I am deeply disappointed with the manner in which the attorney general has addressed Kiah Morris’ request for an investigation.

The Friday, Jan. 18, Herald featured a story stating that the “System failed Kiah Morris.” It wasn’t the system. It was all of us who are willing to give tacit permission for racism and hatred to go unchecked in our state. I realize that some people believe that, “There is no problem. We are…

Having spent a lot of time traveling the country, I believe Vermont’s political system is the most democratic of any of the 50 states — a state where each Vermonter really does have a say in what goes on around them. We are far from perfect, but we are closer to perfect than anyone else.

Having spent a lot of time traveling the country, I believe Vermont’s political system is the most democratic of any of the 50 states — a state where each Vermonter really does have a say in what goes on around them. We are far from perfect, but we are closer to perfect than anyone else.

Recently, I appeared on WSYB’s talk show “Community Matters” and told Mike Cameron and his audience that I was announcing my intention to run for re-election as mayor of the City of Rutland for another two-year term this coming March.

Two years ago, the Legislature created a six-member commission to assess the 50 years of experience with Vermont’s Land Use Control Act and “assess, to the extent feasible, the positive and negative outcomes of Act 250’s implementation from 1970 to 2017.” The commission was charged with deve…

Personally, I feel compelled to respond to the “editorial” of the Rutland Herald stating why Bernie Sanders “should not” run for president in 2020, and it is an editorial against Bernie Sanders. All that is missing is who the candidate is whom the newspaper is supporting by “trashing” Bernie.

Regarding a recent Letter to the Editor (Friday, Jan. 4, “Need more news coverage of mosquito threat”), a board member from the Brandon-Leicester-Salisbury-Goshen-Pittsford (BLSG) Mosquito Control District (MCD) claimed that the Zika virus was found in mosquitoes in Vermont (“Last summer, Ve…

U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., issued the following address on the Senate floor on day 13 of the partial government shutdown:

As you know, 2019 is a constitutional amendment year, with the next not being until 2023. For this reason, I ask, on behalf of a broad constituency of Vermonters, for your consideration of, and assistance in, amending our Vermont Constitution beginning this coming legislative session.

Generally, right about now, we list out the expectations we have of ourselves for the coming year — the fresh start we so crave. It’s what drives Catholics to confession and rock stars to rehab. The symbolic purge of all that’s bad in us, creating space for new, enlightened ideas, diets, hab…

Last Tuesday’s the day I talked to a deer. Yes, I did. It started back at our store when we got a call from the local church for some balsam boughs for its holiday services. It was cold, frigid, when I activated the glow plugs on th’old Kubota and after a couple attempts, she sputtered to li…

During Thanksgiving, I was hanging out with a couple of millennials who happen to share my name. It seemed, whenever a question came up in a conversation or there was a need to confirm a fact, one of these guys would quickly look up information on his smart phone.

Imagine you’re being wheeled into surgery when you pass your doctor talking to the anesthesiologist. “The trouble with this hospital,” he says as he tosses your chart aside, “is we’re preoccupied with medical care. We spend all our time trying to make sick people better.”

Generally, right about now, we list out the expectations we have of ourselves for the coming year — the fresh start we so crave. It’s what drives Catholics to confession and rock stars to rehab. The symbolic purge of all that’s bad in us, creating space for new, enlightened ideas, diets, hab…

This editorial appeared first in the Providence Journal:

I was appalled to read a commentary by John McClaughry in the Dec. 7 edition of the Manchester Journal called “That really scary climate report.” Appalled because after accurately quoting the U.S. government’s National Climate Assessment report, he falsely stated that there is a “debate” as …

Every year, right around the time of our one annual fundraising benefit, “Festival of Trees” (this past Dec. 1), I engage in an annual meditation by rewatching the Frank Capra classic, ‘It’s A Wonderful Life.’ The film is set in a New England town called Bedford Falls and deals not only with…

Anxiously lurching up the icy driveway after a month away, our first impression was that losing almost 100 degrees in transition was not only palpable but might take some serious adjustment. And even though we’d regularly monitored the frigid Vermont November while traveling, the house itsel…

I am writing as a follow-up to the story on the Regional Marketing Initiative, to provide important updates unavailable to the reporter at the time.

When people hear of the Rutland Young Professionals, often the first thing that comes to mind are our monthly Mixes. These are opportunities to check out a cool business or organization, meet awesome new people, try some great food and potentially win some neat swag. What more could you ask …

This time of year can be very stressful. Last weekend, I decided to be proactive with my holiday anxiety and research the calming effects of meditation. On Saturday morning, I sat down with a newly purchased “Meditation for Dummies” book to learn how to meditate.

Have you ever noticed that the loudest voice in the room is — frequently enough — emerging from someone so convinced of their own intellect that it leaves you speculating that maybe they’re incapable of feeling embarrassment? Well, it turns out that they very well may not be, because they’re…

Peter Berger’s recent commentary on the subject of violence in this country touched briefly on the changes in our society that have coincided with the rise in these occurrences. I believe this country needs to have a serious discussion on the subject of culture.

Place permeates everything. It’s a marker of culture, habits, pastimes, shared hopes and shared tragedy. It forms communities and lays out priorities for education. Place provides shared experiences and landscapes: vistas, lakes, stands of maples, green pastures and slate quarries. It bonds …

One thing you can usually plan on here in our state of Vermont is that Murphy guy; you know, of “If anything can go wrong, it will” fame.

The holiday season has arrived and brings not only celebrations, presents and decorations but also concerns for pet safety. There are many dangers to be aware of as you begin to celebrate this year. These includes specific types of plants, certain foods and even decorations.

I was talking to a friend about the holidays, and he commented that this time of year makes him think of two things: lots of food and an uncle who can’t resist telling painful puns at family gatherings. “I’ll bet you could write a column about food and bad puns,” he suggested. “In fact, I ch…

Our Select Board is to be commended for calling a special informational meeting of townspeople on Dec. 17 to discuss the proposed full-time recreation director position; it would be difficult for them to vet this proposal in time for voters to know what the ramifications are without a public…

Most Vermonters would agree that the varied seasons are an essential backdrop to the quality of life in Vermont: the breathtaking colors of our forests in the fall, the winter snows that let us ski, sled and warm up in front of the fire, maple syrup and muddy roads in the spring and cooling …

Vermont is known as a progressive safe haven. However, some of our citizens struggle to connect personal experience to this sentiment.

Our cherished small town way of life is going to pot and ironically, pot might be able to save it. There are a number of meetings across the state asking for input on what to do with revenues from the legal taxation of cannabis.

After an almost month-long slide into the darkest days of the year, mercifully punctuated by early snows which, like it or not, tend to reflect what meager light there is, we arrive at the foreboding start to the holiday season. That our most festive and to many, sacred and religious time of…

I read with wonder and amusement a critique of my view of history. Did I miss something regarding the study of history? I had to look it up. I Googled “history,” and this is what I found.

The respect, even adulation, accorded to writers and artists just because they are good at what they do seems to me misplaced and, in some cases, destructive. It’s a common human frailty to value the opinions of a writer, say, who just happens to have a talent for putting words together bril…

My dad died last month at the age of 88. I couldn’t possibly convey what an amazing person he was in an 800-word column, so today I thought I would write about just one of the many things I learned from him. My dad taught me the importance of being able to laugh at yourself.

The autumn harvest is complete and the season for giving thanks is here. Thanksgiving offers time for family and friends to reconnect, pause and enjoy a few hours together over a meal. As we picture our nation’s fields, forests and barns and the people who work within them, we thank our Verm…

I ran for elective office a couple of Tuesdays ago.

Boy, do dogs ever have it made — no bills to pay, cards to write, beds to make — wait a dog-gone minute. They do make beds. In fact, they’re quite precise about that process. It’s not that they’re particular about location — the living room rug or hard maple floor, cold porch or even a dog-l…

This is in response to the recent commentary by George Simpson (Oct. 3) where he states that Robert E. Lee and all Confederates are “traitors” and do not deserve to be honored by statues. How cowardly is it to judge long-departed people, who can no longer defend themselves, as unworthy of respect?

Everyone needs recognition once in a while. Our local school support staff have demanding (and sometimes, thankless) jobs, and we don't always hear that "thank you." As a current Vermont NEA Board director and the 2017 Vermont NEA ESP of the Year, I am trying to spread the word about ESP (Ed…

As in all elections, there were many winners and losers on Tuesday – but one of the biggest winners in Vermont was the environment.

The former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Thomas “Tip” O’Neill (D), used to say that “All politics is local.” In his time as speaker (1977-1987) this may have been true.

November is National Adoption Awareness Month. Friends in Adoption, a community resource located in Poultney and working throughout the country, is bringing awareness to the impact of the opioid crisis on adoption.