Editorial

Above, Cliff Duncan stands on a ladder while hanging a banner in 1982 in Wilmington. A planned KKK rally brought out many locals in opposition to the racist group. Below, another banner that was displayed by anti-KKK protestors. The banner points out some of the racial injustices are still flash points today. File photo

Years later hate still trying to sprout roots

“Hate does not grow well in the rocky soil of Vermont.”
That slogan was first coined in 1982, as the Ku Klux Klan was readying for a rally in Wilmington. How the people around the valley responded to that rally, by counter-protesting the KKK with a large, peaceful showing of force, has...

Local voters buck state-wide primary trends

Tuesday was primary day in Vermont. As election day results go in Vermont they were pretty much as expected. Most of the incumbents and favorites won statewide races, although there were some underdog wins, and it would appear that mail-in voting was a success and not the overwhelming disaster...

Once again two valley towns on leading edge

On Tuesday, voters in Readsboro will cast ballots in a special vote that will go a long way toward determining the future of how children are educated in two valley towns. The vote is not a referendum on the future of the school in Readsboro, at least not directly, but instead voters must decide...

Like them or not, mail ballots are good for American democracy

Like so many things, voting in 2020 will be a completely different experience for many in the valley, across Vermont, and around the country. Driven in large part by the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a big shift across the country to move away from in-person voting and to voting by mail. ...

School openings big test of life as “new normal”

Over the past couple of weeks we’ve reported on how local school districts are planning to restart in-person attendance for the fall semester. We’re excited to see that most primary and secondary schools in southern Vermont will be open come late August. It’s a necessary step to make in...

Shop Local Program a way to support neighbors and the community

With all the talk about the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the economy, there’s an easy way for people to help out local businesses here in the valley, while saving a few bucks in the process.
The Shop Local Program is a joint promotion sponsored by the towns of Wilmington and...

Winning formula: Support local media and businesses

Just in case readers haven’t noticed, it’s an election year. Of course, there is much focus on the presidential election. Understandably so given all that is a stake with the future of the country and everything.
But there are also statewide elections on the horizon, and those elections...

Time to deliver promises of declaration to all

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -- That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among Men, deriving their...

Don't hit the brakes

On Tuesday evening the combined selectboards of Wilmington and Dover signed off on a marketing plan crafted by the bi-town economic development marketing committee and the chamber of commerce (see story on page A1). While not new, as this is the third year the two towns have funded a joint...

Time to stop the denial

“We’re in denial of the African holocaust. Most times, people don’t want to talk about it. One is often restless or termed a racist just for having compassion for the African experience, for speaking truth to the trans-Atlantic and Arab slave trades, for speaking truth to the significant omission...