Editorial

School consolidation a retread from the state?

The next wave of public school reform appears to be building in the Legislature, ready to wash over Vermont and solve the seemingly always-escalating drama of educating our children.
This past Friday, the House passed H.545, calling it their “Education Transformation Plan.” If it...

Locals continue to roll up their sleeves and help

One of the great things about living here in the valley is how people in the community come together to get things done. A week ago reporter Lauren Harkawik wrote a story about one such effort, highlighting how families in Dover and Wardsboro came together to resurrect an elementary school...

Mother Nature is not fooling around with the weather ups and downs

It’s a little early for an April Fool’s joke, but it might seem that the weather has been more than a little playful recently. Residents around the valley were fooled by a spell of warm weather during the middle of March.
That rush of moderate temperatures might have triggered thoughts...

Media and watchdogs still play a crucial role

This is Sunshine Week, the annual awareness campaign in which media and partners join together to promote openness and transparency in government at all levels, from local up to the federal government. Regular readers of this column may recall that retired Sen. Patrick Leahy and former secretary...

Much more than spring is in the air

Well, it’s finally here.
No, we’re not talking about spring, even though the warm weather this week has been a welcome respite following the cold, snowy days of January and February.
What has finally arrived in Vermont is a case of the measles.
There have been reported...

Town Meeting turnout and school budgets change over the years

Town Meeting is just beginning to recede in the rearview mirror. When considering what took place in local towns and around Vermont on Tuesday, a few things stand out.
First, it would appear that turnout was light to moderate. That wasn’t unexpected, considering there was no presidential...

Town Meeting a time to learn about Statehouse

As Vermonters head into Town Meeting week, it seems important to remind folks to not just pay attention to what is happening with their local town government or school district. There are things going on at the Statehouse in Montpelier that could have a significant impact on the day-to-day lives...

Town Meeting is still a unique local tradition

Town Meeting day is less than two weeks away, on Tuesday, March 4. Town Meeting is best described as one of the purest forms of direct democracy.
Why is that? Well, for one, residents of a town or district gather to vote on articles that will govern their community for the coming year....

What would George and Abe have to say?

Presidents Day is Monday, and the entire weekend and week that follows is considered a holiday period by many in this country. Presidents Day itself was created to celebrate the birthdays of the United States’ first president, George Washington, and the 16th president, Abraham Lincoln.
...

Orders: Take a breath, don’t take the bait

Political observers and members of the media have had their heads on a swivel since the beginning of the Trump administration. In less than three weeks, President Donald Trump has enacted dozens of executive orders designed to fulfill election campaign promises of dismantling federal agencies:...