Since people boast that living in this world is a gift, why does it cost anything — or should I say, loads — to live? Sorry, but humans need to get their acts together — not just in this sense, but in other ways. I won't go further, since individuals are aware of their negative habits. Yes, …

This morning, as I sat at my keyboard, the phone rang four times, as it does at every meal and mealtime all over this nation, with unsolicited calls that ignore the do-not-call mandate.

June 1994: We are in Manhattan visiting family, and decide to head downtown to visit a street fair in the village for an outing. It turns out to be an unusual outing, with amazing people-watching. Cheer and goodwill on the streets. Lots of carefully shaped beards and men holding hands — open…

This poor beleaguered president, bunkered under Barr and the Republican palace guard, tweeting his trademark playground-style insults and vengeance, stonewalling, defying congressional oversight, hating the Mueller report, and praising the Barr-version Mueller report, must be aware in some p…

On behalf of the Springfield School Board, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank those who supported the budget in the recent vote. This will allow our administrators and teachers to continue the important work of educating our children.

I am happy to see so many lawns with dandelions growing abundantly. The fish and wildlife is helpful and some folks are listening. Bees are important to improve the quality of life, as important are spiders, lady bugs, worms, dragonflies and bats.

Once more into the breach? Saudi Arabia, a wealthy oil kingdom, has come under attack. They have munitions and planes they've purchased from the United States and they want the U.S. to launch a surgical attack to defend their oil supplies and profits. It behooves us to protect their assets w…

In Vermont, pot is legal to possess and even grow, but you cannot purchase it legally and if you try to, you'll be busted for illegal sales of pot.

Vermont's own Republican governor is playing little head games with legislators. He won't commit to any of the priority bills legislators have crafted and will pass on to him for his signature: legal pot sales markets, minimum wage increase to $15 an hour, paid family leave, gun sales waitin…

On May 6 or 7 (last week), I was at the Gleason Road recycling center when some members of a family brought in three really nice bicycles: one girl's, one boy's and another youth size. I looked them over and found them all to be in great condition, so I loaded them onto my truck and brought …

The Herald’s recent editorial commented on presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’ proposals to boost small family farms. It is interesting that, in health care, he has advocated for just the opposite. He has consistently pushed for more large, bureaucratic and costly community health centers…

The three branches of our federal government were created to carry out specific functions, and to keep each other true to their purpose. Both the executive and legislative branches supposedly represent the majority of the voting public and are, therefore, partisan. But the judicial was desig…

Congratulations to Girls on the Run, an amazing program that encourages young girls to be all that they can be. Hundreds of third- to fifth-grade (Girls on the Run) and sixth- to eighth-grade (Heart and Soul) girls from all over Rutland County and beyond gathered at the annual event at Dave …

The Daily News' rotten article about the Red Sox, as a racist team because some players chose not to attend the visit to the White House, was pure BS, plain and simple. Casting a sports team as racist is nasty and in this case, wrong. Whatever their history way back in 1900, for any organiza…

Ya gotta love it — our Rutland community.

Trump and his handpicked patsy, William Barr, are doing everything in their power to prevent the American people from knowing the full and complete truth.

Vermont State Police Trooper Hashim quit the force and will stay on as a legislator. He has spoken out against saliva testing for pot and is for criminal justice reform. Is this a problem for him as a trooper? These "issues" can, and will, determine his future. I think he has guts and will d…

Sen. Bernie Sanders must be really hard up to instill a law that allows murderers, rapists and thieves the right to vote when they caused harm and terror on humanity. I find it hard to believe Sen. Sanders would allow a prisoner waiting to be executed, or another prisoner who is in prison fo…

Kesha Ram opened her recent Herald op-ed with the assertion that “white men” have had too much say about abortion.

The Lip Sync Battle benefiting Wonderfeet Kids' Museum was held at the Paramount last weekend. It was a tremendous success. This amazing event brought hundreds of people downtown and generated an enormous amount of energy and excitement.

I read both your papers and that of the Berkshire Eagle. I do so not so much to be informed but to gauge partisan bias.

Now comes the bad news on our Social Security system and Medicare, Trump and his crew with dire warnings about the failure of the systems.

I remember growing up in the 1970s. I often see pictures on the television about the 1970s. These pictures show a gritty, grimy New York City.

It appears to me that another supposed science fiction writer is right again. This morning, with the temperature at 66 degrees and bright sunlight, the dandelions were in their golden glory, hundreds of them in full bloom on my lawn.

Our college dilemma could, if treated properly, be a godsend to the towns involved.

April was a busy month for ARC Rutland Area.

Last Sunday (April 28), The Sparkle Barn in Wallingford held its opening for the Mill River Unified Union School District art show. The event showcased the artwork of students from each of the five schools of MRUUSD. Parents, students, MRUUSD staff and community members visited to see the ar…

The Bennington-Rutland Supervisory Union's 4th annual Community Clean Up was a great success on April 28 in the communities of Danby, Mount Tabor, Pawlet and Rupert. Traditionally, we hold this event before Green Up Day as a kick-off for spring and the betterment of the communities we are a …

The Vermont Legislature is limping to the finish line and with numerous bills still up in the air, they may never finish their work this session.

Marvelous, soul-moving, spirited, well-blended, a distinct challenge to some professional groups — it is difficult to describe the combined talents of the Rutland High School Jazz Band members and their teacher, Mr. Brent Barnett.

The Vermont Legislature is considering passing a very important bill, S.113, the most comprehensive environmental bill on plastic pollution in the nation. The S.113, if passed, will ban plastic straws, plastic bags and polystyrene (styrofoam) altogether.

Where can you find a job you really enjoy, work three days a week, be respected and treated like royalty with no chance of being fired? This job includes three to four months off per year with pay, free travel and a lucrative pension vested after 10 years. You also have the freedom to look f…

So, every six months or so, I head down in the basement where I store my 500 or so albums on vinyl. I have what I call “analog days,” and was looking for a few albums to spin. I flipped past Poco, Iron Butterfly, Ten Years After, The Airplane, Creedence, etc.

Howard Dean is at it again. The article, "Howard Dean takes on new political projects," (VTDigger, April 28) explains this new quest. This guy never will learn that he is finished in politics. Now he is trying to go back to work for the Dem Party as a data exchange expert to figure out voter…

Why is capitalism failing to provide for all Americans? Modern capitalism can be traced back to Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations."

For those concerned about the environment, there is action to take today. Support S.113, an act that bans single-use plastic bags and expanded polystyrene food containers, and makes straws available only at the request of customers. This bill, originated and unanimously passed in the Senate,…

April 30 is National Therapy Animal Day — a day to celebrate the companion animals in our lives that volunteer in our community and help make Rutland County a wonderful place to live. Therapy animals and their handlers visit in hospitals, assisted living facilities and schools.

Regarding pedestrian safety, this month marks the six-year anniversary of the hit and run death of Jane Outslay, and there doesn't seem to have been a significant improvement to the area. A bump-out was installed but I'm not sure why, or how that helps.

I was at a meeting the other night, and they served pizza. There were three huge pizza boxes, which could not be recycled because they were not clean. Same for the paper cups and plates, due to a coating on them. I guess the box tops could have been cut off, because they were clean.

Recently, the City of Rutland Board of Aldermen decided to pay $30,000 to have bump-outs installed in a section of the city of Rutland. I have two issues with this.

Tax help was so very helpful. I usually use a national company to prepare my tax returns and even though I was given a discount, it was still more than $150 each year. A friend told me that BROC Community Action was able to prepare tax returns for people. Wow, after a one-hour meeting, my re…

I was dismayed to see (in the April 20 edition of the Rutland Herald) that the former Rutland Railroad car on display at the Vermont Farmers Food Center has been vandalized. Despite the progress made with the initiatives of Project VISION and the ongoing revitalization of Rutland's downtown,…

I would like to express my gratitude to the entire staff and management of the Rutland Library for allowing our group, The Meadow Brook Duo, the use of the Nella Grimm Fox Room earlier this month for our inaugural concert. It was heartwarming to see so many of our friends and neighbors in th…

"Wow! $31 million for a school budget. Why so much? When I was younger, it didn't cost so much."

I am likely the sorriest excuse for a native Vermonter that the town of Proctor or the state of Vermont has ever produced. That said, I proclaim my self-appointed status as an everlasting tourist.

Have you ever thought about what happens to balloons drifting skyward after a festive release at a party?

Sadie Stetson was named 2018-19 Vermont Girls Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year for the third year in a row, recognizing the St. Johnsbury Academy senior as the top player in the state. She helped lead her team to their repeat Division I championship, defeating Champlain Valley Union Hi…

Finally, after years and years of inaction, the Vermont Legislature is stepping up to help support low-income weatherization by proposing a 2-cent-per-gallon surcharge on delivered fuels like propane and heating oil. We all should applaud the legislators who developed and are supporting this…

Thanks to the beautiful downtown space provided by Mark Foley and the well-done recurrent ads provided by George Nostrand and his co-workers at the Rutland Herald, the Rutland AARP TaxAide site had its best season since the site started back in the year 2000. We serve, for the most part, eld…

Kudos to Trevor MacKay and Maya Sobel, the two young folks who wrote the commentary, ”Rutland high school and politics,” published in the April 9 edition of the Rutland Herald.