see as the Trump administration’s disregard for democratic norms, its efforts to round up immigrants alleged to be living in the United States illegally, and its intolerance...

A Town Meeting primer

This piece is adapted from information on the website of Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas. For more information and state government resources, visit sos.vermont.gov/elections/election-info-resources/town-meeting-local-elections.
On Town Meeting Day, the first Tuesday in...

Wilmington Town Meeting voters have a chance to cut costs while going green

On Town Meeting day, Wilmington voters will see an Australian ballot question asking them to approve a $350,000 bond to fund the installation of a solar array on top of Wilmington’s public safety building on Beaver Street.
It may seem counterintuitive, but it appears that in this case, voting...

With vision, an albatross can become an opportunity

For the last several weeks, we’ve been following upcoming school closure votes in the area, those in Marlboro and Readsboro. We’ve also been following a conversation about school reconfiguration in Wardsboro and Dover. One reason we’re so focused on the proposed school closures is that they may be...

Vermonters should show their “ubuntu”

Over the last several weeks, The Deerfield Valley News has put a Klieg light on immigration and immigration issues relevant to southern Vermont.
One of the things we’ve learned recently is that Afrikaners will be resettled in southern Vermont – including the Deerfield Valley – very soon....

Rural education not likely to see a rebound

This week we reported on the possible closure of two elementary schools in our area. Reporter Lauren Harkawik provided updated reporting on Marlboro’s agonizing decision to recommend the closure of its elementary school. It seems pretty clear from her reporting that nobody in Marlboro is happy...