Refugee resettlement agency opens community center in Bennington

Kimya Mohammadyar (left) and her daughter Shugoofa Jamaluddin (second from left) relocated to Bennington last week with two other family members. Photo by Tiffany Tan/VTDigger BENNINGTON — A refugee resettlement agency has opened a community center in Bennington, nearly two years after it began relocating Afghans to the southwestern Vermont town. The Ethiopian Community Development…

Kathleen James: Sticker shock! Understanding the Dec. 1 property tax letter

This commentary is by Rep. Kathleen James, D-Manchester, who serves as assistant majority leader in the Vermont House.  On the last day of November, the annual “Dec. 1 Letter” was published by the Vermont Department of Taxes.  This year’s letter landed with a bang, as Tax Commissioner Craig Bolio predicted that Vermonters might see an…

Allie Stickney: Setting the record straight on UVM Health Network’s commitment to community and good governance

This commentary is by Allie Stickney, of Shelburne, the chair of the UVM Health Network’s board of trustees. I was frustrated and disappointed as I read Bill Schubart’s latest of several pieces criticizing the University of Vermont Health Network, an organization I’ve been honored to serve for more than 10 years, most recently as chair…

New details in state’s lawsuit against Meta allege concerted effort to target Vermont teens, avoid public scrutiny

Attorney General Charity Clark speaks during a press conference at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Jan. 25. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger New details released Thursday in the Vermont Attorney General’s lawsuit against Meta describe how the tech giant studied teenagers in Vermont as part of efforts to make its social media platform Instagram more addictive…

Michelle Bos-Lun: It’s time for a Vermont State Mushroom 

This commentary is by Rep. Michelle Bos-Lun, D-Westminster. A secondary school teacher, she is in her second term representing Westminster, Rockingham and Brookline in the Vermont House. I recently submitted a bill to create the Vermont State Mushroom after consulting with some important stakeholders: the elementary students of Windham Elementary School and the middle school…

Fran Brock: No one is listening

This commentary is by Fran Brock, of Burlington, a retired high school history teacher.  I almost failed my college music appreciation class. I totally appreciated the music; I just couldn’t hear the differences between and among an assortment of orchestrations. Realizing that I was on the verge of failing, I brought the piece we were…

Brattleboro to take McNeill’s Brewery land

This story by Virginia Ray was first published by The Commons on Dec. 13. Workers from Renaud Bros. in Vernon demolish the remains of the McNeill’s Brewery on Dec. 3, 2022. File photo by Jeff Potter/The Commons Nearly a year to the day after fire destroyed McNeill’s Brewery and took the life of its iconic…

Matt Wormser: We need an Act 46 for municipal government in Vermont

This commentary is by Matt Wormser of Shelburne. He serves on the Shelburne Selectboard.  We’re well into budget season for selectboards around the state, including here in Shelburne, where I serve as a board member. And so begins the annual balancing act of trying to disappoint as few constituents as possible by not funding some…

Letter to the editor: Vermont can’t build its way out of its housing crisis

In the real world, it’s an affordability crisis caused by excessive demand driving prices beyond the reach of middle- and low-income Vermonters. After reading the commentary in VTDigger by Secretary of Commerce Lindsay Kurrle and Secretary of Human Resources Jenney Samuelson, I understand better why Vermont’s housing crisis is so bad. It’s because the administration…

State agency recommends requiring Vermont sheriffs to hold top police certification

Judge Joel Page swears in Lamoille County Sheriff Roger Marcoux in 2019. File photo by Tommy Gardner/News and Citizen The Vermont Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs is recommending that sheriffs be required to hold the state’s top police certification.  Under current state law, sheriffs do not need to be certified law enforcement officers. But…

Chris Bradley: Legislators make laws Chittenden County ignores

This commentary is by Chris Bradley of Northfield. He is the president, executive director and a registered lobbyist for the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs. In reading Vermont statutes, one becomes aware of terms such as “shall” and “may.” When you see a statute that describes a crime and it stipulates that something “shall” happen,…

Principal faces criticism as Norwich school sees significant teacher turnover

A student takes a lap around the Marion Cross School grounds after she and her mother rode their bikes to school in Norwich on Sept. 22, 2011. File photo by Sarah Priestap/Valley News This article by Alex Hanson was first published in the Valley News on Dec. 9. Among teaching jobs in the Upper Valley,…

Andy Robinson: Sorting anti-Zionism from antisemitism

This commentary is by Andy Robinson of Plainfield, who serves on the board of Beth Jacob Synagogue in Montpelier. This piece represents his personal perspective, not that of the board or congregation, whose members hold a diverse mix of opinions on this complex topic. In the wake of ongoing hostilities in the Middle East, a…

Priscilla Carr: Vermonters with obesity deserve better access to treatment

This commentary is by Dr. Priscilla Carr, an internal medicine specialist with the University of Vermont Health Network who has practiced primary care in Barre for more than 20 years.  Lately it seems like everyone has heard of Ozempic or Wegovy, powerful medications being used for weight loss. As an internal medicine physician who works…

State seeks to buy flood-prone Morristown property, keep it wild

The Avery property on Duhamel Road in Morristown, after getting flooded with four feet of water in July. Courtesy photo This story by Tommy Gardner was first published in the News & Citizen on Dec. 7.The Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife plans to buy a riverside property in Morristown that has frequently flooded over…

Laura Sibilia: About the December 1 letter

This commentary is by Rep. Laura H. Sibilia, an independent from Dover who also represents Readsboro, Searsburg, Somerset, Stamford, Wardsboro and Whitingham.  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,…

David Moats: In the era of artificial intelligence, the human element is lost

Revelations that Sports Illustrated published stories written by artificial intelligence and authored by an artificially contrived writer with a phony name and thumbnail portrait were astonishing evidence of the degradation of some segments of the media in the era of AI. Sports Illustrated was at one time a venerated publication. As a teenager, I subscribed,…

Bill Schubart: It’s time for the UVM Health Network board to talk with the people it serves

The stated mission of the University of Vermont Health Network is “to improve the health of the people in the communities we serve by integrating patient care, education, and research in a caring environment.” The hospital network’s “Statement of Values” continues: “We respect the dignity of all individuals and are responsive to their physical, emotional,…

Many Vermont mutual aid efforts born during Covid-19 continue their work

Residents of the South Meadows neighborhood in Burlington gather free produce from the People’s Farmstand on June 30. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Toward the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, one thing was made quickly and strikingly clear: To survive a crisis, people need each other. For the thousands of Vermonters who helped galvanize a swell…

Champlain Valley School District questions Black Lives Matter flag

The Black Lives Matter and United States flags fly at half mast at Hinesburg Community School in remembrance of the people who have been killed by Covid-19. Photo by Scooter MacMillan/The Shelburne News This story by Corey McDonald was first published by The Shelburne News on Dec. 7.  School board members with the Champlain Valley…

‘Partisan hit-job’: Franklin County sheriff’s attorney blasts impeachment inquiry 

Franklin County Sheriff John Grismore in St. Albans on Aug. 2. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger An attorney representing Franklin County Sheriff John Grismore blasted the Vermont House committee investigating whether Grismore should be impeached in a letter to its chair on Friday, calling the inquiry “autocratic” and an effort at “supplanting the will of the…

Wildlife crossing to connect Green Mountains moves forward

An artist’s rendering of a state project to create new wildlife corridor beneath Interstate 89 in western Waterbury, which has received federal funding for design. Credit: Vermont Department of Transportation / Vermont Department of Transportation In western Waterbury, two large sections of the Green Mountain National Forest — one 72,000 acres, and the other 54,000…

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