Editorial

A silver lining in Gov. Scott’s press conferences

Lisa Loomis is editor of the Valley Reporter in Waitsfield and president of the Vermont Press Association In the midst of this time of self-isolation and social distancing during COVID-19 our lives have changed in so many ways that it’s hard to keep up.
A lot of these changes have been...

It's too early to declare victory in virus battle

“We’re not declaring victory, and we’re not out of the woods yet, but we are seeing some daylight. We’ll only continue to see these positive numbers if Vermonters remain committed to social distancing, staying six feet away from others, wearing masks, and washing hands a lot. If we continue to do...

Freedom of expression is something we take seriously

Earlier this week we were asked why we would run a controversial letter to the editor. We ran one last week, and found out rather quickly that it was upsetting to many readers. That letter, about the current coronavirus pandemic and its origins, generated a number of letters in response.
...

Show empathy, be kind toward one another in these uncertain times

If there was any hope the shutdown in Vermont and around the country was going to end sooner rather than later, that has effectively been put to rest by the events and decrees of the past week.
It wasn’t very long ago that President Donald Trump said he was “hopeful” the worst of the...

April Fool’s in the time of coronavirus

This week is our annual “Deerfield Valley Snooze” edition, meant to be an April Fool’s prank on our readers. It’s our way of poking a little fun at what’s happening in the world around us.
Just in case readers don’t get it, the “Snooze” is satire. Our tongues are firmly planted in our...

The world is in uncharted territory

To say we are in uncertain times is an understatement. In so many ways, the world is in uncharted territory. What the coronavirus has done, through its worldwide spread, is to make much of the globe stop whatever it was doing. It’s kind of like the childhood game of freeze tag, only in reverse:...

Transparency needed

With Sunshine Week on the horizon, now more than ever people need honest information. Sunshine Week, March 15 to 21, is an annual call by the news industry for open government and open information. It has been developed over the past 15 years by media outlets large and small to help people...

Open government is good government for all of us

Note: March 15 to 21 is Sunshine Week across the country, when media celebrate and encourage open government. As a lead-up to that, we publish this opinion piece by Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos. He has long been an advocate for open government.
The New England Newspaper and...

Voters have appointment that’s not worth keeping

Voters in Wilmington will be faced with making a rare decision at Tuesday’s Town Meeting. They are being asked to decide whether or not the town clerk and town treasurer positions should be appointed by the selectboard instead of being elected by the voters (see story on page 1).
We don’t...

A lot riding on auction

As things stand right now, the bankruptcy auction for the Hermitage Club is a month away. For many in the valley, it can’t come soon enough.
It’s been two years since the club shut down operations midway during the ski season, and during the interim 24 months there have been many twists...