Features

Laura Stevenson One-Minute Book Reviews

Historical thriller set in Vietnam war era

Lyn Bixby, “The Pacifist” Rootstock Publishing, 2026
This fast-paced historical thriller is set in 1968; it focuses upon protesters against the Vietnam war and the draft. As the book opens, Lisa Thompson, a back-to-the-lander bucking cordwood at her grandparents’ old...

Rep. Laura Sibilia

Legislative Update: Let’s avoid legal confusion and false expectations

I have heard from Vermonters, many of them outside the Windham-2 district I represent, about H.355, often called the “Defend the Guard Act.” I believe that outreach is happening in part because I come from a military family and serve as co-chair of the Vermont National Guard and Veterans Affairs...

This Week in History March 5 - 11

10 years ago:
Readsboro voters rejected their school budget, despite a budget that was lower by $11,000 and a lower projected school tax rate. During the annual school district meeting the previous evening, some voters questioned salary increases that were included in the...

Reader, will he marry her?

Betsy Vereckey, “Moving to My Dog’s Hometown: Stories of Everything I Didn’t Know I Wanted.” Rootstock Publishing, 2026.
During the first year of Becky Vereckey’s marriage, she and her husband decide they want a puppy. Research into breeders leads them to Susan and Jake, “a quirky middle-aged...

This Week in HIstory: February 12 - 18

10 years ago:
Unusually warm weather gave local maple syrup producers an early start. Roy Corse, whose family has been sugaring since 1868, said it was the earliest sap run recorded in the farm’s production records, which date back to 1918. Corse said the early freeze/thaw...

This Week in History February 5 - 11

10 years ago:
Thieves broke into the Whitingham Community Church. According to police, the burglars stole a number of items including two sterling silver cups and a silver baptismal bowl. Rev. John Brigham expressed concern for the person or persons who committed the act,...

Sadawga ice anglers brave cold in annual derby to aid fire department

WHITINGHAM- On Whitingham’s frozen Sadawga Lake, the air temperature was about four degrees at 9 am on Saturday, January 31, but Barry Smith was having fun catching fish from holes drilled through 18 inches of ice. Smith was one of an estimated 250 to 300 people who were expected to compete in...

Windham-6 Rep. Emily Carris Duncan

Legislative Update: We should learn from Minnesota's example and get involved

As we sit on the precipice of our 250th anniversary in this country, the American people’s social contract is faltering. Killing citizens like Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota. Deporting unaccompanied minors. Detaining and disappearing people to Third World countries. Letting people die...

Claudette Hollenbeck

Aging in Place: Time to restore basic honor, order, trust

I have been mulling over the content of this article for years, trying to think of a way to communicate the ideas herein without upsetting readers or providing material to goose up a lynch mob. My daughter calls me a cynic. I think of myself as a realist. I am neither religious or spiritual. I...

From left to right: Karina Martin and Ryan Holton pose for a photo with their sons Deke and Brek after receiving the Boys Recreational Coach of the Year award from the Vermont Soccer Association.

Karina Martin named Coach of the Year

Twin Valley Youth Sports soccer coach honored at awards gala
WILMINGTON—Karina Martin was honored at the Vermont Soccer Association annual awards gala in Burlington on December 5, as the 2025 Boys Recreational Soccer Coach of the Year.
According to a press release...