Editorial

Mullin Report still a vital document to guide valley

“The Towns of Dover and Wilmington are facing a period of economic transformation. Long dependent on a steady tourist activity for their job base, it is essential, over the long term, that they begin to expand their base in new directions.”
Strategic Economic Development Plan For Dover and...

Businesses still willing to invest in the valley

There are many who have concerns about the economy of the Deerfield Valley. That’s understandable, given the flameout that has taken place at the Hermitage Club and the drag that collapse has put on the local economy. No doubt, the damage to many local businesses is incalculable.
Its...

Tax season is upon us

The sky is not falling

Folks of a certain age may remember a number of “end-of-the-world” events that were sure to cause massive disruption of life as we knew it at the time. In each instance, prognosticators said major chaos was inevitable and likely unavoidable.
Who can forget the Y2K computer glitch?...

Independence for all

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
“The New Colossus” - Emma Lazarus, 1883. “We cannot...

Historic changes coming

The school year is coming to an end, as local public schools wrap up this week. When students come back in the fall there will be some noticeable changes and, we hope, some not-so-noticeable changes.
The noticeable changes will be the usual, numerous things that happen every year....

Affordable housing has to be included in plans

Last week we reported on the Wilmington Selectboard setting priorities for municipal improvement projects. They include expanding the town sewer line east to the SVMC Deerfield Valley health center, sidewalk improvement along East Main Street, improving digital connectivity, and revisiting plans...

Club woes a continuing drag on local economy

Regular readers no doubt have followed the news about the financial woes of the Hermitage Club. From staff layoffs and unpaid vendors to bank foreclosures and lawsuits, the cash-flow difficulties faced by the club have been well documented.
But what hasn’t really been talked about is the...

Results, value missing from legislative standoff

Are Vermont schools a good deal or are taxpayers ponying up too much to fund a bloated system? That is the dilemma many in this state grapple with on a constant basis. Legislators spend hours debating what to do to make the state’s public schools at the primary and secondary levels more...

The power of a poppy

“In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row.
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.”
Memorial Day weekend, which traditionally marks the start of the summer season, is...