Editorial

New bill may even the playing field for local news

There has been an unprecedented shift during the past 15 years in how news is distributed and consumed. That shift has been brought about the by the rapid expansion of high-speed internet access and the development of online platforms that have leveraged that access to grow their reach and...

VERAP: a lifeline to many

People often are at odds about how big state and federal governments should be and how much influence they should hold in our day-to-day lives. There are those who believe in government as an agent of change that can right many of modern society’s ills through laws, regulations, and the idea of...

Government plays catch- up with free enterprise

A couple of months ago we wrote about the housing conundrum caused in large part by short-term rentals. As app-based services like Airbnb and VRBO become more and more popular, more and more rental property owners have converted their units from long-term to short-term ones. That, in turn, has...

Back to school: EMS academy much needed

“Health care and emergency services has a pretty severe shortage of available employees. It’s not a good situation when it comes to emergency response.”
Marc Schauber, the recently appointed executive director of the new Vermont EMS Academy, hit the nail on the head when he said the above...

Progress and pushback from the first Labor Day to now

Monday is Labor Day, when America pauses to celebrate its workers and all their efforts in building this country. The day is also the traditional end of the summer season and is marked by a long weekend full of parades, parties, ball games, beaches, and a general mood of celebration.
...

Where are the workers?

When it comes to the workforce in Vermont, these are strange days, indeed.
The Vermont Department of Labor announced employment figures for July last week. The state had a record low unemployment rate of 2.1% for the month. On top of that, the participation rate of Vermonters in the...

Changes to dispatching services will risk lives and burden taxpayers

Vermont is headed for a significant change in the way many community police, fire, and rescue departments dispatch their personnel. Those agencies using the Vermont Department of Public Safety to answer emergency calls will need another option because the state wants to get out of the...

Primary results full of surprises across state

The 2022 Vermont primary is in the books. Voters went to the polls on Tuesday, and early results show that turnout across the state was higher than average. Much of that turnout is being attributed to wide open races on Democrat and Republican tickets.
Vermonters will have the final say...

Small state does have an impact

To the Editor,
As a resident of Vermont and a student intern with the Vermont Public Health Association, it was distressing to learn that some Vermonters believe that because our state is small, our efforts to combat climate change are futile. If smaller communities use their size as an...

Governor's new ride a good step for climate

Earlier this week we received a one-paragraph media advisory from Gov. Phil Scott’s office, advising about a photo opportunity. Every media outlet receives a constant barrage of pressers similar to this: “So and so will do such and such, and here’s when, where, and why.”
They generally...