The news lately is overflowing with concerns that social media is proving to be unsafe for some users, especially children.

This is what the Portland Press Herald had to say recently about Maine U.S. Sen. Angus King’s sounding the alarm on democracy in danger:

Two heated news events this week seem to represent causes for global concern.

The recent news from the Biden administration that travel restrictions will be lifted at the borders with Canada and Mexico starting in November for fully vaccinated travelers was welcome across Vermont. The lifting of the ban will effectively mark the reopening of the United States to trave…

In the 30 or so hours between the time the Vermont State Police first issued a news release about Emily Ferlazzo’s disappearance (at 2:35 a.m. on Tuesday) and the arraignment of Joseph Ferlazzo in his wife’s death on Wednesday, there was a statewide manhunt, a media briefing and five press r…

During the pandemic, there have been a record number of real estate transactions across New England. The COVID migration from population centers to safer (social distancing) rural areas like Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine led to unprecedented home sales during the past 18 months.

While protests and encampments, including one on the steps of the State House, are raising awareness to the homelessness crisis in Vermont, the Scott administration rolled out a plan to address the housing needs of vulnerable Vermonters.

For as excited as the world seemed to be that Captain Kirk finally made it to space, it was a prince who provided the proper perspective.

Most, if not all of Vermont just closed the window on peak fall foliage viewing. With any luck, you had the opportunity to pause and enjoy one of the most beautiful displays our state has to offer.

This is what The Omaha World-Herald had to say about the election lie being a danger that leaders must squelch:

The foliage is at peak, if you had not noticed. That means we are sharing space with a lot of non-Vermonters. Typically, we are quite grateful when folks “from away” stop by and drop their money at our shops and restaurants. Main Street loves tourist season.

There are some weeks where even we are feeling concerned about the news cycle. When it comes to crime, the last week has seemed unique. And while we can’t touch on all of the incidents, suffice it to say that veteran journalists who keep tabs on crime stories are befuddled by the range of the rage.

In the introduction to “The World-Ending Fire: The Essential Wendell Berry,” there is a quote from writer Paul Kingsworth: “In patience, in slowness, there is hope. In the places where we often deposit our hopes, meanwhile, there is less.”

This is what The State in Columbia, South Caroliona had to say about Sen. Lindsey Graham and Trump’s legacy:

The other day, we published a letter to the editor from someone who acknowledged that they were against the coronavirus vaccination and had not received it. The response within the community has been unfortunately unsurprising.

For sure, a lot of people were not happy Facebook and its products had a wee break on Monday.

This is what the Bangor Daily News had to say about making sure every citizen has easy access to COVID-19 testing:

A new survey is confirming what we already know to be true: COVID is taking a toll on our households.

When it comes to the board of trustees of the Vermont State Colleges System deciding that the name Vermont State University should now represent Castleton University, Northern Vermont University and Vermont Technical College, an adage comes to mind: “It it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

This is what The Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier had to say about Greenland’s melting ice and the East Coast coastline:

At a time when our state should be sending a welcoming message to refugees coming here from Afghanistan, we instead find ourselves fighting over democratic rights for the very people who might be coming here to live.

We may be days away from finding ourselves between a rock and a hard place. We need nurses. And not just here. It’s a nationwide problem.

Here is something we never thought we’d have to have an opinion on: We are for unplugged toilets.

In recent weeks, there have been several articles talking about the harsh effects the pandemic has had on Vermonters, especially when it comes to shifting incomes, feeding families and challenges facing the supply chain for products.

This is what The Miami Herald had to say on COVID-19 booster shots and confusion:

When somebody talks about mindfulness, they are usually talking about the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something, as in “their mindfulness of the wider picture.”

This is what the Hartford Courant had to say about he divisiveness of the nation:

In our interactions around the state, we have seen “that guy.”

This is what the Toronto Star had to say about U.S. values after Sept. 11, 2001:

A report last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that food insecurity in the United States last year remained level compared to pre-pandemic numbers.

One interesting outcome from the ongoing pandemic is that, at least according to the federal government, the share of people living in poverty in the United States fell to a record low last year.

This is what the Portland Press Herald had to say last week about the Maine CDC taking steps to speed up processing of COVID tests:

20 years later

Earlier this week, Barre’s police chief issued a brief news release indicating that over the last few weeks there have been six overdoses in the region, three of them fatal.

What were the three Vermont state troopers thinking?

This is what The Baltimore Sun had to say recently on prioritizing a new voting rights act:

Across the nation, states are struggling how to provide rental relief after more than a year and a half of COVID-19. There are programs that can help Vermonters with overdue utility bills and rent — along with help to apply to them. Local officials have said the programs have more capacity t…

Earlier this week, the State Department reported that more than 23,000 Afghan refugees deemed to be “at risk” have arrived in the United States. By all accounts, that represents more than one-sixth of all the evacuees airlifted out of Kabul in the past two months, a State Department represen…

In our interview last week with former governor Peter Shumlin, he listed a handful of lessons that were learned as a result of Tropical Storm Irene, which devastated Vermont a decade ago last week.

This is what the Boston Globe had to say about the state backsliding on COVID-19 data transparency:

This is what the Portland Press Herald in Maine had to say about anti-mask parents and the lessons they are teaching their kids:

This week marks the 10-year anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene’s devastating visit to Vermont. Nearly every community was — in one way or another — impacted, whether it was loss of life, property or infrastructure.

Three stories entered the news cycle that have heads reeling.

Less than an hour before Gov. Phil Scott was scheduled to start his weekly news conference, Democratic House Speaker Jill Krowinski called on the Republican governor and his administration to take additional steps toward mitigating the spread of COVID-19. About a half-hour later, Senate Pres…

You know summer is unofficially coming to a close when local towns and school committees start scheduling public meetings on a regular basis again. The summer holiday is over; time to hunker down; roll up sleeves; and get back to the local issues at hand.

For months, businesses and leaders around Montpelier have been pleading with the state to bring state workers back to state offices in the Capital City. The city of about 8,000 residents relies on the 20,000 or so individuals who used to commute to Montpelier and then eat and shop.

Decades ago, Helen and Scott Nearing decided to leave their cushy city lives to create a life of self-sufficiency in Vermont. They made famous “The Good Life,” and for decades served as the standard bearers for a self-sufficiency movement in America. They made it seem amazing and exciting. M…

Governor, we feel the time has come.

So, Vermont, how are we doing? Well, if we’re to take the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau to heart, we need to be doing a lot better. A lot.