Editorial

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...

Scott using veto threat to get voters' attention

On Saturday, the Vermont Legislature adjourned its 2018 session. On Tuesday, Gov. Phil Scott sent a letter to legislative leaders calling the House and Senate back to Montpelier next week for a special session. Scott is calling that session to try and hammer out a budget deal more to his liking....

No need for veto session

Here we are, in the first week of May. That means the end to Vermont’s annual legislative session is near. The closing date is scheduled for May 12 this year. By then, legislators should have bills wrapped up, final votes should be taken, and any bills that are passed should be on their way to...

Precarious high wire act

“Luck is a very thin wire between survival and disaster, and not many people can keep their balance on it”
Hunter S. Thompson As regular readers of The Deerfield Valley News will likely know, the Hermitage Club and owner Jim Barnes have been walking a tightrope at Haystack Mountain for...

Another lost connection

A little more than a year ago we wrote about cell service expansion in underserved areas of the Deerfield Valley. That article reported about a meeting to discuss a plan developed by Massachusetts-based Vanu CoverageCo to bring micro-cell service to rural areas of Vermont. At that meeting, Vanu...

No help from 911

Local legislators continue to raise red flags over a bill currently circulating in the Statehouse that would drastically change how Vermonters pay for their schools (see article on page A2). It’s been a bit overshadowed by the hullabaloo over the recently-passed gun legislation, but would have much...

Get back to the garden

“Well, I came upon a child of God
He was walking along the road
And I asked him, Tell me, where are you going
This he told me
Said, I’m going down to Yasgur’s Farm
Gonna join in a rock and roll band
Got to get back to the land and set my soul free” This weekend the...