Features

A window into Judaism

Several weeks ago my friend the Rev. Ralph Howe wrote a letter to the editor of this paper about the growing need for community. His words stayed with me, and they made me think about a core Jewish tradition that embodies that need: the minyan. A minyan is a quorum, a gathering of 10 Jewish...

This week in history

10 years ago: In an op-ed, Gov. Peter Shumlin made the case for “a smarter approach on marijuana in Vermont.” Vermont had just decriminalized marijuana possession, and Shumlin called for a measured and methodical approach to legalization of marijuana for adult consumption. “We can lift the veil...

This Week in History - March 12-18

10 years ago: Sue and Al Wurzberger celebrated the 50th anniversary of their 1836 Country Store. The Wurzbergers put a down payment on the key village building in 1965 during a visit to Sue Wurzberger’s uncle. At the time, Al Wurzberger was an officer in the Army Corps of...

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...